How to get more inventory for a consignment shop: 8 tips | 2025

For over a decade, I’ve learned how to get more inventory for my consignment shop after selling on platforms like eBay, Mercari, and Poshmark. I’ve found 8 strategies, from building relationships to using tools like Nifty, to keep cash flowing.

How to get more inventory for a consignment shop: TL;DR

Tip #1: Define what kind of inventory you need

Knowing which products to prioritize before sourcing saves time and prevents dead inventory from piling up. Start by defining your shop’s niche and target audience, then analyze past sales data to see what actually sells quickly versus what lingers.

For instance, vintage designer handbags can sell within two weeks, whereas formal wear often remains unsold for months. Focus your consignment or sourcing efforts on the fast sellers. Aligning your buying strategy with proven demand keeps your cash flow healthy and prevents low-performing items from taking up valuable space.

Tip #2: Get inventory from individual consignors

Individual consignors can provide steady inventory without upfront costs. If you build strong relationships with them, you can maintain a steady flow of high-quality items into your shop. 

Use these 4 strategies to attract and retain reliable consignors:

1. Use social media and community groups for outreach: Post regularly on Facebook groups and Instagram to attract local sellers. Share photos of recent consignments that sold quickly, highlight your commission splits, and explain your intake process. 
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2. Offer flexible consignment terms: Adjustable commission splits, longer consignment windows, or seasonal promotions make your shop more appealing than competitors with rigid policies. Flexibility shows you value their business and encourages them to return with more items.
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3. Host intake days: Designate specific days each month when consignors can drop off items without appointments to make the process easy and predictable. Promote these events through email, social media, and in-store signage so sellers can plan ahead.
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4. Use referral-based consignor programs: Reward existing consignors with store credit or higher commission rates when they refer friends who bring in quality items. A simple referral bonus turns your best sellers into active recruiters who spread the word about your shop.

Tip #3: Partner with local designers and small brands

By featuring items from local designers and small brands, you can offer exclusive inventory while giving emerging creators valuable retail exposure. 

Reach out to artisans at craft fairs, farmers' markets, or on Instagram to propose consignment partnerships. Over time, mutually beneficial relationships develop from these partnerships: Designers gain storefront visibility without paying rent, and you fill your shop with distinctive, in-demand products. 

Follow these tips for creating relationships with makers:

Negotiate exclusive consignment deals for new product lines

• Approach local designers with proposals that give your shop exclusive rights to sell their products for a set period. This arrangement differentiates your inventory from nearby competitors and gives designers guaranteed space.
  
  
• Offer competitive commission splits, like 55 (for them)/45 (for you), and prominent display placement as an incentive. Exclusive agreements are most effective when targeting creators whose aesthetic aligns with your customer base.
  
  
• Clearly document terms, including pricing authority, restocking expectations, and the handling of unsold items at the end of the exclusivity period.

Rotate products each season to keep your displays fresh

• Swap products periodically to align with seasonal trends and customer preferences. Bring in lightweight scarves and sandals for summer, then rotate to knitwear and boots as fall approaches.
  
  
• Regular rotation prevents displays from looking stale. Work with makers to plan these transitions in advance so they can prepare seasonally appropriate items. Clear rotation schedules also help you move slower inventory back to creators and replace it with pieces more likely to sell quickly. 

Tip #4: Mix wholesale and consignment inventory

Blending wholesale purchases with consignment inventory gives you full control over pricing and margins. Follow these tactics to mix your inventory:

Tactic 1: Source liquidation or overstock items

Liquidation and overstock suppliers sell brand-name products at steep discounts, often 50% to 80% below retail. These inventory sources give you high-margin inventory without the upfront costs of traditional wholesale. 

Browse platforms like Liquidation.com, B-Stock, or local warehouse sales to find pallets of clothing, accessories, or home goods from major retailers. Pair your liquidation finds with consignment pieces to offer popular brands at competitive prices while keeping your margins healthy.

Tactic 2: Analyze profit margins

• Calculate your net profit on both wholesale and consignment items before determining what to sell on either model, factoring in upfront costs, storage, and commission splits.
  
  
• For example, a wholesale candle purchased for $8 and sold for $20 yields a profit of $12 before overhead. On the other hand, a consigned standard handbag sold for $80 with a 50/50 split earns you $40 with zero initial investment. Notably, designer bags command 60–80% to consignors.
  
