24 Nov, 2024
1. Why to choose an inventory management system made for pre-owned items?
Finding the right software for your resale and consignment business can be hard with so many options out there. Choosing an inventory management system designed for pre-owned items is a smart move, as pre-owned inventory is diverse. Each item has unique characteristics, conditions, and pricing, unlike traditional retail where identical units exist.
Consignment businesses involve multiple stakeholders—not just the owner and buyer, but also sellers and consignors who need transparency. A system built for consignment makes it easy to handle payouts, provide real-time updates, and generate consignor-specific reports, so consignors can easily see if their items sold and what their payout is without loosing the personal experience.
Tracking profitability also requires specialized reporting. Consignment and resale involve fluctuating margins and nuanced pricing. A consignment-specific inventory management system can generate reports to help you understand which items bring the most value and which are lingering too long.
Customer expectations have also evolved. Buyers want to know product origin, usage, and quality. Inventory tools for resale allow businesses to attach detailed histories to each item—like previous care or repairs—building trust and supporting higher price points.
With an inventory management system made for consignment and resale, you save time, reduce administrative work, and avoid the overwhelm of managing everything with Excel or Google Sheets. The return on investment is quick as your processes become more efficient and transparent.
The question then becomes: what software to choose?
2. Everything we recommend (Summary)
Circle-Hand ($29-$179/month): Best for those who value modern software and usability. Circle-Hand works on tablet, smartphone, and computer, making it highly versatile. It has a limited built-in POS but integrates fully with other POS systems like Shopify POS or Zettle POS. The pricing is affordable and transparent, with no hidden fees. It also offers custom plans for store chains or special requirements. If you are looking for flexibility and ease of use, Circle-Hand is a great option, especially if you want to grow and adapt your POS and e-commerce integrations over time.
ConsignCloud ($119-$179/month): Ideal for those who are comfortable with more traditional, Windows-style interfaces. This software is best suited for businesses needing a strong consignment feature set but with fewer integration needs. It lacks a beginner-friendly plan, making it a more costly choice for new stores ($119/month and up). ConsignCloud integrates with Shopify, but manual adjustments are required. It’s good if you prefer to work with a focused consignment tool and don’t mind manual steps for integrations.
SimpleConsign ($159-$359/month): Designed for established shops that need a one-stop solution for POS, inventory management, and e-commerce. It is the most expensive of the three, starting at $159 per location and might add up for shops who need features such as QuickBooks integration, consignor portals, and label printing. SimpleConsign only works on computers, making it less flexible. It has a lot of features, but the complex user interface can be overwhelming. Choose SimpleConsign if you want everything in one package and don’t need flexibility with other POS or online platforms.
We're not going to gloss over it. We know there's a lot of bias involved.
Nothing we say will completely remove that. But here's what we can promise you about this comparison:
If our competitors are doing a great job at something, we'll praise them for it. Loudly.
There is not one best software; it all depends on your needs and requirements.
We try to be as objective as possible by providing real examples with real usage screenshots.
Why you should trust us
We have worked with and spoken to thousands of consignment and resale shops around the world, helping them to open new shops, transition to consignment and resale as an existing retail store, develop their online shop and implement their operations and processes to source their inventory.
3. Feature comparison
4. How we rated consignment and resale software?
Usability on computer, smartphone and tablet
Flexibility of integrations like other POS systems
Experience for your sellers and consignors
Pricing and customer support
Circle-Hand
Pros:
Easy to use interface and compatible with tablet, smartphone, and computer.
Most affordable and transparent pricing with all features included.
Highly flexible with integrations like Shopify POS, Zettle POS, and more.
Fast and responsive customer support.
Cons:
Requires a stable internet connection.
Integrated POS system has limited features.
More focus on pre-loved fashion and apparel than other products like cars.
