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Posts Tagged ‘consignment’

5 Things your consignor won't tell youEver wonder what your consignor’s not telling you?

And for consignor, read seller or donor if you’re not a consignment shop. Yes, even those receiving cash on the barrel head, or donating to your nonprofit thrift shop, have unspoken concerns.

We’re not mind-readers. When you tell us we have to choose only 15 items to bring in to you, it’s stressful. Should I include that mink in the batch or will you tell me “no furs”? Are suits 2 pieces or just one? It gets so confusing, I’ll decide just to give everything to my cleaning lady.

We don’t REALLY want to pick things up. But sometimes, your agreement and your web site seem to make us think we have to. What a hassle. We’d much rather just let you donate them.

We want to feel like our things are going to a good home. It’s silly, we know, and we’d be embarrassed if you knew we were thinking this way. After all we’re selling it, right? But we want to feel that you’ll find our underloved possessions a good home. Cuts down on the guilt of passing Mother’s mahogany chest on.

We’re more than willing to brag on you, but we need help. Whether we’re proud of our eco-correctness or excited that we made $250 with no effort, we’re happy to tell others about you. But darn it, what’s your shop called again? Where on Main Street are you? What’s the name of that nice blonde who helped us?

 

We’d love for you to keep in touch. We like hearing how the shop’s doing, so let us know. Don’t just hand out a check without a little human contact. We like to think our relationship is based on more than money.

Are any of these unspoken concerns, something you could address to make your suppliers feel more comfortable as your business partner?

Also, read 5 Things your NONconsignor won’t tell you.

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Okay, it’s the day after Christmas and all through the house

…you gotta get out of there. You can’t take one more minute of sitting on the couch talking about relatives you never knew you had. And you have to put some distance between you and those Pfeffernussen calling your name.

Get thee to a craft store.

Make a T-shirt that says Santa Recycles today, because you’re going to (more…)

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Are your supplier policies more user-friendly than your competition’s?A Too Good to be Threw Teeny Tip fior Consignment, Thrift & Resale Stores

Mention it.

“You’re welcome to bring as many things in as you like” will let her know you set no arbitrary limit. “Stop in anytime, you don’t need an appointment” tells him it’s easier to deal with you.

Do you pay on demand? Send out convenient checks by mail? Have a Merchandise Valuator on duty whenever the shop is open for convenient consigning/ selling? If you’re a NFP thrift shop, is there always a staff member handy to help a donator unload her/his car?

What seems to be common-sense, or just the way things are, could be exactly what a potential supplier is concerned about.

Your day-to-day procedures can be a selling point. Don’t overlook the marketing possibilities right under your nose!

This is just one of the tips in 101 Daily Tips for a Better Shop,  a collection of tips you can use every day to remind you of steps you can take to make your shop better. Get it, and many other helpful publications, at TGtbT mini-Products for the Professional Resaler.

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A phrase has been on my mind for a few months now:“Dusty musty thrift store.”

It’s most often used by journalists but it reflects what so many (as many as 9 out of 10) people think about used, secondhand, thrift, consignment, resale shops. Now maybe you, as a resale shopkeeper, would like to think that “dusty musty thrift store” is no longer true. That the public no longer thinks of our industry as sub-standard. But in your heart-of-hearts, you know

there’s a vast difference between “new” stores and “used” stores.

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Without peeking at the store signage or the price tags, every one of us can tell, just by looking around, whether a store sells new or used. My question, and what I’ve been trying to put my finger on, is

What’s the difference? (more…)

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It’s fun to plan a Halloween costume, but what can you work in all day long as a shopkeeper? You’ll be uncomfortable in that (more…)

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