  
• Use this analysis to identify which products justify upfront wholesale costs and which are better suited for consignment. Tracking margins across categories helps you allocate budget strategically and avoid tying up capital in inventory that consignment could supply at lower risk.

Tactic 3: Buy seasonal wholesale items in small batches

Purchase trending seasonal products in limited quantities to capitalize on short-term demand without overcommitting capital or storage space. Stock beach totes and sunglasses in summer, then cozy blankets and holiday decor in winter.

Begin by buying just enough to test customer interest, letting you respond quickly to what’s selling, while your consignment inventory covers core categories year-round. If done right, this tactic minimizes the risk of stale stock and frees up cash to invest in the next wave of trending items.

Tip #5: Find online consignment sources

Online consignment sources expand your inventory pipeline beyond local sellers, connecting you with quality items from across the country. 

Use these 3 strategies to help you build your own intake system:

1. Connect with sellers on Poshmark, eBay, or Depop: Reach out to active sellers on these platforms who consistently list high-quality items that fit your shop’s aesthetic. Message them with consignment offers that reduce their individual platform fees and shipping hassles in exchange for bringing their inventory into your physical store.
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2. Use consignment software to manage digital intake: Programs like ConsignCloud, ConsignR, or Shopify POS simplify remote onboarding by letting sellers provide product information through online portals before shipping items. These platforms track incoming inventory, automate commission calculations, and generate payout reports.
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3. Offer remote consignment: Provide prepaid shipping labels to qualified consignors so they can send items directly to your shop. Review submitted photos first, then approve high-quality pieces and email labels for accepted items.

Tip #6: Build relationships with your best consignors

Once you’ve partnered up with consignors, you’ll need to focus on building lasting relationships with the best ones. Strong relationships with top consignors create a reliable inventory pipeline that keeps your shelves stocked with quality items customers want. 

Identify sellers who consistently bring in pieces that sell quickly. Prioritize these high performers by giving them better commission splits, faster payouts, or first access to premium display space. 

Here’s how to build lasting supplier relationships with high performers:

• Provide transparent sales reports and quick payouts: Send detailed reports showing which items sold, final prices, and commission breakdowns regularly (daily or weekly). Process payouts on a predictable schedule to build trust. 
• Communicate regularly about pricing and performance: Check in with your consignors monthly to discuss which items are moving quickly and which might need price adjustments. Share feedback on trends you’re seeing in-store so they can tailor future consignments to match customer demand.
• Create loyalty perks: Reward consignors who consistently supply quality inventory with higher commission splits, extended consignment windows, or priority placement in your best display areas. Loyalty perks incentivize top suppliers to keep working with you.

Tip #7: Manage inventory smartly to prevent overstock

Smart inventory management prevents your shop from becoming cluttered with unsold items that tie up space and hurt cash flow. Use these 4 strategies to manage your inventory:

Strategy 1: Track item age and sales velocity 

Monitor how long each item sits on your shelves and which categories sell fastest using a tool like Nifty that connects to platforms like Depop, Mercari, Poshmark, eBay, and Etsy. Nifty’s Analytics Suite offers sales reports and inventory tracking in a single dashboard. 

Use Nifty’s inventory management tool to track and identify stale inventory that hasn’t sold within 60 or 90 days. You’ll be able to tweak each item’s price and description so you can better position for a sale. 

Strategy 2: Use QR codes or barcodes

Attach unique barcodes or QR codes to each consigned item, allowing you to scan and log products quickly. Digital tracking eliminates manual errors, speeds up checkout, and makes it simple to pull reports on individual consignor performance.

Strategy 3: Schedule clearance sales for slow-moving stock

Plan clearance events to move items that have been on your floor for 90 days or longer, freeing up space for fresh inventory. Discount slow sellers by 30–50% and promote the sale through email and social media to drive foot traffic. 

If you’re selling clothing and accessories, list your items on Poshmark. The platform allows you to participate in regular Closet Clear Out events, where you can sell discounted items for a limited time, helping you move stale inventory. Some Poshmark sellers note that they often tend to sell more items that buyers like during these events than during regular selling periods. 

