Resell Consumers on Buying Used Items

Not that many years ago, people who used discount coupons were frowned upon. Researchers at University of Colorado-Boulder, University of Virginia, Duke University, and University of Bologna had described associations between coupon use and being a tightwad. Researchers at University of Alberta and University of Manitoba had found that when people in a store saw someone using a discount coupon, judgments of the coupon-users were tugged in a negative direction.
     Now, in the era of Groupon and of mobile devices to display in-store discount offers, coupons are de rigueur.
     Resale stores have followed a similar trajectory of consumer sentiment, even if a few years behind. A recent Chicago Tribune article estimates that the number of independently-owned resale and consignment stores in the U.S. has grown about 50% over five years. Thrift store chain Savers, Inc.—already with nearly 300 stores in America, Canada, and Australia—is planning substantial expansion. And don’t forget the profit-making business models of stores like Children’s Orchard and Howie Mack, plus those with great names like Play it Again, Chic to Chic, and Once Upon a Child.
     Successful resale takes planning. You'll require expertise about what to pay for the used merchandise, knowledge of what used merchandise you can legally sell, polices about returns of used merchandise, and more. Still, consider joining in on this opportunity for profitability by convincing your customers of the value in resale.

• You need used merchandise to sell. Because of the broad popularity of eBay, Craigslist, and Amazon’s small merchant arrangements, there are many consumers who will be quite comfortable turning their unneeded merchandise into money or merchandise credit. It’s a familiar process.
• Another way to increase familiarity is to tie in your for-profit resale business to charity. That’s how many consumers think of resale. So Savers—with its slogan of “Good Deeds. Good Deals”—publicizes how they feature resale items which have been donated to a network of about 120 nonprofits.
• Unless your sole business is resale, reserve a section of your store for it. Auto dealers don’t mix new and used cars. For many consumers, used merchandise still holds a stigma. The stigma can rub off on new merchandise if it’s physically close to the used. There’s even evidence that having the same salesperson handle both the new and the used can decrease the willingness of the shopper to pay full price for unused items.

Click below for more:
Give Coupons Early and Proudly
Consider Having Resale Merchandise