6 Best POS Systems For Consignment Stores

The Square POS app is free, though Square offers various paid add-ons, such as Square for Retail Plus.

To add consignment functionality, you’ll need the Rose integration, which starts at $75/month/location.

Square offers the following consignment POS features via seamless Rose integration:

• Consignment sales tracking
• Unlimited consignors/vendors
• Split sales by consignor or item
• Pass CC fees to consignors
• Make consignor contracts
• Consignor portal

Square’s built-in rewards program, Square Loyalty, is available for an additional monthly fee. Onboard customers checkout using their phone number, after which the customer will receive a text after every transaction updating them on their points balance. Points can be redeemed for rewards at your Square POS or on your Square website.

Square offers various hardware options for iOS and Android devices, as well as proprietary POS hardware options, such as Square Terminal and Square Register. Businesses can get one Square magstripe credit card reader for free.

A typical countertop setup with a Square Register kit includes an all-in-one Square Register (includes tablet and payment acceptance), cash drawer, receipt printer, and paper.

• Recommended: Complete Buyer’s Guide To Square POS Hardware

All Square accounts come with built-in payment processing. In-person rates are 2.6% + $0.10 on Square POS and Square for Retail Free plans, or 2.5% + $0.10 on Square for Retail Plus plans.

Square plans are month-to-month with no contract. Note that Square doesn’t come with a merchant account. Instead, Square uses an aggregate merchant account, also called a payment service provider model, which can lead to stability issues such as occasional fund holds or account freezes.

Ricochet has a single pricing plan. You can pay monthly or save by paying for a year upfront.

An eCommerce add-on is also available for an additional monthly fee.

The Ricochet consignment store POS system includes the following software features:

• Consignor accounts and logins
• Consignor payout management
• Detailed consignment reporting
• Online consignment sales
• Consignor credit

Ricochet also has a built-in rewards program that is included in the base price. The POS makes it easy to track rewards and for customers to use rewards as a payment form.

You can use Ricochet on almost any hardware setup, including iPads, Macs, Windows PCs, and more. Ricochet recommends most businesses use an iPad as the main register and an iPhone for mobile or floor sales. Recommended setups are available on the Ricochet website.

Hardware is available to purchase for Ricochet through a partnership with POSGuys.

You can accept payments through Ricochet Pay powered by Fortis. Rates are competitive at 2.6% + 10¢ for card-present transactions and 2.9% + 30¢ for online transactions. 

You can also use Ricochet’s Square integration to accept payments through Square. However, an additional monthly fee (in addition to processing charges) applies.

Ricochet consignment POS plans are month-to-month with no contract. You can save a little by paying annually, but there are no cancellation fees should you stop using the service before the year is through.

All Lightspeed plans come with one POS register license. To add extra registers, you’ll need to pay an additional monthly fee.

Pricing to add a dedicated consignment software integration varies.

Lightspeed offers the following consignment software features that allow you to:

• Add consignment items to your inventory (manually or through purchase orders)
• See what you owe consignors
• Integrate your POS with Aravenda Consignment Software and the Hyperspace Consignment App

Lightspeed Retail has a built-in multichannel loyalty program with integrated marketing features.

Lightspeed also integrates with third-party loyalty apps such as Loyal2, which may have lower pricing than Lightspeed’s built-in loyalty program.

You can use Lightspeed Retail with an iPad or Mac desktop setup. You can source your hardware yourself or buy a bundle from Lightspeed. Hardware pricing is quote-based.

Note: Lightspeed Retail now requires all new and existing qualified merchants using Lightspeed Retail in the US and Canada to sign up for Lightspeed Payments, Lightspeed’s payment processor.

If you currently use a card reader from a third-party payment processor, you can’t use it anymore. Since you can’t use any existing payment terminals (card readers) with Lightspeed Payments, Lightspeed is currently running a free terminal replacement promotion for eligible merchants that includes two free Lightspeed POS terminals (card readers) per qualified merchant.

Eligible merchants include business owners who process a minimum of $100/day in credit card payments, as measured by a monthly average. Apple products are not included in this promotion, so you’ll still need to source an iPad to take sales.

Lightspeed Payments is required for all accounts in the US and Canada, with an in-person processing rate of 2.6% + $0.10.

Lightspeed will buy out payment processing contracts, paying off merchants’ early cancellation fees if you process a minimum of $25,000 in card sales, and then submit documentation of your previous payment processing contract that states your early termination fee within six months of meeting this minimum processing amount.

It’s important to note that the “paying off” comes in the form of discounted payment processing fees, not a chunk of cash that goes towards your termination fees when you decide to switch to Lightspeed Payments.

