Pricing second-hand items is one of the most important parts of running a resale business. Price too high, and items sit. Price too low, and you leave money on the table. Pricing shouldn’t be guesswork. With the right strategy, tools, and consistency, you can create a pricing system that protects your margins, keeps consignors happy, and moves inventory quickly.
Before you price a single item, you need clarity on your positioning.
Ask yourself:
Your pricing should match your brand. A curated luxury boutique is going to price differently than a high-volume thrift store, and that’s okay. Defining your niche and knowing your ideal customer will help you decide what to accept and how to price it.
One of the biggest mistakes resale owners make is over-researching every single item. Instead, create pricing guardrails so you can move faster and stay consistent.
Look at trends, not just one-off listings. If a brand regularly sells for $40, that’s your baseline. From there, tweak pricing based on condition, seasonality, and what your customers actually want, plus what your store data is telling you.
If you're using SimpleConsign, your Pricebook can guide your pricing strategy. Track real sales data, see what’s actually moving, and let those insights shape future pricing decisions. Learn how to get the most out of your Pricebook here.
Instead of reinventing the wheel, create a formula your team can follow.
Here are three common resale pricing models:
Create brand categories:
Work backward from your required margin. Example:
If you're refining your backend operations, our guide on consignment store profitability can help you align pricing with long-term growth goals.
The goal isn’t to price high. The goal is to sell. Inventory that sits too long takes up floor space, reduces cash flow, and frustrates consignors. A healthy resale store prioritizes sell-through rate over maximum possible ticket price.
If items consistently hit markdown cycles, your starting price may be too high. Track sell-through by category and brand. Patterns will tell you more than instincts ever will.
Pricing is dynamic. Some seasonal examples include:
Align intake windows and pricing strategy with seasonal demand to maximize revenue per item.
A strong pricing system includes a markdown strategy from day one. Many consignment shops use a time-based markdown system, like:
When markdowns are predictable:
The best pricing strategy isn’t static, it evolves.
Track key metrics, including:
Over time, your POS data becomes your pricing playbook. If you're exploring ways to expand your store or open a second location, understanding your pricing data is critical. Our article on when to expand your consignment store dives deeper into the metrics that matter before scaling.
Pricing second-hand items shouldn’t depend on who’s working intake that day. It should be consistent, data-backed, and repeatable. When you build a pricing system (instead of winging it), everything improves, including:
And most importantly, predictable growth. If you have questions about pricing, setting up your Pricebook, or want to connect with one of our sales experts, we’re always here to help.