640: Get Paid to Sell Other People’s Stuff: Starting a Consignment Side Hustle
Nov 14, 2024
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Sarah McAffry, founder of Statemint Consignment, shares her journey from organizing kids’ events to launching a thriving consignment franchise with 23 locations. She reveals how she earned over $10,000 at her first event and gained the trust of her initial sellers. The conversation dives into effective marketing strategies, the unique challenges of adult consignment, and utilizing community engagement to boost sales. Sarah also highlights the rising trend of resale markets and encourages listeners to explore low-risk side hustle opportunities.
Starting a consignment business minimizes financial risk by eliminating upfront inventory costs, benefiting both sellers and buyers in the process.
Effective grassroots marketing and social media strategies are crucial in attracting participants for initial consignment events and building a local presence.
Deep dives
The Advantage of Consignment Sales
Starting a consignment business offers significant advantages over traditional retail models, primarily due to the absence of upfront inventory costs. Sellers can declutter their closets while earning a share of the profits, making it an attractive proposition for both parties. The model allows individuals to engage in entrepreneurship without the financial risks associated with inventory purchasing. This dual benefit not only helps sellers make money but also creates a marketplace for buyers seeking quality secondhand items.
Initial Challenges and Market Research
Launching the first consignment event proved to be more challenging than anticipated, particularly in sourcing both inventory and sellers. The founder made initial assumptions about the ease of attracting sellers, only to find that it required considerable effort to reach out personally and build a participant base. By leveraging her existing networks and calling friends who had surplus clothing, she managed to gather enough participants for a successful first event, bringing to light the importance of grassroots marketing in the early stages. This process emphasized the need for persistence and adaptability in entrepreneurship.
Effective Marketing Strategies
Successful marketing strategies included leveraging social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram to reach potential buyers and sellers. Utilizing targeted Facebook ads proved to be highly effective, as they highlighted the unique shopping experience by showcasing the extensive variety of clothing available. Alongside ads, the event organizers also encouraged community involvement through giveaways, which incentivized sellers and attendees to promote the event within their networks. This collaborative approach helped establish a strong local presence, significantly boosting attendance.
Growth through Franchising
Building upon initial success, the consignment business model expanded through franchising, tapping into a wider audience across different cities. The founder recognized a growing demand for such events and decided to empower others to create their own consignment sales by providing a comprehensive support system. Franchising allowed for greater reach without the founder needing to oversee every location personally, effectively turning a single successful model into a multi-regional enterprise. As the franchise network grows, it nurtures a community of sellers and buyers dedicated to sustainable shopping, further solidifying its impact.
How do you make extra money in a low-risk way? And one method I keep coming back to is the idea of starting a consignment business.
So you're selling other people's stuff and just taking a percentage. They get paid, you get paid, and you've got no upfront inventory risk like you'd have with a traditional physical product business.
Sarah McAffry of Statemint Consignment earned over $10,000 from her first consignment event and has continued to grow from there. She has been crushing it in this space for the last 10 years, and it has now expanded to 23 locations across the country.
Tune in to Episode 640 of the Side Hustle Show to learn:
How Sarah got her first 50 sellers to trust her with their inventory
Her marketing strategies to get buyers in the door
How you might start something similar in your own area