Usability on Computer, Smartphone, and Tablet
Circle-Hand is web-based and optimized for computers, tablets, and smartphones, making the software very flexible. The interface is easy to use and goes hand-in-hand with modern software like Shopify or Apple, so you don't need tutorials to get started. Since Circle-Hand is cloud-based, a stable internet connection is required. Circle-Hand is built on best practices from successful resale businesses, with features like automatic discounts after a set number of days and consignment share based on item price. It also includes features like image recognition and SEO-optimized descriptions to make adding items quicker and easier. One potential downside: It doesn't support item quantities or stock levels at scale because it’s optimized for buying and selling pre-owned items
Flexibility of integrations like other POS systems
Circle-Hand is one of the most flexible solutions, officially partnering with Shopify. Its built-in POS is made for shops just starting out, as it doesn't have all the features of bigger POS systems like Square or Shopify POS. This may be a drawback for businesses needing more advanced POS features. However, Circle-Hand integrates directly with these advanced POS systems, offering more flexibility. The advantage is that if your POS transaction fees increase, you can simply switch your POS system, while keeping all your seller and inventory data. You can customize the data synchronization with Shopify and use meta fields and tags. Sales sync between platforms in real-time. This integration also keeps costs low—requiring only a card reader and a tablet or smartphone—while supporting future growth. Circle-Hand offers easy integration with Google Shopping, allowing you to reach more customers. For businesses looking to expand, they also offer custom integrations in an advanced plan, making it flexible for larger stores and chains.
Experience for your sellers
Circle-Hand offers a simple, mobile-friendly portal for your sellers and consignors. They can create their own account and log in to check the status of their items or create new ones, depending on permissions set by the shop. Automated email updates can be personalized. Circle-Hand focuses more on clothing, apparel, and outdoor gear, which may be a limitation for those dealing with other types of items, like cars or furniture. It supports shelf rental, giving sellers more control over item creation and pricing. Sellers can always see how much payouts are outstanding, their store credits, and all items.
Pricing and customer support
Circle-Hand provides different plans based on shop size, ranging from $29 to $179 per month. The pricing scales with your business growth, making it accessible whether you're just starting out or are an established seller. All features are included in every plan, with no hidden fees or add-ons, keeping it simple and transparent. As the youngest player on the market compared to older systems, Circle-Hand is known for quick feature development and being responsive to customer feedback. Customer support is available via email (within 24 hours, 5 days a week) and WhatsApp, directly from the founder team.
ConsignCloud
Pros
Web-based user interface that works on mobile and tablet.
Consignor portal and automated email notifications.
Supports a wide range of consignment items, including furniture, cars, and sports equipment.
Client portal can be embedded on your website via iframe.
Cons
Limited integration capabilities; items need adjustments in Shopify after creation.
Takes more time to set up, including installing drivers for printing.
Does not fulfill EU requirements like GDPR or VAT margin scheme.
No offline mode for accepting payments.
Usability on computer, smartphone and tablet
ConsignCloud is primarily designed as a web app for computers. Mobile and tablet support is limited, but you can still perform important tasks like selling items. The software offers a strong feature set tailored to resale once everything is set up, but the initial setup is less straightforward. You will need to install drivers for their partnered POS system and printers. The user interface is more similar to systems like Windows and SAP, but on the website you find thorough instruction for every feature. The performance is excellent, handling large inventories smoothly. ConsignCloud focuses only on consignment and does not support direct purchase of items from sellers directly.
Flexibility of integrations like other POS systems
ConsignCloud offers a Shopify app and integration, but the synchronization is limited, e.g. you can’t select per item in which sales channel (online store or store only) the item is published, which adds an extra step compared to systems like Circle-Hand where items can be published directly. Additionally, brands only transfer as vendors in Shopify, requiring manual corrections. For POS, ConsignCloud integrates fully with its own payment provider, but lacks seamless support for third-party systems like Shopify or Zettle.
Experience for your sellers
ConsignCloud provides a consignor portal that is web-based and accessible from mobile and tablet. Automated email notifications add a professional touch and help reduce communication efforts by notifying consignors when items are sold. However, each consignor needs an account created by you, and while they can see their items and annual earnings, they cannot see store credits like in Circle-Hand. The portal is mostly for checking item status, as consignors cannot create items themselves. The iframe integration allows you to embed the consignor portal directly into your website, making it convenient for your sellers.
