Consignment Program
Learn more about our consignment program, details on how it works, resources, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I get started with the Consignment Program and what is the process like?
Our simple Consignment Program is designed to help you generate cash flow and increase sales without having to make any investments for the display rack or cards, and minimize any ordering headaches.
Once we have had a chance to review your store, we will decide and provide you with a display rack (loaned to you complimentary) with a variety of card types & an assortment of our best-sellers and start to get everything ready shipped out to you. There will be instructions in the packages to help guide you through the set-up process, however, if you have any questions once received, let us know and we are more than happy to assist.
We will then touch base with you every 1-3 months (or as needed) for an inventory count. You are invoiced for the number of cards that have sold, and we send you any restocks, as necessary.
Alternatively, you may also remit payments to us monthly for the number of cards that have been sold and let us know when a restock is needed! We may also send cards for holidays and seasonal occasions.
Do you offer consignment on other products, other than greeting cards?
Not currently, however, we do plan to offer other gift & stationery products on consignment in the future! Stay tuned!
I already have a card supplier. Can I still sell your cards?
Yes, of course! We have many stores that sell our cards alongside other brands, and our cards are often very complimentary which can help you drive incremental non-cannibalizing sales & margin.
What is the recommended retail price for the greeting cards?
The recommended retail price for our cards is $5.50-$6.00 CAD + tax. We understand different types of stores and stores in different areas may want different pricing to reflect the local market (for ex. pricing in New York is normally higher than other cities due to higher rents).
Isn't consignment complicated and hard to track?
Under our standard process, doing consignment is much more simpler than you think! It should overall be a pretty frictionless experience that doesn’t require much time or effort on your end. We’ve made it easy! We’re also working some in-house proprietary software to make it even easier.
- Add one to six line items into your point-of-sale as “Neighbrgood Cards – Brand A”. All card skus & designs are batched up for ease per brand.
- Provide us with a physical inventory count every 1-3 months (or as needed). This should take less than 15 minutes.
- We invoice you based on the count (if we sent you 100 cards but you now have 40 cards on hand, we invoice you for 60 cards sold) and send you a restock. There are no ordering headaches.
- We document and track everything sent and sold based on the inventory counts.
If you already have an established workflow for consignment such as sending monthly reports, that works perfect for us too! If we have agreed to service your cards in-person, we take care of this process.
My store operates on a seasonal basis, will this be an issue, & can I still participate in the Consignment Program?
Yes, we do work with seasonal stores (operating for select months of the year) such as garden centres, pop-up shops, and more!
Am I able to choose specific cards for my store?
Yes, absolutely you can choose specific cards for your store! If we’re setting up a rack in your store, to make things easier for you, we can send over a proposed list of cards that we think would work best & that have strong sell-through rates. You can then let us know if you would like to swap any out or let us know if you have any specific requests!
Otherwise, we usually provide an assortment of our best-sellers while keeping in mind your store demographic and target market. We will swap out cards over time as well as send seasonal cards as needed.
What are the dimensions for your various display racks, so we can find one that best fits our space?
The estimated dimensions for some of our displays are as follows:
24 Slot Birchwood Countertop Display: 28” x 13.5” x 13.5”
36 Slot White Display: This rack has 3 arms (each arm is 9” in width) and is 18” wide, 58” to the top of the spinner (67 ¼” with the sign holder)
48 Slot Birchwood Standing Display: 62” x 16” x 16”
If you do not see a display that works for your store, we would be happy to help find a display that does! A display is recommended to increase sell-through, however, if you have limited space or already have a display, that is completely ok!
What is the approximate shipping/lead time, and can I track the status of my order?
Our approximate production and shipping time is upwards of two weeks.
For new consignment partners, once everything has shipped, you will be provided with all tracking links for the display rack and/or the product via email.
Process & Operations
How should I upload products into my POS (point of sale) system?
There are two ways you can do this depending on your preference:
1) Batched (recommended): Batch up all the greeting cards by brand that we send as one total and add it as an item in your POS generalized as ‘Neighbrgood Cards – Brand A’, rather than itemizing each individual design. This also simplifies the process as we will send new designs over time and for seasonal occasions. We will request an inventory count from time to time for restocking, but also so we know exactly what is selling in your store.
All of our cards also have an identical barcode/UPC (each item is differentiated via a SKU on the back) per brand which aligns with this method if you intend to use our barcode.
2) Itemized: Add an entry in your POS for every SKU/design we send you. This will be more work to maintain, but will allow for more detailed reporting and may be necessary if you intend to sell the product online. It also helps with counts as you can just provide us with the reports you can pull from your POS.
Please note that all of our cards have an identical barcode/UPC so you will be unable to use our barcode under this method.
Can I sell your products online?
Yes, of course—if you are planning to sell our products online, here is a pro-tip:
Rather than uploading them individually, you can also batch them up as variants under one listing (such as ‘Neighbrgood Cards – Birthday’) for ease!
