If somebody discovered a $7,000 Dior purse being bought for $1,700, they may be suspicious. That is why, for mother-daughter duo Dianne and Gabrielle Melillo, the consignment business is not nearly good merchandise. It is about belief.
“We work in a discipline the place our objects are pre-owned,” Gabrielle says. “Our clients should belief us and our degree of transparency. We deal with them like we might deal with our mates. We might by no means steer them within the improper route on these things.”
The Melillos are franchisees with Season 2 Consign, a model that sells secondhand items in individual and on-line. They opened their first territory in 2023 in central New Jersey (a territory is their assigned area for sourcing items), and this 12 months, after being named one of many Worldwide Franchise Affiliation’s Franchisees of the Yr, they opened a second territory in northern New Jersey — making them Season 2 Consign’s first multi-unit owners. Right here, they share what they’ve discovered constructing a trust-based enterprise.
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Dianne, why did you determine to open a Season 2 Consign franchise?
I spent a few years working because the nationwide gross sales director of North America for high-end European designer Giambattista Valli. I am 58, and my husband owns auto physique retailers. He made me assume that I wished to personal my very own enterprise. I used to be promoting and shopping for my very own luxurious objects on the secondary market. When Season 2 Consign introduced on Instagram that they had been going to start out franchising, I jumped on it.
Gabrielle, why did you determine to turn out to be a 50-50 accomplice along with your mother?
I labored for a number of completely different firms, various from vogue to lip balms. I knew about e-commerce as a result of I ran the businesses’ web sites. I am 31, and I stop my job to do that. I wished to start out my very own enterprise as effectively.
What had been your greatest challenges?
Dianne: The technical half was an enormous studying curve. We use software program for every thing: loading issues onto the web site, how we do issues with our consigners. Gabrielle actually knew that side of it, however I knew the place we may make a revenue, how objects wanted to be priced, what the good luxurious objects could be if we may get them.
Gabrielle: I needed to study the entire names of the leathers, the varieties of purses, extra in regards to the luxurious side of it, and the entire historical past behind the posh objects and luxurious manufacturers. We’ve a really savvy buyer base.
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How do you achieve these savvy clients’ belief with pre-owned objects?
Dianne: Folks will attain out to us by way of DMs. They’re going to contact us by Instagram. One buyer purchased a $2,000 bag from us and requested us for a video on find out how to change the strap. One other one requested us to take a photograph of one thing in a bag. We’re very private with our clients and our consigners on so many ranges. We are going to take that video for them.
Is that kind of customer support completely different from what your rivals provide?
Gabrielle: Very completely different.
Our clients aren’t simply our followers. We consistently get feedback thanking us for serving to them. I really feel like the one approach we get to that degree of feedback is when you find yourself so near your clients.
Dianne: And since Gabrielle is my daughter, we have now insane belief between us. We’ve the identical objectives for this enterprise, and we work so onerous. It is such an unimaginable labor of affection.
Do you ever meet your clients in individual?
Dianne: Sure, once we do pop-up retailers. We did occasions at a rustic membership, a boutique, and a few spas. A lot of the girls who get Botox and spa therapies are prepared and prepared to purchase luxurious objects.
That feels like a target-rich atmosphere for refilling your inventory too.
Dianne: A few of these girls have such large collections, they’re giving up their baggage that they do not use anymore. That is principally the place we get our stock. These occasions — a few of them have been actually wonderful for us.