Pricing and Customer Support
ConsignCloud offers three plans: $119, $149, and $179 per month, depending on the number of integrations you need. This makes it flexible for new users, but if you need features like Shopify sync, email notifications, POS, consignor portal, and standard reports, you will likely need the top plan ($179). Customer support is available through the website form and a knowledge base. The software is as it is, not offering custom integrations. The customer support is helpful and usually replies within 48 hours on working days.
SimpleConsign
Pro
Full QuickBooks integration, which makes accounting easier (Circle-Hand and ConsignCloud only offer import/export options).
Offers the most features of all three software options.
Optimized for dealer and antique malls with multiple locations and complex workflows.
Cons
Most expensive option with hidden costs and add-ons.
Limited integration capabilities, as they push their own e-commerce and POS solutions.
Older software with a complex user interface that takes time to learn and understand.
Doesn’t work on mobile or tablet.
Usability on computer, smartphone and tablet
SimpleConsign is a cloud-based system, but it can only be used on a computer. There is no smartphone or tablet compatibility, which means that if you plan to use something like Shopify POS—which works on mobile—you won’t be able to register items and make sales on the same device. The software feels a bit outdated compared to ConsignCloud, with a complex user interface that can be overwhelming at first. On the positive side, SimpleConsign does have many features that can cater to various specific needs, though it will take some time to learn. They provide extensive help resources and instructions, but expect to spend a while getting fully operational.
Flexibility of integrations like other POS systems
SimpleConsign offers the most features as one-stop-solution, but pushes its own POS and payment processing system, SimplePay, which has higher transaction fees and needs it’s own hardware. It does not allow integration with other POS systems like Shopify POS, limiting your choices. The eCommerce solution is also in-house, which means they don’t have an incentive to build a fully functional Shopify integration. The Shopify integration (only in highest plan) requires manual steps to get your products online as SimpleConsign is not an official Shopify partner like Circle-Hand and ConsignCloud. SimpleConsign is great if you plan to use their eCommerce and POS system, but means more manual work and high costs when trying to integrate third party platforms.
Experience for your sellers
SimpleConsign provides a seller login that is web-based and also works on mobile devices. Consignors can add their own items through the portal, similar to Circle-Hand. However, the client portal itself is not included in the standard package—it costs an additional $125 per month, which makes it a hidden expense. The consignor portal requires sellers to remember a consignor ID for login, which can be cumbersome compared to ConsignCloud and Circle-Hand. Unlike its competitors, SimpleConsign does not provide automated email notifications for consignors, which means sellers won’t receive real-time updates on their items. One positive is the ability to fully automate consignor payouts, but this also comes with additional transaction fees.
Pricing and customer support
SimpleConsign offers three plans: $159, $259, and $359 per month, per location, with additional fees for features. To get the Shopify integration and consignor portal, you'll need the $359 plan. Add-ons such as QuickBooks ($75/mo), analytics ($75/mo), and label printing ($125/mo) can quickly push costs above $500 per month, making SimpleConsign the most expensive solution available. The POS system also carries the highest transaction fees. Recently acquired by a private equity company along with ConsignPro and ResaleWorld, their customer support is primarily accessed via a website contact form, which makes it difficult to reach a real person when needed.
8. Other consignment and resell software shop solutions
There are many more software solutions when it comes to consignment. If you are just starting out, you can use this free Airtable template for consignment and resale shops. It helps you organize sellers and items but has very limited features. Other providers like ConsignPro/ResaleWorld (now merged with SimpleConsign), Riccochet, and ConsignorConnect (Rose for Square) also exist, but they are older, more expensive, and can quickly become limiting.
The three software solutions covered—Circle-Hand, ConsignCloud, and SimpleConsign—are the best choices for 95% of resale and consignment businesses. Each offers a unique set of features and approach, and the right choice will depend on the specific needs of your store. Ultimately, all of these options can work well, depending on what you are looking to achieve.
