What is a consignment period?
A consignment period is the fixed window of time a store agrees to display and attempt to sell a consignor's items. When the period ends, the item is either returned, donated, or transferred to store ownership — depending on the store's expiration terms.
Why does the consignment period matter?
The consignment period sets expectations for everyone involved. Consignors know how long their items will be on the floor and what happens if they don't sell. Your staff knows when to apply markdowns, pull items, and process returns.
It also gives you a way to measure inventory health. When items are consistently hitting the end of their period unsold, that's a signal — your pricing may be off, your intake standards may be too loose, or your discount schedule isn't doing its job.
And there's a customer experience angle that's easy to overlook: shoppers who see the same items every time they visit stop coming in. A defined consignment period keeps your floor moving and gives customers a reason to come back.
How long should a consignment period be?
Most stores have a consignment period between 60 to 90 days. Where you land within that range depends on a few things:
Store type
Thrift-style and high-volume stores tend toward 60 days or less. Mid-range stores typically fall in the 60–90 day window. Luxury and specialty stores sometimes run longer, since higher-priced items may need more time to find the right buyer.
Item category
Clothing moves faster than furniture. Some stores run shorter periods for apparel and longer ones for large or high-value pieces.
Intake volume
The more you're taking in, the shorter your period probably needs to be. Floor space is finite.
A useful default: set the shortest period you can honestly justify for your store type. Longer periods feel generous but usually just delay the inevitable and slow your floor down.
What happens at the end of a consignment period?
When a consignment period ends, unsold items are typically returned to the consignor, donated, or transferred to store ownership. Which option you choose — and how you communicate it — has real implications for your consignor relationships and day-to-day operations. See expiration terms for a full breakdown.
Consignment period best practices
Start the clock at display, not drop-off. If an item sits in your back room for two weeks before hitting the floor, the consignor shouldn't lose that time. Track start date, not intake date.
Put it in your consignor agreement. The period, expiration terms, and any category variations need to be signed at intake.
Apply it consistently. Extending the period for some consignors on a case-by-case basis introduces more complexity into your operations. To keep things simple, try to limit exceptions to your consignment period.