Listing photos and descriptions can be found under “Photo Resources” at the bottom of this page.
I received the display; how do I assemble it?
The instructions for some of our various display racks can be found below:
24 Slot Birchwood Countertop Display
36 Slot White Wire Standing Display
48 Slot Birchwood Standing Display
Video: Card Display Assembly Overview
What if I need to change my shipping address?
If you need to change your shipping address or would like to use a different address from the one specified in previous orders, please contact your rep or email us at hello@neighbrgoodcards.com as soon as possible or before shipment!
I need more signage such as category indicators, what's the process?
No problem! Please contact your rep or email us at hello@neighbrgoodcards.com and will get more out to you!
Can I exchange out slow-moving products?
Yes, if you notice there are slower-moving cards over time that you’d like to exchange out, let us know and we will exchange them out for other SKUs. We will try our best to accommodate for any specific requests or card types that you think would be a better fit for your store! We may ask you to hold the exchanged out items in storage to be returned to us at a later date as we prefer to batch up returns with seasonal cards as well.
For returns, we will provide you with a paid return shipping label for you to send products back to us.
I have extra seasonal SKUs, what do I do with these?
Any unsold seasonal cards can be held in storage for the following year. If you decide you want to send them back to us rather than keeping it for the following year, it is preferred to batch up returns over several occasions along with any slower-selling cards rather than after each occasion passes.
For returns, we will provide you with a paid return shipping label for you to send products back to us.
How are the inventory counts done?
We offer a full category management and rack service in select markets where we will handle all the counts for you.
If you’re required to do your own inventory counts, the counts are done every 1-3 months or as needed. We will reach out to you to request a count. If you notice your store has low inventory and need more cards, please feel free to reach out to us and we will request a count. The count process should be straightforward and take less than 15 minutes to do.
Counts can be done in the following ways:
(1) Excel: We will send you a spreadsheet to fill out. If you do not have access to Microsoft Excel, there are other various compatible solutions such as Google Sheets (free of charge) that you can open up the file in.
We can also send this report in the form of a PDF file if you prefer to do this by hand. Please let us know your preference so we can simplify this process for you in future counts.
(2) Email: Provide us with a count of every design by referencing the SKUs on the back of each card in the contents of an email (for example: L5 – 3, B4 – 2, W8 – 5 etc.). We will then fill out the spreadsheet for you.
To note & tips:
If you have the items itemized in your POS, you can also simply send us your inventory reports.
Work from the physical products & display rack into the sheet so that you ensure you are including all of what you have.
The easiest way to do the count is to reference the SKU at the bottom left on the back of each card. Please note that as customers shop the card racks, cards will be mixed up so its important to look through each stack for a more accurate count. Accuracy of counts allow us to have better data and thus better restocking.
What is the restock process like and how are they determined?
Once an inventory count is sent to us, we will take a look at the data and send you a refill of a cards as necessary. Over time, we will introduce new SKUs and swap out any of the slower movers and may include cards for seasonal or holiday occasions.
However, if you have any specific SKUs in mind, definitely let us know and we will try our best to accommodate the request!
Billing & Payments
How does the billing and payment cycle work?
For billing and payment options, you can work with us in one of two ways:
1) Count and Invoice: We would get in touch every 1-3 months or as needed for you to provide us with an inventory count. The inventory count determines the units we invoice you for as well as for product restocking purposes. For example, if we sent you 100 cards and you have 40 cards on hand two months later, we would invoice you for 60 cards sold.
2) Monthly Report: You can send us monthly reports and payment letting us know how many products have sold for the month (either all batched-up or detailed by SKU). We can send you an invoice for the units sold. Please ensure to include our portion of tax if you’re based in Canada (GST & HST only) for this method.
A friendly reminder that you only pay for the products that sell, and we provide you with the display & cover any shipping fees!
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept a variety of payment options such as e-transfers (Canada only), credit card, electronic bank transfers or by cheque.
There is an invoicing discrepancy, why and how is this resolved?
While we review and verify all counts before sending invoices, there may still be a chance for a discrepancy to occur. We recommend retailers match our invoiced amounts to the amount sold on their POS system to see if it is within a close range.
If it is not within a close range, the discrepancy can be a result of the following: thefts, counting errors, POS errors, timing differences in invoicing vs. POS, shipping errors, and other mistakes on either end.
We work very hard to maintain a strong relationship with our retailers to provide you with a valuable service. Please contact your rep or hello@neighbrgoodcards.com and will work with you to sort out any discrepancies.
——
Please note that if mistakes are made on an inventory count, they will always be fixed on the next or a future count along with the invoicing.
For example, if we sent you six Cat Birthday Cards on May 1, and you counted two Cat Birthday Cards on June 1, we will invoice you for four units sold. On the next count, you noticed you had counted wrong & actually had three Cat Birthday Cards on July 1, we will now have a credit of negative one units sold for that SKU, which will decrease the overall invoiced amount by one and is now fixed.