How to shop resale
What
is resale?
All shops
which sell gently-used goods are resale shops. There are distinctions within resale: there
are consignment shops, buy-outright shops, and thrift shops. See the Directory
& Zoomable Map of HowToConsign.com Professional Resalers who
welcome you!
Consignment
shops accept merchandise on a consignment basis, paying owners a percentage when and if
the items are sold. Most pay consignors from 40 to 60% of the
selling price, and have a policy of displaying goods for anywhere from 60 to 90 days,
although there is a wide range of policies. Some consignment shops also purchase additional items outright from individual owners and/or wholesalers.
A resale
store is the phrase most often used for shops which buy their merchandise outright from
individual owners.
A thrift shop
is run by a Not For Profit organization to raise money to fund their charitable causes.
These range from The Salvation Army/ Goodwill type to the small volunteer-run church
thrift shops. These can obtain goods through outright donation or they could operate on a
consignment basis. Some thrifts do both.
Why does this matter to you? It may not, unless you have strong
feelings about specific charities. You can choose to support a
favorite charity by shopping and donating to their stores, and of
course the reverse is also true. Note: Understand how much of the profits are
used in their charitable good works. There are for-profit
companies which make a (big!) business by “renting” a charity's
name and reputation. Ask how much of the money made goes to the
charity and decide what to do. If phone solicitors can't tell you, be
leery. Unless of course you don't care that the lion's share of the
profits may never be seen by that charity you think you are
donating to.
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Why
shop resale?
Find your favorite style
Don't be dictated to by fashion designers. Choose your favorite style when you shop
resale. Put together a look that is your own and don't look like everyone else. Whether
you're refreshing your wardrobe or your home, make it unique. Plus, at resale prices you
can afford to try a new style! Then, if it's not for you, just pass it on.
Enjoy a wide selection
Your favorite color and design is more readily available in resale than it is in
new-merchandise stores, since those new stores can't afford to carry the
variety of styles a resale shop can. And the selection is always changing at resale shops.
If you don't find it today, you probably will next week... or even tomorrow.
Get full value
You know how a new car depreciates the minute it's driven off the dealer's lot? Same thing
happens in clothing, furniture, and equipment. It's common to save more than 50% off
retail prices when you shop resale. And savings of 90% are not unheard-of. Your money gets
you better quality at any price level. Why buy cheap when you can buy inexpensively?
Enjoy personalized service
Can't find anyone to take your money in a department store? Hate standing in check-out
lines at discounters? Tired of trying to put together a look
without someone helping you? Try resale! Most resale shops are
personalized, warm places. Whether you're just browsing or seriously
shopping, you'll get the service you thought was extinct.
Be eco-savvy Imagine the cost to the
environment for new items: depleting the soil, adding fertilizers to
the watershed, increasing air pollution with shipping by truck or
boat. Add to that the fact that you're cutting down on the waste
stream: now don't you feel good about saving that designer item from
the land fill? Besides, you'll have to work less yourself when you
shop resale, which has its own savings to contribute to the
environment! Why shop
resale? The benefits are wide-ranging, an article from
HowToConsign.com
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How
to shop resale
Shop often Since the inventory changes
daily, you should keep checking. Resale prices are so good,
merchandise doesn't hang around for long. Read The
Secrets of Savvy Secondhand Shopping at HowToConsign.com
Get on their mailing list and the shop's
request list as well, if you have a specific need. The best resale
shops send advance notices of sales, an informative newsletter, and
even coupons to regulars. If the shop you love doesn't have a list,
suggest they start one.
Keep an open mind Be flexible. Use your
imagination. Resale shoppers are inventive and imaginative. Much more
fun than letting some mega-retail conglomerate tell you what to wear or
enjoy in your home, like they do at the mall. In the market for some
new looks for your home? Here's
how to have Cachet without Cash
Carry sizes and colors with you You can
grab a bargain if you know what will work for family or friends. Or if
you have the pants you've been meaning to match available. Ask the
staff's opinion. They'll know if that brand runs true to size.
Look in all areas Check out all sizes (it
could run large or small or be mislabelled) and areas (many's the
great bargains to be found in unexpected categories!) Does the shop
have a designer area? A clearance rack? A back room?
Ask about purchasing policies and
"on approval" sales Do they accept credit cards? Offer
layaway? Will they hold something for you or allow you to buy it on
approval?
Enjoy! Resale shopping is an adventure.
Have a good time. And tell 'em Too
Good to be Threw sent ya!
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Prepare
your items
Scout it out If you have items you want
to pass on, check out the resalers in your area. Do they carry the
type of goods you have? Is the shop clean, appealing, and filled with
shoppers? If so, they will welcome a chance to be of service to you. How
to choose the right resale shop for you.
Call ahead or ask while you're there
about how they operate. Some shops ask that you make an appointment
while others welcome walk-ins. The best shops will have a prepared
handout telling you everything you need to know.
Groom your items beforehand for best
results. Clean, neat, and in-style sell best and thus return the best
profit to you. If in doubt, ask the shopkeeper. How
to make your items more valuable, from HowToConsign.com
Understand the agreement Each shop
operates in its own manner. Be sure you know what and when you'll get
paid, the time limit on consignments, and what happens to items that
don't sell.
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So
you want to open a shop
There's a page just for you here! Visit Start
a Shop for tips and a dandy quiz to tell if you really want to
join us in this wonderful profession!
Here's what you do: go to our Products page
and check out all we have to offer. The first item to order is Too
Good to be Threw: The Complete Operations Manual for Consignment Shops,
which is a complete compendium of knowledge and reference.
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Where
to shop resale
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How
about a mystery set in the world of consignment shopping?
You will love The Picker Who
Perished, a Too Good to be Threw Consignment Shop Mystery. Read
about it, check out the excerpt and
the recipes, get it at your local
resale shop! What, you say, they don't offer it? Then order
one direct from the author on-line for yourself or a batch for
your book club buddies at wholesale!
A
note to my fellow resalers
The wording on this page, as you can see from the
copyright notice below, is my property. You are welcome to use a LINK
to these pages on your site, your blog, your e-newsletter or your
social media to educate or amuse your viewers, but you MUST not use my
words as your own. In other words: NO COPYING. Using my
intellectual property without my specific permission, will result in
hexes on your business.
The above articles are Copyright Too Good to be Threw,
as is all the material on all my sites, and may
not be copied or paraphrased. Links are encouraged, of course.
© 1996- 2011 Too Good to be Threw | Products
for the Professional Resaler
4736 Meadowview Blvd | Sarasota FL 34233 |
941-922-5902