Tip #8: Keep your inventory pipeline strong

A consistent inventory pipeline prevents lags in sales and keeps your shop stocked with fresh items. Here’s how to keep your inventory stocked:

Pipeline Tip 1: Stay active in your community and online groups

Show up consistently at local markets, craft fairs, networking events, and community gatherings where potential consignors spend time. Use these opportunities to meet new consignors. 

Continue to search the web for new Facebook groups, neighborhood forums, and local business associations where people discuss selling secondhand goods or decluttering their homes. Add value by commenting on posts, answering sourcing questions, and sharing success stories. 

Pipeline tip 2: Stay up-to-date on seasonal trends

Adjust your consignment priorities throughout the year to match what customers want to buy at the moment, such as asking consignors for winter coats in October and swimwear in April. 

Track trending styles on social media, fashion blogs, and competitor shops to match current demand. Share seasonal needs with your consignor network through email newsletters, social posts, or intake day promotions. Staying aware of trends also shows consignors you take inventory turnover seriously. 

Pipeline tip 3: Treat every consignor as a long-term business partner

Approach each consignor relationship with the intention of building repeat business over months and years. Long-term partnerships reduce the time spent recruiting new consignors and create a reliable network of individuals who consistently provide quality inventory.  

Send thank-you notes after successful sales, check in when their items sell quickly, and ask for feedback on your intake process to show you value their input. A consignor who feels respected and appreciated will prioritize your shop when deciding where to bring their next batch of items. 

Common consignment shop mistakes to avoid

Even experienced shop owners make inventory mistakes that hurt profit margins and damage consignor relationships. Avoid these 4 errors: 

1. Accepting inventory without quality standards: Establish strict intake criteria that cover both condition and market demand. Politely declining items protects your shop’s reputation and keeps inventory manageable. 
2. Failing to update consignment agreements: Review and update your agreements annually to reflect current commission splits, consignment periods, and procedures for handling slow-moving inventory.
3. Overcommitting without tracking capacity: Accepting more inventory than you can manage leads to overcrowded racks, buried products that never sell, and frustrated consignors whose items get no visibility. Monitor your available floor space and set monthly intake limits based on your current sales velocity and storage capacity. 
4. Lack of communication when items aren’t selling: Letting consigned products sit for months without discussing pricing adjustments or returns leaves consignors in the dark and ties up valuable space. Contact suppliers proactively when items hit 60 or 90 days without selling.

Move more inventory with Nifty

Now that you know how to source and organize inventory for your consignment shop, it’s time to put that work into motion. Nifty makes it easy to manage everything on Depop, Mercari, Poshmark, Etsy, and eBay (more platforms soon!) from one interface. 

Here’s how Nifty helps you grow faster:

• AI-generated listings: Take a photo, and Nifty’s AI writes the perfect title, description, and hashtags. Every detail is filled out for you, so you can focus on finding new pieces, not typing them in.
• Auto-delisting: Once an item sells, Nifty removes it from other platforms, preventing double-selling and customer confusion.
• Bulk tools that save hours: Schedule listings, update prices, or share items in bulk. Nifty handles the busywork while you focus on sourcing and selling.
• Analytics Suite: Track your best-selling brands, slow movers, and fees in one clean dashboard, so you know exactly what’s paying off.

Nifty pays for itself in just a few weeks. See why over 10,000 sellers use Nifty and start your 7-day free trial.

FAQs

1. Where do consignment stores get their inventory?

Consignment stores get most of their inventory from individual sellers, who exchange items for a commission split once the items are sold. Shops also source through local designers and small brands, forming exclusive partnerships. Other inventory streams include online resellers from platforms like Poshmark and eBay.

2. How can I attract consignors for a new shop?

You can attract consignors for a new shop by promoting your commission splits and intake process on social media, hosting convenient drop-off days, and offering flexible terms such as adjustable splits or longer consignment windows. Build credibility by sharing photos of recently sold items and launching referral programs that reward consignors for bringing in new ones. 

3. Can I mix consignment and wholesale items?

Yes, you can mix consignment and wholesale items to balance risk and control. Purchase wholesale staples, such as accessories or seasonal basics, that consistently sell. Fill the rest of your space with consigned statement pieces and unique finds to protect cash flow while providing pricing flexibility.