I sell consignment items. I have a client that asked what my “game plan” was going to be for selling each of his items. That is not as easy a question to answer as one would think. Due to the nature of the internet and retail in general my “Game Plan” is constantly changing and evolving. What worked for selling a particular item 3 months ago may not work today, and the price it sold at then may not be what it will sell for now. With this in mind sellers should ask themselves, “Have I reviewed my game plan?” and,  “Do I need to modify my game plan?”

I receive a large variety of items to sell on consignment. I research each item to see where the best possible place to sell it would be to maximize my clients profit for that item. Since I work on commission, it is very important to my income to choose the right place to properly sell an item. If the item hasn’t sold in the expected time frame it’s back to square one to research and try to figure out what the market is doing.

I sell on the internet, at an antique mall, and at live onsite Estate and moving sales. Keep in mind not all items sell well in all venues.  I recently had my big annual sale at my location. I open up my entire inventory for 3 days at discounted prices. What I was hearing from dealers shopping the sale was that they had many similar items and just couldn’t sell them. Not one of those dealers sold in multiple venues or locations and none of them sold on the internet. 

Remember the saying, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket?”  In today’s market place multiple streams of income are often needed to make a decent profit. Items I have in my antique mall booth are items that don’t sell well online but sell just fine to the tourist crowd that typically shops at that location.  Items I have listed on Ruby Lane are items that sell the best there.  Currently I am looking into advertising in a specialty publication to sell items from an estate of a retired doll maker. Sometimes I list in multiple locations to target a larger audience or take advantage of a short window of time.

Timing is also important. Some seasonal items only have a 2 month window in which they will sell. It is important to have those items listed at the proper time. Even items that aren’t specifically holiday items do have selling seasons. I sell more porcelain, china, stemware and silver in October and November than any other time of the year. People are buying to set their Thanksgiving tables. As I  am writing this I am thinking how to respond to my clients request, sure I can tell you my game plan today but,  I may need to change it tomorrow. This is what I do and what works.

Cindy Danielski
Senior Moving Specialists
http://www.rubylane.com/shops/seniormovingspecialists