Lightspeed offers monthly and annual plans. You’ll pay a higher monthly price if you opt for the monthly plan. However, you will be charged an early termination fee for canceling your plan, so consider starting with a monthly plan until you’re sure Lightspeed is right for you.

Also, if you order hardware from Lightspeed, you must verify that you have received your hardware within five business days of receiving it, or the equipment is not covered under Lightspeed’s 30-day warranty (14 days for Apple products).

To add consignment management features, you’ll need to integrate with an app, such as Consignment by Zoomifi, which costs $16.99/month.

Clover includes these consignment POS features:

• Integrates with Consignmet app by Zoomifi
• Track margins for consignors (with integration)
• Notify consignors when items are sold (with integration)

Clover Rewards is a points-based loyalty program that’s built into your POS with easy customer onboarding using a phone number or email address. Clover Rewards is included free on any paid Clover software plan.

There’s also a Clover mobile app customers can download to track their loyalty points and order ahead. You can also integrate various third-party rewards apps with Clover.

Clover hardware options include the Clover Flex smart terminal, the Clover Mini countertop POS, or the all-in-one Clover Station. You can also opt for the Station Solo or for Station Duo, which has a customer-facing screen. Clover also has a smartphone credit card reader for smartphone sales on the go.

Plans purchased directly from Clover offer flat-rate processing. Rates are 2.3% – 2.6% + $0.10% per transaction for in-person sales and 3.5% + $0.10 per transaction for online transactions. 

Clover contracts are at least 36 months, with an early termination fee should you decide to leave your contract early.  The contract length and terms may vary if you buy your POS from a different Clover provider.

Many merchant services providers sell Clover, and these providers offer their own contracts, payment processing models, and unique pricing for hardware, software, and processing. Some providers don’t offer very good deals, and some are downright predatory. So it’s important to make sure you buy your system from a reputable Clover provider.

• Recommended: Can I Buy A Used Clover POS? How To Avoid Scams

Adding the Shopify POS Pro package for an additional monthly fee gives you access to even more features.

Integration with consignment apps, such as Vendor Consignment by Visceral Apps, starts at $24.99/month. Shopify’s more advanced multichannel consignment software integration, Aravenda, is $289/month.

Shopify POS has the following features for consignment stores:

• Integrates with Vendor Consignment by Visceral Apps, Aravenda Consignment Software, & ConsignCloud
• Multichannel consignment sales (via consignment app integration)

Shopify doesn’t have a built-in loyalty rewards program, though it integrates with many third-party loyalty apps. Information from whatever integrated loyalty software you use will auto-populate to your Shopify customer profiles.

Shopify POS runs on iOS and Android devices, which connect to a Shopify Bluetooth payment reader (some merchants may qualify for a free Shopify reader).

For the best Shopify POS app experience, an iPad setup is recommended. On its website, Shopify sells hardware bundles such as a Star Micronics mPOP bundle that includes a tablet stand, cash drawer, receipt printer, and hand scanner (iPad not included). You can also source your own hardware, as long as it’s compatible.

Payment processing fees depend on your Shopify plan. Fees for in-person transactions range from 2.4 – 2.9% using Shopify Payments.

If you use a third-party processor such as PayPal, you’ll be charged an additional transaction fee ranging from 0.5% to 2%.

All Shopify plans are month-to-month with no contract or cancellation fees. However, you will save 10% if you pay annually instead of monthly.

Shopify Payments is a PSP like Square or PayPal, which means you will not receive a merchant account but rather an aggregate merchant account.

Consignment businesses will get the most bang for their buck with the Premium plan, which includes all features, including gift cards, online ordering, purchase orders, and more.

To get the supplier tracking feature, which you’ll need to manage consignments, you’ll need to subscribe to the Standard or Premium plan.

talech includes the following consignment software features:

• Consignment reports to determine amounts owed to and revenue collected from consignors
• Consignment supplier tracking
• Appointment booking

talech’s in-house loyalty program is included on the Standard and Premium plans.

talech can operate on iPads and Android hardware, including Ingenico MOBY tablet POS solutions, ELO PayPoint Plus, and Poynt Smart Terminals.

You can source the hardware on your own or purchase it directly from talech — you’ll need to call talech for ordering information.

talech partners with numerous banks and payment processing companies, including Elavon, Global Payments, Bank of America Merchant Services, Vantiv, Chase, and others.

talech’s USAePay gateway expands your processing options even further, allowing talech customers to connect to all major credit card processors in the US.

talech plans are month-to-month with no contract.