~ Consigning ~

I am joining Kellie with this post
I hope it helps and inspires you to DeClutter and Consign your unwanted STUFF!
Spring Fling your way to CLEAN!!!




\I was the manager of my moms home consignment  shop for 3 years!

I loved every second of it!

I built the shop from the very first day and I lived and breathed all things consignment for those three years.

I won  two international awards and was the president of our local alliance.

The business was booming...  then the economy went bust and we closed the shop in July.

I still love consignment and would not hesitate to open another shop in the future.

That being said I decided to do a 3 part series on consigning.

 I hope that you will follow me for the three weekly installments and maybe give it a try if you have not already.

It really is easy and very lucrative as long as you are informed and comfortable with the shop you choose

My main area of expertise is home consignment which is furniture and home decor however there are all kinds of consignment shops... clothing, children, and more!

The core of any consignment business is the consignor...  A consignor brings unwanted items to be sold at a shop and then receives a commission once the item sells.

Without the consignor... there would not be a shop!

I am going to do some housekeeping first so that you can get some background on how a consignment shop works.
Here are some questions to ask and then a follow up of what we did in our shop.

• Do you have an agreement and what are the terms? EVERY shop should have an agreement also known as a contract. If the shop you are interested in does not have an agreement,  do NOT consign there. PERIOD.  The agreement should make you feel comfortable. If you are not comfortable, ask questions. If something is not clear, ask questions.  Our agreement protected the consignor and the shop. We offered a 60 day term and the consignor rec'd half of the selling price. We paid on demand and you could use shop credit. You were welcome to pick up any unsold items after the 60 days or we would have a charity sale for the childrens hospital and all proceeds went there.

• How long will my items stay for sale in the shop? All shops have different time periods. Some are seasonal, some are monthly, most are 60 days. We were 60 days.

• Is there a fee to consign? Some shops charge a yearly fee of $5.00 for book keeping. Some shops charge a seasonal fee.  I have heard of fees as high as $25.00. We did not charge a fee.  Find out what the fee is for. Like I said many use this for book keeping and mailing checks and some shops use it to weed out less desirable consignors.

• Can I have a receipt? You should ALWAYS get a receipt for any items you leave at the shop.  Some receipts are itemized and priced. Other shops give a count. We gave an itemized receipt to our consignors. 

• Do you buy outright? Sometimes shops will buy smaller items outright. We did this. We purchased candles and stationary, costume jewelry and smaller trinkets.   We also purchased items outright that could be used for display.  You may get a quick $10.00 bill for a box of mix matched greeting cards that the shop either sells or adds on to packages.

• If my items don't sell can I have them back or do you dispose of them? These items are yours. You own the items during the duration of the consignment period.  Read what you are agreeing to.  We had two people in three years ask for items back. One person had sellers remorse and the other wanted our contract so he could open a shop of his own.  Some shops will charge a fee for taking your items back before the contract expires.

• If you dispose of them do you toss them or do you donate them to charity? We had a sale for the childrens hospital and then donated those leftovers to the church across the street from the shop for their flea market.

• How much commission will I receive? Some shops are 50/50 (we did this split) or 60/40. This is important to know. Either you split the selling price evenly OR the shop takes 60% and you get 40%.

• Do you pay on demand or do I have to wait for a check? We paid on demand and consignors were allowed to use shop credit anytime.  Some shops pay you at the end of the consignment period by cash or check.  Be careful though because some shops do require you to PICK up your check and if you don't pick it up in the scheduled time frame, you forfeit YOUR earnings back to the shop.

• Can I use store credit? Ideally you could. I am not sure why any shop would not allow this... it is a win win situation... !

My BEST advice is to READ the agreement and if you are not comfortable... find another shop.

So now that you know the inner workings of consigning here is how to be the PERFECT consignor!

I am serious... you can be a PERFECT consignor!

We had several of them ... when they came through our doors we dropped everything because they were our rock stars.

When you are a great consignor, you make the most money too.

Here are my top hints for being a dream consignor

• Visit the shop  FIRST and see what the shop accepts. I know this may seem obvious but some shops are very particular about the age of items and the season. 
• Make sure your items are in pristine condition. Clean your mirrors, shine your wood table, check for stains on your linens... Be sure your items are in the exact condition that you would want to purchase them in.
• Take your items to the shop and DO NOT BABY SIT!! I am serious about this one. When you declutter and make a pile of stuff to get rid of...  that means you no longer want the items. I had one woman who came in EVERYDAY to see if her items sold... they NEVER did! LOL

• See if the shop offers drop and run...  this is a great way to drop off your stuff quickly and be on your way! Drop and Run is offered AFTER you are an established consignor in a shop.

Whew...
I think that this is all for today...
please ask any questions you may have in the comments
and I will do a follow up post at the end of the week!

I hope this post was helpful to you and that you are now more informed about consigning!

Blessings ~ Patricia

PS: Pics are from our shop...through the years...

PSS: Shopping consignment is coming next week so stay tuned!

Then look for information on how you can make consigning a job!