Auntie Kate The Resale Expert

It might be…if you buy holiday items from your clientele NOW…

You can do this whether you’re a consignment shop or a BOR. You’ll need to let them know via broadcast email, Twitter, Facebook:

• “save the packing away, the hauling up to the attic and then remembering to haul it DOWN at Halloween next year”,
• “decided you didn’t like those ornaments, Santas, garlands and serving pieces as much as you used to? Turn them into cash to pay your Christmas bills”.

…and you need to let them know BEFORE they pack the stuff away. As in RIGHT AWAY TODAY.

You’ll also need the cash to invest long-term and a place to store these. But imagine the excitement when it’s all out and pretty on November 1 next year. The sales from these items, and reminding your suppliers to get their items in during November (not on December 15 as so many folks think is reasonable) can be very lucrative.

And what a service! Truly, your clientele are thinking about it right now. “Lordy, gotta pack up all that stuff I really don’t care about.” I had a dozen people mention that to me this morning, in just a few hours. You’d be helping them declutter!

This idea also does something wonderful: gets folks in in early January. You could even pay in “Winter Clearance Bucks” redeemable during your sale in January, or offer a free pass to your preview evening before your sale, to those who bring in holiday items to sell to you now. At the very least, getting them in now gives you the opportunity to tell them about your winter clearance event!

What’s the worst can happen? You get so much in that you sort out the less-valuable and have a wild, funny, WOM-worthy Christmas in July event!