Consignment intake checklist: what to record at drop-off
A practical intake checklist for consignment shops: identify the owner, inspect each item, confirm terms, and check labels before stock reaches the floor.
A useful consignment intake checklist connects four things before an item reaches the sales floor: the physical item, its owner, its agreed terms, and its inventory record. Start with those connections, then check the label against the saved record.
This matters most on a busy drop-off day. Two similar jackets arrive in different bags. Someone leaves before pricing is finished. A tag comes off at the counter. A repeatable intake process gives the next staff member enough information to continue without guessing.
Use the checklist below to review your process, or keep our free printable consignment intake checklist beside the intake station. The printable is a staff aid; keep the actual item details and agreed terms in your store's records.
1. Match the drop-off to the right consignor
Find the existing consignor account before creating another one. Confirm the name and an appropriate contact detail privately, especially when two people have similar names. Keep personal contact information off customer-facing merchandise labels.
Give each arrival its own clearly identified space while you work. A labeled tray, rack section or bag can keep one person's belongings from drifting into the next intake. Record the arrival date and who received it in the intake log you use.
If you accept unattended drop-offs, distinguish received for review from accepted for sale. Receiving a bag does not tell the next employee which pieces passed inspection or whether prices have been agreed.
2. Inspect the actual item
Write a description that distinguishes this piece from the similar one beside it. Depending on what you sell, that could include brand, category, size, colour, material, measurements or included accessories.
Record specific condition observations. "Good condition" is less useful than "light wear at both cuffs; lining intact." Check the parts a buyer will handle: fasteners, pockets, seams, soles, lids or attachments, as appropriate to the item.
For a set, say exactly what belongs together. "Pair of ankle boots" and "four matching dining chairs" describe the selling unit more clearly than a bare quantity. Keep components together while they are being checked and labeled.
Where photos help, capture the identifying detail or visible flaw and keep the image associated with the item in your chosen recordkeeping system. An intake photo is a reference, not a substitute for inspecting the piece or verifying authenticity.
3. Record what was accepted and what remains unresolved
Keep the outcome visible in your intake log: accepted, declined, or awaiting a specific decision. Name the unresolved point and the person responsible for following up.
For example: "Awaiting consignor confirmation of the proposed price" is actionable. "Check later" is not. Hold that item in the review area until the decision is recorded; do not let a printed tag accidentally imply approval.
Before closing the drop-off, reconcile the count. In a fictional intake of eight pieces, five accepted, two declined and one awaiting review should account for all eight. If a set counts as one selling unit, use that convention consistently and describe its components.
4. Confirm the terms attached to the item
Check the proposed selling price, who receives each percentage, permitted markdowns, and the review or end date that applies under the agreement. Record any exception with the relevant item instead of relying on a verbal conversation that another employee cannot recover.
Write "60% to the consignor, 40% to the store" rather than just "60/40." Our guide to calculating consignment splits explains percentage direction, discounted price bases and rounding.
Also distinguish the day something arrived from the day its selling period begins if your process treats those differently. Make the rule clear in the record. An intake date alone does not explain every deadline.
Keep a reference to the applicable agreement and any recorded acceptance your process requires. Make sure staff can find the relevant version later. For the end of the selling period, use a defined process for unsold consignment items so pickup, extensions and other outcomes do not become a fresh negotiation at the rack.
5. Give each independently tracked item a reliable identifier
A description helps a person recognize an item. An identifier helps the system distinguish its record from another one.
Shopify's SKU guidance explains the value of unique, consistent internal identifiers for stock tracking and reporting. For a shop handling individual secondhand pieces, apply that principle to the items you need to track separately: two similar jackets from different consignors need distinct item records and identifiers.
A manufacturer's barcode may identify a product model, so do not assume it identifies this particular used piece or its owner. Follow your software's supported label and identifier format rather than inventing a competing numbering system on paper.
6. Check the record, the tag and the item together
Before moving stock to the floor, compare the physical item with its saved description, consignor, selling price and identifier. Then check the printed tag against that same record.
If your workflow uses scanning, scan the tag and confirm it retrieves the intended item. A readable barcode attached to the wrong jacket is still the wrong label. Attach tags one item at a time when several similar pieces are on the table.
In ConsignEngine, intake includes consignor selection, item condition and notes. Where label printing is enabled, labels can be produced from the intake workflow. Those tools support the handoff; staff still need to check the physical item and the terms. The feature guide describes the broader workflow.
Finish with a handoff someone else can follow
At the end of an intake, another employee should be able to answer:
- Whose item is this, and which record identifies it?
- What condition and included components were recorded?
- Is it accepted for sale, or is a named decision still outstanding?
- Which price, split and selling-period terms apply?
- Does the tag retrieve the correct item, and where has it been placed?
Try the process with one fictional drop-off before changing how the whole team works. If the next person needs you to explain the bag, the exception or the tag from memory, add that missing detail to the handoff. That is the gap the checklist should close.