Auntie Kate The Resale Expert

Improve your photos with a sandwich in your hand.

July 27, 2015 by Auntie Kate of Too Good to be Threw

Lots of consignment and resale shopkeepers would love to touch up their merchandise photos before they post them on social media, but don’t because they’re busy and it seems overwhelming to work with photo-editing software.

So I did an example or two while chowing down on a curry chicken wrap (yum). Got this entire process done before half the sandwich was eaten.

Note: You don’t have to be eating to do this.

I started out with this photo of a dining room set from a resale shop. Nice photo, but all that stuff in the background is distracting:

Here’s the background, softened up a bit.

I just saved the photo, then blurred it again, to show another effect.

How did I do this so easily and quickly? Thanks to this Youtube video and Laura Buzzell! First, I used Picmonkey‘s Effects tool to soften the entire photo, then painted over the furniture to, in effect, remove the softening as needed. It’s a subtle effect, so even though I was guiding my mouse and munching at the same time, it turned out perfectly acceptable for a short-term photo, don’t you think?

To answer a question a shop posed on a closed discussion group about making her already-white background crisper and, well, whiter, I found this user’s trick to lighten up a background. My example is much busier, of course, than a imperfectly-white background, but it shows how much difference you can make.

Original photo:

“Blush-boosted” result. Not perfect, but my sandwich was down to the last bite.:

(Wondering why I chose that specific 1975 fashion photo? ‘Cause soon, the consignment shop I founded in 1975 will be having its 40th anniversary! Those were the types of styles I was looking for, back then 🙂 )

(Many thanks to the shop whose dining room set photo I used to illustrate this post. I’m sorry, I neglected to note your shop when I saved it. If it’s you, please let us know in the comments!)

Save

Posted in 5- Minute Fixes, Shopkeeping talk | Tagged advertising, home decor, merchandising, resale shopkeeping, selling, web |

Is that an echo I hear?

July 23, 2015 by Auntie Kate of Too Good to be Threw

Welcome to the in-between season in your consignment or resale shop:

not much summer left since you clearanced it, and not enough fall in yet to make the shop look wonderful.

It’s enough to make your shop seem empty and your merchandise a bit lost and forlorn. But we have some simple solutions you can accomplish Continue Reading »

Posted in 5- Minute Fixes, Shopkeeping talk | Tagged merchandising, resale shopkeeping, small business, starting a consignment shop, success |

Promotion: Cute as a Button!

July 20, 2015 by Auntie Kate of Too Good to be Threw

Would you like to have a promotional event in your shop, but can’t think of a theme? File this idea away, especially if you sell kidswear, which is naturally cute as a button. This approach could also work to highlight petite sizes or maternity or even whimsical home decor. So next time you seem to have an over-abundance of cute stuff… think

Cute as a Button!

For giveaways, gift-with-purchase, or as a fundraiser for a local charity, these would fit in with the theme. They may no longer be available on Etsy, but they look simple enough to make:

Need a bright window display idea?

If your shop has volunteers, maybe they’d like to make a batch of these pins to sell, give to workers during the promotion, or “award” to the first 20 shoppers!