Not everyone is comfortable holding a yard sale outside or a tag sale inside their home, and not everyone has enough items to sustain a sale by themselves. The consignment reseller gathers items from multiple sources, consults with the owner about pricing, and sets up a table at a flea market or yard sale to offer them for sale. Search for opportunities to participate in flea market sales or to mount your own yard sale. Place flyers and ads in community centers and retail outlets offering to sell items. Place ads in newspapers and shopping guides. Promote your flea market or tag sale in the same way, or participate with others in a general advertisement. Learn how to use Internet auction and sales sites, and study the sorts of items they offer to find the best match for the products you will be selling.
The principal up-front costs for a consignment business are advertising and promotion, plus any fees for participation at a flea market or a tag sale run by an organization. If you choose to advertise some of your items on a web site, there may be expenses associated with setting up the site, hosting, and accepting credit cards. If you use an Internet marketplace such as eBay, there are no up-front costs other than computer access to the Internet. Most consignment resellers charge a fee based on a percentage of the selling price of the item; a typical fee is 20 to 30 percent. Depending on your cost of doing business, you might ask owners to pay you an up-front fee when you accept their items for resale, and then deduct that amount from your commission when an item is sold.
