If you are invested in consignment, then you probably agree it’s a team sport. If, however, you view consignment as a way to offload items you no longer need, but don’t want to outright donate—you may not understand the nuances of consignment as a team sport.
We refer to our Consignment employees as the Consignment TEAM for a good reason. It sets the tone. It reminds us that we are working with each other to accomplish a goal.
This translates to our relationship with our consignors that are invested in their consignments. There is money to be made in consignment, but it takes work—teamwork. At Evolution Home, consignors sign a 90 day contract that outlines the rules of the game.
The most successful consignments rely on communication, effort and follow through on both sides.
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EVOLUTION HOME |
CONSIGNOR |
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-outline expectations via the contract |
-review and ask questions related to the contract |
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-respond in a timely manner to emails and phone calls |
-respond in a timely manner to emails and phone calls
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-schedule drop off or pick up |
-clean, prep items for drop off or pick up |
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-work with the consignor to arrive at a starting price for item(s) |
-make sure the consignment team knows how much you would like to ‘clear/walk away with’ |
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-research items, our sales’ history and explore all resources to arrive at a realistic price |
-realize that Evolution Home knows our market and our sales history with comparable items |
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-process items—list, tag and merchandise on sales floor |
-make sure you know how to access your account via our ‘consignor login’ page |
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-contact consignor if, after the last markdown, their items are not selling and suggest a ‘sale’ price |
-be open to sale prices that increase the chances your item will sell before expiration |
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-standby to either return items to consignor prior to expiration or donate to ReStore |
-know your expiration date and plan to pick up any unsold items PRIOR to your expiration date |
As you can see, there are a lot of moving parts to the process. It’s critical that both parts are working together as a team to sell the items. We share the same goal—to profit in the end. Evolution Home will always trend higher in pricing if we realistically can.
Our best consignors understand and are team players. They schedule appointments for smalls, send emails for any furniture items they want to consign. Their items are on trend, clean, polished, and ready for the floor. Their contracts are filled out—items measured, ‘amount to consignor’ filled in and contact information is legible. When we talk about pricing, they are open to discussion to arrive at a mutually agreeable price. They keep track of items that sell and know when their items are going to expire.
Evolution Home’s Consignment Team works endlessly to make sure items are photographed, researched, listed, merchandised, and posted online to increase their sales potential. We have a solid track record—70% to 85% of consigned items sell before the 2nd markdown.