Start a Thrift Store
The second-hand shops or businesses of this type for marketing, are very distinguished some years ago and the truth is that the profitability of this type of business is maintained. One of the great advantages of the second-hand shops, is that they really require a very little and reduced investment, being one of the main benefits to new traders. The low investment does not stop the growth of the company, because without it, the business can continue to progress.
You can see the local store business here
If this is the type of business, you should know that the decision is not yet completely finished, because another advantage of this type of business, is that you have a wide range of possibilities that you can offer with the store. To correctly orient your new project, you will need to take the following points into account:
The type of store of articles: This will be the first step in establishing your shop. If you already have some kind of idea in mind, you can reaffirm your decision or on the contrary, if you don’t know, this point will allow you to orientate your project. To begin with, you must determine if the strategy will be global or if it will be focused on a particular theme. In the current market and in the second hand business sector, there are already stores that offer a wide variety of items for sale, some can sell from computers to shoes and support material to facilitate the mobility of people who lack it. However, one of the disadvantages of stores that offer everything is that they have difficulty in assigning the prices that they will put on each item for sale.
In addition to this, you must take into account that it is vital to distinguish the quality and essential potential for each of the articles, because in addition to the fact that you need to have knowledge to be able to set the prices, you must know how each element works, in order to prove whether it can be offered or not. You can help yourself from the internet tools, you could even guide you about the prices they could receive, but to guarantee their quality you must be very sure, otherwise the business could suffer losses and even close.
The costs of the items: It is necessary to take into account that you must have a general culture, especially if the products they offer are of a wide variety, because this will allow you to get an idea about the costs to which each one is welcomed. This, in order to provide accurate costs to each of the items so as not to exceed or significantly reduce their value.
The suppliers: Another of the great advantages of the merchants of this type of stores and of which it could well be you, is that in a great majority of the cases, the suppliers become later final users of this type of stores. This should not suggest that the source of the products is the same, as some come from different places. It is likely that we will find suppliers whose items come from completely unknown sources, even with items that have been stolen, so we should inform ourselves about the legal issues in order to avoid inconveniences with the law and also, not only endanger the business, but our peace of mind.
Methods of sale: In order to mitigate the possibilities of getting to market items that have been stolen, you can supply your business through suppliers through the websites, which are responsible for this type of trade. However, you should not neglect the costs of shipping the products. In addition to this, you have at your disposal other options for your store, such as:
Appearance of the store through classifieds on the Internet
Taking advantage of product offerings in newspaper advertisements
You can set up a sale of known people to whom you receive items regularly, as you know or trust their origin
Take advantage of article donations
Competition: As we mentioned at the beginning of this section, this type of business is an old business that is still valid in today’s fast and complex market. Stores like these and bookstores, antique shops, collectors’ shops, among others, keep an important presence, this is because they always acquire and offer items to which they give a value. Second-hand stores can play the role of reception on other used items.
Recycling: In an era like the one we are facing, recycling is an excellent method to mitigate and diminish the effects of the pollution we have called. Recycling is, certainly, one of the most fixed values of this type of business, since it proceeds to reuse, a mechanism that allows for the reduction of pollution
to give a new or original use to an item that has already ended its life for the person who had it in his possession.
Requirements for setting up a Thrift Store
Having enough space to offer the items is vital, you can even start in your garage if you do not have enough resources to rent or purchase a space, you must also have a distribution of areas to classify the items from clothes to utensils that are in good condition.
Acquire bases or shelves where to offer the products, they can be built in recycling materials or send them to be built in wood or some other resistant material, in this way the client will be able to notice better the products and the selection he has at the moment.
Get to know your business, if you don’t have enough investment capital you can use the internet, using social networks or even creating a blog dedicated to showing the products or advertising so that customers can quickly learn about and locate your business.
Advantages of having a second-hand store
This is a business that stimulates the economy in the client, he will always get objects that he may need at a much cheaper price and in good condition which may represent an advantage due to the affluence of clients willing to acquire and give new use to second hand objects.
The reuse of second-hand products is an act that benefits the planet which makes this business one of the most innovative and necessary in modern society, due to the ecological impact that represents the constant manufacture of new items.
It is an easy business to start since it can be focused on consignment business models, attracting profits without investing any money at first, in addition this business can be projected through the internet in a controlled space which can save you large amounts of dividends in investment for a local or space.
Tips for starting a Thrift Store
If you do not have enough capital you can start this business on the internet, creating a blog or using pre-designed platforms in social networks such as Facebook, Instagram or others, so you can start organizing your business little by little until it expands enough to establish a physical space and offer the product personally to the consumer.
Use comfortable and accessible treatment models for those people who intend to offer their product used in their business, such as consignment or purchase of the product depending on their capital for this case.
Try to study what type of product is most sought after by the consumer, so that you can better capture the products that flow more quickly, moving in the best way your economy and processes of acquisition and resale.
Success stories of Thrift Store
A successful space in this field is Renuevo, which is dedicated to the purchase and sale of second-hand products, and covers a wide variety of items. For this reason its team is made up of specialists in each series of products in order to provide a better response to customer needs.
Another business of this type, considered successful, is Cash Converters, which is the only worldwide franchise specializing in buying and selling second-hand items. It was created in 1984, and is currently a multinational of Australian origin that has consolidated its position in its sector, due to its structured know-how and compared to more than 500 stores around the world.
The company has a definitely innovative concept, very ingenious in the second hand market all over the world. People go to the shops and sell the products which are paid on the spot and in cash, easily and quickly, with the maximum guarantee of seriousness and professionalism.
Problems that can occur in a second-hand shop
Buying second-hand products can bring problems, many times the item is not in good condition which can bring complaints about your business, you must be well aware of the products you buy and if they are really susceptible to resell to the consumer or discard.
Depending on the jurisdiction of law sometimes it is not possible to use your garage to start this business so you are obliged to acquire a local, this fact can represent a problem if you do not have sufficient investment capital or not plan the business well.
You do not have suppliers, basically suppliers are those people who want to sell or offer on consignment the used items in their possession, which can represent a supply problem if time goes by and no new potential sellers arrive