What's Gordon Gekko got to do with online resale?

Uniquely yours...for less!

This month we delve into the industry statistics and trends surrounding resale. Before you stifle a yawn on the basis that you think this subject is boring, you should read on because in fact, from our research it is actually very interesting. We promise!

So resale or retail? Can you tell the difference? Probably not! Today resale shops look the same as mainstream retailers - except for one big difference - they sell high quality goods at lower prices. The resale industry, as we stated in last month's blog, offers quality at what can be enormous savings and don't forget the element that resale is green!

Resale is a multi-billion dollar a year industry and with this in mind you begin to realize the vast scope and advantage to shopping and getting that "must have" fashion item for less. Resale shopping attracts consumers from all economic levels. There is no typical resale shopper and no-one is immune to the excitement of finding a treasure and saving money at the same time. Shrewd shoppers take advantage of the opportunity resale offers - to save money. These savings can help add to quality of life when used for vacations, entertainment, funding of college, the list goes on.

According to America's Research Group, a consumer research firm, approximately 16-18% of Americans will shop at a thrift store during any given year. For resale shops, it is approximately 12-15%. To put these figures into perspective, consider that during the same timeframe, 11.4% of Americans will shop in factory outlet malls, 19.6% in apparel stores and 21.3% in major department stores. 

Advertise your store with consignista.com

Resale has become destination shopping with the recent industry trend of clustering and this leads us onto the newest piece of consignista.com's business model, The Consignista Network. In simple terms, consignista.com will allow other apparel resale/consignment stores to gain an online presence without the need of them building and managing a website themselves. This in turn allows these stores to list their inventory online at consignista.com and gives, as an example, a shopper in Texas to purchase that "must have" item from a store in Iowa. By creating The Consignista Network at consignista.com, it adds efficiency for the shopper and additional sales for the resale/consignment store who is part of the Consignista Network who would not necessarily have been found by that savvy shopper otherwise. 

Shoppers can visit a variety of resale/consignment stores at one site - consignista.com.

The resale market is blossoming thanks to value-conscious consumers and with the increasing awareness of the importance of reducing pointless waste, we are progressing from a disposable society to a recycling society - a change that has enormous market potential for the resale industry as a whole.

While bricks and mortar stores close their doors at the end of every day, online stores, just like consignista.com operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Online stores are the Gordon Gekko of Wall Street Fame. To coin one of Mr Gekko's phrases, consignista.com "never sleeps".

Are you a bunny hop away from Greenwich CT?

Uniquely yours...for less!

We promise the title of this blog will be the only reference to Easter and we won't be mentioning bunnies anymore.

Our latest blog is about the fantastic concierge services we offer. Admittedly they are only fantastic for those who live within a 25 mile radius of our Head Office in Greenwich, CT (not quite a bunny hop we know - OK we fibbed a little about no longer mentioning bunnies, last time we pinky promise) but please don't despair, we are always looking to expand into other areas, so we could be coming to an area near you very soon. But back to our concierge services, what are they?

We offer two levels of concierge service, Standard and Premium. And here you can learn about the difference between the two.

Once registered with us, our standard concierge service just needs you to complete our Inventory List online and submit it to us. Once submitted, we will contact you to arrange a convenient time for us to collect the item(s) that you wish to consign. From there, we take care of uploading your item(s) to the site, writing full descriptions, taking photographs and once an item sells we ship it on your behalf. Subject to an item(s) not falling under our Returns Policy, you will be paid 60% of the sale.

Once registered with us, our premium concierge service just needs you to complete our Call me! Request Form and we will come to your rescue by arranging an appointment to visit your home and help you decide which items you may wish to consign and at what price. When we have worked together on deciding what you are consigning and for how much, we will provide you with a receipt for your items and take them away to start working our magic. As with the standard concierge service, we take care of uploading your item(s) to the site, writing full descriptions, taking photographs and once an item sells we ship it on your behalf. Subject to an item(s) not falling under our Returns Policy, you will be paid 50% of the sale.

These concierge services are perfect for those who have busy schedules, don't want the hassle of heading to a bricks-and-mortar consignment store or just the thought of uploading a number of items to us gives them the chills. Although saying that our upload service is awesome if you have a handful of items. You don't need to leave the house and can consign at your leisure. It also gives us a national consignor reach (until we send more branded smart cars out to different states to operate our concierge service). Just check out "Petunia" our Greenwich Smart Car Babe.

Not only are our concierge services convenient, let us not forget that when your items are listed at a price you are comfortable with, we will NEVER reduce the price unless you ask us to do so. No nasty surprises when you get your payment when an item sells. On the subject of money, it is always smart to price your item sensibly. Standard industry is 50% reduction for an item New With Tags (abbreviation NWT) a bit like texting LOL or LMK... what has the world come to when we even know what these mean? Any hoo! Focus.

We also have no restriction on what you can consign in terms of season just because we have a national reach (well global actually) but we currently don't ship outside of the US & Canada. Sorry! So in a nutshell you can consign apparel for women, men and children and "fun stuff" (meaning collectible toys) with us. Everyone that has used us, loves us! Spread the word and help us stay great.

All you need to do to use any of our consignment services is register with us. And from there you will see just how simple and fun consigning can be!

To coin what is going to become a standard phrase... "see you next month" and if you like this blog please subscribe to it, it's super easy to do so, just subscribe to posts right here at the top of this blog. Oh and the usual blurb, Like Us on Facebook, Follow us on Pinterest and check out our Google + page. No more plugs! But you can't blame us for trying!

And last, but not least, have a fantabulous Easter. Eat plenty of candy so you will no longer into fit your clothes and you will have no choice but to consign them with us! LOL! We know, we know!