So it’s not selling. Sittin’ there, takin’ up room, boring your customers, prohibiting you from using that space for goods that will sell.

After all, that’s what you’re here for. To sell stuff. So what’s the obvious thing to do?

Mark it down.

NOT.

Well, I take that back. It may be the obvious thing to do: make it cheaper/ eat away at your profit margin…. but it’s not the smartest, nor even the most effective to your business in the long run. Before you subtract price, try adding value. Here’s some merchandising tips you might employ to make everyone, including your wallet, happier.

Make a fresh look out of old stuff.

Each of these 4 gently-used decor items was uninspiring on its own and would have had to be marked down. Now clustered into a new look, no markdowns needed!

Add cachet with a little info.

Imagine if that tag read something like "Trimmed in hand-made lace, this natural cotton dress was sourced from a beachside bazzaar in Central America. Can you smell the fresh ocean breeze?"

Tell a story.

Sometimes, you don't even need words to tell a story. Here, HollyGoLightly in Eureka CA makes her merchandise worth every penny... with an old book of glamourous black-and-white photos.

And yes, of course you can mark it down after you’ve tried adding value, and often you will need to. Just don’t think that the only reason something’s not selling at the price you set is because it costs too much. Maybe you just haven’t shown people how much it’s worth.