Help me learn about the clothing consignment business.

September 21, 2009 7:18 PM

Help me learn about the clothing consignment business.

If someone is interested in opening a clothing consignment shop, what would they need to know? For example, is this a lucrative business? How would you know what kind of items to accept and how to price them? How would you hire employees? How would you protect against theft? Are there a general guidelines for how much retail should cost (rent wise)? How would one determine whether such a business is viable in a specific area? How do you attract consigners? What sorts of resources (books, web sites, etc.) would help someone learn about this type of business? What else do I need to know? Et cetera!

posted by mintchip to Work & Money (1 answer total)

There's books about this sort of thing, but I fear that if it were really lucrative, there'd be a lot of franchises operating under the model(see: Selling food, which really IS lucrative) - The nearest one I can think of is Plato's Closet, which purchases clothes with a fairly narrow focus. I suggest you visit the one closest to you and talk to the counter people...
posted by Orb2069 at 6:33 AM on September 22, 2009