1. Start reading Sell Their Stuff by Hillary DePiano for free right now
  2. What is a Selling Or Trading Assistant? The Ultimate Overview of Consignment Selling
  3. What does consignment mean? What is consignment selling?
  4. What exactly does a Selling Assistant do? What’s a typical day like?
  5. How does a Selling Assistant make money? Who can become one?
  6. Can eBay Trading Assistants still sell on consignment for others now that the program is gone?
  7. Where can a Selling Assistant sell their client’s consignment items?
  8. What kind of items can a Selling Assistant sell on consignment for their clients?
  9. Sellers, here’s why you should add Selling Assistant services to your existing e-commerce business
  10. From SAHMs to retirees, students to teachers: here’s who should start a Selling Assistance service
  11. Designing your Selling Assistance service from terms and conditions to services and features
  12. Money Matters: How does a Selling Assistant profit from selling items for others?
  13. Resale and the Selling Assistant: Sometimes it’s simpler to just buy the items outright
  14. Selling Assistant fees: What are they and how do they work?
  15. The Pros and Cons of charging a fee for your Selling Assistant services
  16. Does charging a commission on your Selling Assistant services maximize your profits?
  17. Charge a combination of fees and commission to maximize your Selling Assistant profits
  18. Here’s how I profit from my Selling Assistant business
  19. Should a Selling Assistant give their client a deposit or advance on future earnings?
  20. Should the Selling Assistant require a deposit of new clients?
  21. Who pays for what when selling for others on consignment?
  22. Should the consignment seller cover all selling fees or pass them onto the client?
  23. How discounted & free shipping offers affect consignment selling
  24. Shipping costs & selling fees are the least of your worries…
  25. Paying your clients their share of your Selling Assistant sales
  26. Calculating client payments on a Selling Assistant contract
  27. Method of Payment: How should I pay my Selling Assistant client?
  28. Reporting and reconciliation of a Selling Assistant client contract
  29. Build yourself a timeline for paying Selling Assistant clients without getting burned
  30. Money Matters Managed
  31. Your Selling Situation: Where and how should I sell my Selling Assistant items?
  32. Multi-Channel Consignment Selling: List your items on multiple marketplaces for greater exposure
  33. Practice your Selling Assistance service before you start taking on clients
  34. Do you need a storefront or standalone webstore to be a Selling Assistant?
  35. Is eBay still the best place for a Trading Assistant turned consignment seller?
  36. Does the Selling Assistant consignment sell from their own account or the clients?
  37. Should I have a designated selling account for my Selling Assistance consignment service?
  38. The 8 questions you must ask yourself before you start selling on consignment
  39. Good customer service is a selling point that can distinguish your services
  40. The benefits of having a PO Box or other Locked Mailbox for your business
  41. Designate a business phone line for more professional client contact
  42. Consider VOIP & internet-based phones like Google Voice or Skype over traditional options
  43. Offering pick-up services is an easy way to attract local Selling Assistant clients
  44. Should you allow Selling Assistant clients to drop their items off?
  45. Expand the reach of your Selling Assistant service by letting clients ship their items to you

Does your SA business need a phone number? You aren’t required to have one. You can also just use your existing home or cell phone number. That said, there are a lot of advantages to getting a designated phone line for your SA business.

Many of the details of your business and domain registration will be public record, and nearly all require a phone number. Wouldn’t you prefer to have the designated business line be the one that’s public and not your personal cell or home phone?

Professionalism is another thing to consider. Your voicemail can often be the very first contact a customer has with your company, and that alone can win or lose their business in a minute. An informal voicemail message may be fine for your home phone, but it will turn off a client who wants to believe they’re dealing with a business, not just some random guy (or gal). A designated phone line gives you the opportunity to record a business specific voicemail message with details like your hours, website, email address and anything else you want to include to give a professional first impression. A business line also allows you to know when you pick it up that a client is on the other end, avoiding awkward informal greetings or the dreaded less than ideal receptionist such as a child.

A phone number for your business can also be a selling point for anyone uncomfortable with email or technology, as many SA clients are. Many Selling Assistants do not offer phone support, as they deal primarily online. Your phone line could be the extra that attracts a less tech-savvy customer to you over your competitors.

The ability to talk to a human, even over the phone, can inspire more trust. Sometimes just having a voice to connect with your name is enough to secure you their business. People simply feel more comfortable trusting their items and future dollars to someone they’ve spoken to and feel like they know. Many of my initial SA client contacts happen over the phone and then, after that first conversation, they opt to switch to email communication or text.

While email or texting may seem like the more logical and convenient method of contact to you, consider having a phone line for those clients who’d prefer more old-fashioned communication.

Cover photo by Images_of_Money