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Is this better than Ebay or Amazon?
OF COURSE...We are absolutely biased...Definately better! In our opinion, consignment is a win-win situation. The consignee generally receives more money for their materials with a lot less work. Ebay and Amazon have fees associated with them that can put a severe scratch in the otherwise acceptable selling price. One must also consider the investment that busy homeschoolers must make of time and attention. Ebay and Amazon require a great deal of tending and management. A down-side for the seller may be less control in your hands (or is this a plus?). Secondly, you may have been able to sell it for more elsewhere, but there is no way of knowing for certain. * If you can think of other down-sides, feel free to mail those to us through the Contact Us page. We will attempt to answer those concerns.
What about Craigslist?
Generally, through Craigslist, you will receive pennies on the dollar for your materials, not to mention the upkeep of correspondence that plagues online sales. As a consumer, I have personally found some unbelievable bargains on Craigslist, but they are considerably under-valued which is why they are BARGAINS. If you just want to off-load your things, try consignment! You may earn more, you will save time and may find some needed resources at the same time.
Do I get to price the books?
Do you really want to? The abrupt answer is: No. The Shop staff has the time and resources to price your materials at their very best value and most sellable price. Once you bring us your books, we will do our best to sell your materials as fast as we can at the best price possible. There is a fine balance (which we are learning thanks to our friends at Homeschool PotPourri) between too high (won't sell) and too low (won't pay the shop overhead or earn enough for our consignees). We are striving to find just the right balance for this community and our consignees.
Do I get to shelve the books?
No. It is very important that we shelve the books. This enables us to find them quickly when someone asks for them! In fact, you could help us by putting the books back where you found them when you are done browsing the shelves and help us keep them in the right area of the shop.
Do you buy books?
The store only purchases consumables from new book vendors. We try to keep our costs low so that we can keep the store open and keep your materials moving quickly at the best prices.
Will you give me an itemized list of the items I bring in?
Good question. The short answer is no.The long answer is, eventually, we hope! This ability is still under development. Currently, we can print a "receiving voucher" after your items have been cataloged. The receiving vouchers we provide include details that mean something to us rather than to you and can be misread by the consignee. It is intended by our techy, POS system to provide info. for the Shop, not the consignee. With this in mind, as we progress in maneuvering our system, we would be happy to share our knowledge of your items with you at your request in its imperfect form. At the time you drop off your items, please, make a written note on your contact info. slip that you would like a "receiving voucher". We will email this to you free when we are done, or you may pick it up in person. We will send it snail mail for a small fee (postage and envelope). We apologize if this is inconvenient for you as we do our best to provide a professional service for our customers.
What if I change my mind? Can I take my books back?
Absolutely! They are your books until they sell! You will need to pull the books yourself and bring them to the counter and let us know that you are taking them with you. This way, we won't wonder if someone walked out of the store with your books without paying! If that happens, we can't reimburse you for those goods. Theft is not that common in homeschool stores, but man is fallible and occasionally someone desperate may make an attempt. Also, keep us notified if you remove your items so that we won't make the mistake of thinking they were misplaced or hiding in some dark nook. If you need to take back your books, you can also request that we print out a copy of the materials you consigned (I think we can do this) which may help you locate your items.
What is your return policy?
One calendar week with receipt. There are a couple of reasons for this. The first was illustrated to me in this way: A patron of another homeschool store was purchasing items, keeping them for the school year and returning them when her children were done with them at the end of the year. She would return them at their original purchase price. This is a veiled form of theft. We are obligated (properly) to our consignees to sell their materials. And would fail as a business if we were to be an expensive form of a library. Also we post all sales to the consignee's account at the end of this one week return period. This way, if the material is returned within the week, there isn't a chance of the consignee "owing" the shop for Sold-Then-Returned items.
How long will it take for my items to sell?
There is no way of knowing for certain. We will make every attempt to see it sold within two years (this gives it two full school years to be discovered by some fortunate homeschooler). Our goal is to sell your materials wihin one year (it would be a happy dream-come-true if they sold the same day we put them on the shelf, but unless it is the busy season, this probaby won't happen), though this is a goal, something for the future. We will attempt to inform you if they do not sell within that two years, so that you can pull your books off the shelf and take them home. In the case of items that live with us for more than two years and are not picked up by you, they will be consider abandoned. We must then decide whether to keep them on the shelf or donate them to missions. We reserve the right to pull books at any time if they are deemed unsuitable for selling or "dead" material. If you provide us with updated contact information, we will notify you of the changing status of your materials and offer you the opportunity to take them home first.
As a final note on this question, a mom was recently horrified at just how long it might take to sell her materials. I wasn't very quick on my feet and didn't know what to say. After I thought about it, I realized that I really can't give a single flat answer to this question. Sometimes a book will sell the same day it is put on the shelf. Sometimes it won't even make it to the shelf because it was on the Waiting List. The final scenario is my personal favorite. There are those special books that take a special customer. A book may be hoping for a home for years before the special someone comes in and sees it and absolutely can't live without it. We are fairly tenacious and will keep your books as long as we can in order to see this match made in heaven!
Will you contact me to tell me my account balance?
You may call anytime during business hours for your balance, but we will only contact you once a year (November or December is our goal since this is our slow season).
How much will I get from the sale of my books?
When a book sells, we will divide the total price 40/60. You will get 40% of the selling price. Something to remember is that you would probably not be able to sell the books at a better price with less cost and effort for you. As you know, we will make every attempt to price the items to sell and to help you defray a portion of your out-of-pocket home educating costs. We will try to make this as beneficial to everyone as possible.
Do you have a wating list?
We do have a waiting list! If there is a book you know you are going to need, but we don't have it on our shelves, you have a few options. We can call our friends at Homeschool PotPourri and see if they have it. If they do, we will do our best to get in your hands a.s.a.p. if you choose to purchase it. We can order new books for you at their normal retail value. Finally, for those who are patient and have the time to wait, we have The Waiting List. You simply write your name and contact info. and when the book comes in, the first person who requested it will have the first opportunity to purchase. This is rather like a birthday. Just when you have given up hope, the call may come in, "We have your book!" You will be given a couple of days to pick it up before we shelve it (for the sake of others who were looking for the same book and for the consignee who is really hoping their books will sell fast)!
How Did We Do?
Did we answer all your questions? If not, give us a call or email us so that we can address your concerns (you probably aren't the only one wondering).
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