In the search for ideas for business, many decide that it is most profitable not to establish a new production, but to engage in the sale and purchase of various goods.
If you have a small capital and a great desire to start your own business, then consider opening a second-hand clothing online store. Of course, you should not limit yourself to just one online project, it is advisable to create a point of sale at the same time where customers can try on, touch and inspect the offered items.
Where to begin?
Before you open the second-hand, you will have to figure out many nuances business in our country. So, if you do not want to encounter problems that may be created by employees of various state bodies in the first days of work, then do not forget to register an enterprise.
If you are opening a store, then keep in mind that firefighters, SES specialists, tax officials and many other employees may come to you. Therefore, pre-arrange all the necessary documents and be prepared for visits. For example, if an SES arrives, they will check whether you have potable and industrial water available, look at the means intended for both cleaning and disinfecting the premises. The fire service will be interested in the evacuation plan from the building, the availability of special equipment to extinguish fires and, of course, fire extinguishers.
If you can’t figure out whether it’s profitable to open a second-hand, then you should not look for specialists. For starters, try to ask the price, to see at what price wholesalers sell goods per kilogram (this information can also be found on suppliers' websites) and see what price is set for things in similar stores. Having estimated the costs of staff salaries, rent and lighting, you can roughly estimate how much revenue the store receives.
We are setting up work
There are three fundamental keys to success - this is the right product range, appropriate pricing policy and, of course, the location of the store. If you decide to open an online store of second-hand clothes, then the last item is slightly modified. In this case, it is important to choose the right site for its placement and hire good programmers who can create a convenient site with a clear interface and the ability to order goods through the basket.
But keep in mind that retailing through an online second-hand clothing store is unlikely to be successful. After all, this is a rather specific product, which many people want to inspect, touch and, of course, try on before buying.
But to make a website as an advertising platform for a real store or an entire network is a great solution. You can show the available assortment, new clothes, explain the principles of placing goods in retail outlets, talk about discounts.
If you are opening a regular store, then take care to find sellers or assistants, especially if you plan to rent a large area and purchase goods in bulk. Also think about who will provide the financial area of work: someone should consider costs, revenues, interact with government agencies, pay rent and bills for water and light.
Classification wholesalers
Please note that suppliers can be divided into several groups. The first of them is large; their monthly turnover exceeds 20 tons. You can work with them if you plan to purchase goods in bulk.In another case, you will spend a lot of time aimlessly sorting through hundreds of bags to buy 20 kilograms relative to normal things.
The second group is medium-sized suppliers. Their monthly commodity turnover is in the range of 10-20 tons. Like large suppliers, they independently import goods. They should buy things immediately after delivery of a batch of things, because in this case they will not be able to mix stale goods into bags.
The last group includes small wholesalers whose sales do not exceed 10 tons. Second-hand clothing online store quite often is organized by such companies. They offer both retail and wholesale of goods.
But keep in mind that in most cases they are simply engaged in the re-purchase of items purchased from large wholesalers. That is why their cost will be higher than that of large or medium-sized suppliers. By the way, many small wholesalers are the owners of the respective stores, so often they cannot find original and good goods.
How to buy goods from suppliers?
But the choice of suppliers must be approached very carefully. Remember: good products cannot be sold at bargain prices. Quality second will not be cheap. If you see ads that talk about the optimal ratio of price and quality, then you should not rush to them.
Buying a second-hand is a rather time-consuming process, because you need to look at all the things, decide on what you will buy. Please note that many wholesale suppliers work according to the following scheme: goods from warehouses are sold in bags, customers can view the items in each of them and choose the appropriate packaging. At the same time, clothes cannot be sorted; you need to buy the entire pack immediately with everything that is offered in it.
Good and bad second
Before proceeding with the purchase of used things, you need to understand that in this area they are divided into 2 categories: original and sorting. The first includes things that come from abroad in the form in which they were sent by the procurers.
So, in civilized countries, there are 2 models of second-hand harvesting: assembly at home and from containers into which people throw unnecessary things to them. As a result, you can find absolutely everything there, from exclusive model things with tags, gold jewelry, money left and ending with ordinary garbage, including scraps and used hygiene products.
According to statistics, 15% of the original are items of excellent quality that can be sold at inflated prices, another 15% of the total weight is garbage that is thrown away. The remaining 70% are ordinary used items that are found in most stores.
If you decide to buy sorting, then pay attention to the price. The cheaper - the worse things will be there. So, this product category is divided into several groups:
- “cream”, or extra - they contain about 30% of things with labels, the rest are quite fashionable and original things;
- luxury - selected good quality clothes;
- 1st grade - ordinary things without dirt and frank rags;
- 2nd grade - almost all clothing is garbage, it will not be sold.
But do not rush to the names, every thing needs to be reviewed to make sure that it meets the declared quality.
Choose a place
Having dealt with suppliers, it is important to choose the right trading floor. Immediately it is worth noting that the place should not be remote. It’s good if your outlet will be located in a densely populated area where ordinary people live, many pensioners, young mothers on maternity leave and just ordinary low-income working people.
Try to have this place where a large flow of people often walks. In this case, there is a chance that you will be visited not only by those who are purposefully looking for second-hand stores, but also random passers-by. They can also make a purchase.
It is important to properly design your store.Before figuring out how to open your second-hand one, you should find a place and think through its design. So, do not write in capital letters that used goods are being sold in a store. It is much better to place an inscription of such a plan: “Clothing from Europe”, “Original things at the best prices”, “European exclusive”.
Shopping room
It’s not necessary to spend too much money on the interior design of the store. You can safely whitewash or paint the walls, simply put, just refresh them, and proceed with the purchase of equipment. If you decide to engage in retail, then focus on the needs of customers.
Believe me, clamshell products are one of the worst options; they are only suitable for off-site trading in the markets. Ideally, all things should be hung on special racks, as in ordinary stores. Also in the hall must be fitting rooms with mirrors and a place to store packages and bags of customers.
Another condition is the ability to ventilate the room. Please note that all things are treated with a special gas that does not smell too good. If you can’t provide normal ventilation, people will stop going to you just because of the terrible smell.
Promotion Costs
The golden rule, which says that advertising is the engine of trade, does not always work for a second-hand. Of course, if you have a store in a good location and with an excellent assortment, then the first customers can be lured precisely by posting information about its opening.
But keep in mind, second-hand advertising is not the key to its success. Of course, with its help you will attract several people, but if you have a poor assortment and not a very good place, then it will not work. Competitors who did not save on the product and did not stint on the rental of a running seat would be much more successful.
Possible risks
Of course, not everyone is doing well. It is important that the purchased goods are of normal quality, a running place for the store is rented and the correct prices are set. However, even if your outlet will be located in the very center, but there will not be normal things, there will be no trade.
Therefore, it is so important to find a good supplier and carefully choose a product. Otherwise, there is a chance that only hard workers who need a cheap robe for construction will buy things in your store.
Afraid of starting this business? Hire a specialist who will give you a second-hand business plan. But keep in mind, the cost of this document may exceed your costs for the purchase of the first batch of goods, and it is simply impossible to assess which bags you choose, how liquid your goods will be, and how good the trade will go.
I am looking for a partner to open a second-hand store (Moscow). If you are still thinking, then call! 8-985-000-56-11