Thinking About Antique Malls?
Published On: 11-15-2011 07:19am
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Category: How To from Wooleycreek
Have you been thinking about selling your items in an Antique Mall?
A few people have been asking about Antique Malls. I thought I would give you a few pointers so that new sellers will have a guideline that may help them make a good decision as to whether or not they should try a mall.
First , you will need to decide if you need an Antique Mall or a Craft Mall or a combination of both. Most of the Antique Malls have a mixture, but not all. If you are selling only Antiques or Vintage, then this might be a good choice. If you are selling craft items, then you may want to check out both types of Malls to see which one would work for you.
Location: Is it near tourist attaction or on a main road with lots of traffic. Are there other antique shops near? This helps. Why? Because it means lots of traffic!
2. How much is the booth and what are they charging for commission. Some can be rather high and with a commission added to that, your profits go down the drain. Be aware that rates change from state to state. What might be reasonable here could be outragious some other place. So..check around and see what the general going rate is in your area.
3. Do a drive by of the site your interested in and see how many cars are there. If there are several cars parked out front, it's a pretty good indicator that the Mall is doing good business.
4. Walk the place to see what kind of merchandise is being sold. I find a lot of them that have garage sale type of items. If they have nice quality items throughout, then you would be pretty safe in assuming they are a quality place.
5. Check the rules on theft. Some of them do not allow purses or large bags past the counter. They have lockers to check your bags into. This sounds harsh but does cut down on theft. :)
6. Ask about how often they pay you for your items. Some pay weekly, some pay monthly.
7. Advice: If you have jewelry, don't leave it in the open. Display it in locked showcase. The shop manager will keep the key. I will say that you generally don't get many jewelry sales in a mall unless it is placed up front with the store manager. If you're planning on selling jewelry, take note of where it's at in the Mall.
8. Ask about their discount policy. Some have set price with no discounts given , some have dealer discounts and some let the individual sellers decide. Your buyers will ask about them, so be sure your Mall has some kind of policy.
9. Talk to them about their accidental breakage policy. Do they have a "You break, you buy" policy in place.
10. Ask them about layaway policy. Do they have one or not?
11. What kinds of payment do they accept. (if they take credit cards, you can expect more sales.) Some are cash only, others take checks.
12. Expect to tag and code every item you put in there. Make an inventory for yourself and check it frequently. This keeps the Malls a bit more honest if they know you're doing this. :)
Now that you know what to ask and you've decided to rent a booth, here is the most important tip! Very important...GET IT IN WRITING!!!!! Find out if you have to sign up for a certain period of time (ie: lease). Whatever the agreement is..make sure you get it in writing. Especially the payment to you and the Mall commission rate.
Depending on what you are dealing in, A lot of folks do very well in Malls in my area. :)
If you have any other helpful tips on making the Mall decision..please feel free to comment.
A few people have been asking about Antique Malls. I thought I would give you a few pointers so that new sellers will have a guideline that may help them make a good decision as to whether or not they should try a mall.
First , you will need to decide if you need an Antique Mall or a Craft Mall or a combination of both. Most of the Antique Malls have a mixture, but not all. If you are selling only Antiques or Vintage, then this might be a good choice. If you are selling craft items, then you may want to check out both types of Malls to see which one would work for you.
Location: Is it near tourist attaction or on a main road with lots of traffic. Are there other antique shops near? This helps. Why? Because it means lots of traffic!
2. How much is the booth and what are they charging for commission. Some can be rather high and with a commission added to that, your profits go down the drain. Be aware that rates change from state to state. What might be reasonable here could be outragious some other place. So..check around and see what the general going rate is in your area.
3. Do a drive by of the site your interested in and see how many cars are there. If there are several cars parked out front, it's a pretty good indicator that the Mall is doing good business.
4. Walk the place to see what kind of merchandise is being sold. I find a lot of them that have garage sale type of items. If they have nice quality items throughout, then you would be pretty safe in assuming they are a quality place.
5. Check the rules on theft. Some of them do not allow purses or large bags past the counter. They have lockers to check your bags into. This sounds harsh but does cut down on theft. :)
6. Ask about how often they pay you for your items. Some pay weekly, some pay monthly.
7. Advice: If you have jewelry, don't leave it in the open. Display it in locked showcase. The shop manager will keep the key. I will say that you generally don't get many jewelry sales in a mall unless it is placed up front with the store manager. If you're planning on selling jewelry, take note of where it's at in the Mall.
8. Ask about their discount policy. Some have set price with no discounts given , some have dealer discounts and some let the individual sellers decide. Your buyers will ask about them, so be sure your Mall has some kind of policy.
9. Talk to them about their accidental breakage policy. Do they have a "You break, you buy" policy in place.
10. Ask them about layaway policy. Do they have one or not?
11. What kinds of payment do they accept. (if they take credit cards, you can expect more sales.) Some are cash only, others take checks.
12. Expect to tag and code every item you put in there. Make an inventory for yourself and check it frequently. This keeps the Malls a bit more honest if they know you're doing this. :)
Now that you know what to ask and you've decided to rent a booth, here is the most important tip! Very important...GET IT IN WRITING!!!!! Find out if you have to sign up for a certain period of time (ie: lease). Whatever the agreement is..make sure you get it in writing. Especially the payment to you and the Mall commission rate.
Depending on what you are dealing in, A lot of folks do very well in Malls in my area. :)
If you have any other helpful tips on making the Mall decision..please feel free to comment.
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