How to plan, set up, promote and manage a consignment store.

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Planning a Consignment Store

How Much Money Do You Need To Start A Consignment Store?
There's more to starting a consignment store than rent and buying inventory.

How Much Money Can You Make At Consignment?
A realistic look at what you'll earn as a consignment shop owner.

How To Start A Consignment Store
How to select the right location, merchandise, policy and procedures.

How to Open a Resale Shop
The differences between consignment shops and thrift stores, and how to open both kinds of these resale shops.

Startup Consignment Shop Inventory
How to outfit your store with great stuff before you ever open the doors for business.

Consignment Franchises
There are pros and cons to buying a consignment franchise, but depending on who you are, all the pros could line up, or all the cons could line up.

Buying an Established Consignment Store
Many consignment store owners recommend buying an existing store rather than starting your own store. There are pros and cons to doing this versus starting up from nothing.

Specializing Your Consignment Shop
There are many consignment shop owners who choose to cater to niche markets, rather than offering a one-stop shop to all.

Resale, Consignment, Thrift and Second-Hand Stores: Are They Different?
Usually, consumers will see these types of stores as one and the same, but they are not. In fact, there are some vital differences to these types of stores.

Locating a Retail Space and Negotiating the Lease
Get this right, you're a third of the way to success. Get it wrong, and you're halfway to failure.

How to Get Consignment Store Experience
It is an extremely wise idea to get some real-world experience in the resale business before you attempt to launch your own consignment or second-hand store.

Characteristics of a Successful Consignment Shop Owner
Owning a consignment shop can be a great way to make a living at a hobby you love (like a consignment shop for photographers, for example), but there are a lot of management skills required, and a lot of other personal traits you'll need.

How to Pick a Name for Your Consignment Shop
Picking the right name for your consignment shop is critical, but it should also be fun. Here are some things to keep in mind while you brainstorm.

Write a Business Plan for Your Consignment Shop
A recent survey showed that startup companies that wrote a business plan were twice as likely to succeed as companies that wrote no plan.

Promoting a Consignment Store

Get a Great Sign for Your Consignment Store
If you're paying all that rent for a location with good foot traffic, you ought to be making the most of it. Here are the basics of getting a great sign for your new store.

Preparing For Your Consignment Store Grand Opening
Bring in the crowds for an event to remember.

How to Advertise Your Consignment Shop
Bring in customers with age-old advertising methods.

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Managing a Consignment Store

Best Days for Consignment Sales
Not all days are created equal in the consignment business. Here are the best and worst days of the week, the best and worst holidays and the best and worst months for consignment store sales.

Layaway Consignment Policies
Typically, your items will cost between five dollars and $50 in total. Most of the people who shop with you will be buying items with cash. However, there may be items in your consignment store that will cost more, even hundreds of dollars more, and that brings in the question of layaway.

Choosing Store Management Software
While some consignment store owners may wrestle with the decision to computerize their shop, there are many who feel it is impossible not to.

A Sample Consignment Agreement
A workable draft of a consignment agreement that you can edit to your own needs.

Setting up Your Consignment Shop
Getting The Most out of Your Shop with a Proper Setup.

Consignment Agreement Policies
Writing a Policy That Works For You and Your Customers.

Creating an Unsold Items Policy
Sometimes despite your best efforts, you aren't able to sell everything in your store. Here's how to deal with the leftovers.

Determining Hours of Operation For Your Consignment Store
When should you open and when should you close to maximize profits?

How to Sell on Ebay
eBay is a terrific way for consignment store owners (and anyone else) to move some merchandise that might otherwise just sit around. Here's how to get the most out of your efforts on eBay.

Are Consignment Group Shops or Co-Ops a Good Idea?
These "malls" of consignment and antiques booths can be a terrific way to get your consignment business off the ground and out of your garage. Here's how they work.

Estate Sales - Running Them
Many consignment store owners do estate sales on the side, both so they can get first pick of potentially valuable items, but also as a way to make some extra money on the side.

Consignment Store Inventory
Be picky about what you take for your consignment store, or you'll end up with a lot of inventory that never leaves.

Start an eBay Business
For many of these small-time retailers, eBay came as a blessing in disguise by offering them a huge market for their products as well as cutting costs associated with running a real store.