The best consignment store software tracks who owns each item, the split you've agreed and what you owe each consignor, not just the sale at the till. Choose a system built for resale if consignment's your main trade, and a general retail POS only if most of your stock is yours. Eight tools follow, in no particular order.
A consignment shop sells stock it doesn't own. That one fact separates it from ordinary retail, because every sale creates two records: the sale to your customer and a debt to whoever brought the item in. Get the second record wrong and you've got an awkward conversation with someone who trusted you with their things.
Most software demos spend their time on the checkout screen, which is the easy part. This list looks at the rest, and every description comes from the vendor's own site as of Nov 2026.
The consignor side of the sale
Buyers compare checkout screens and miss the part that makes this trade different. Four questions decide whether a system fits:
- Ownership. Can you see who owns every single item, including one-offs that never come back in?
- The split. Can you set a different split for different consignors or items, and does it stay attached after a sale?
- Time on the floor. Can you see how long stock has sat, and what's meant to happen to it next?
- Payouts and statements. How is each payout worked out, and what does the consignor get to see?
A general retail POS is designed to track stock you own, so these questions often have no good answer there. That's not a fault in those products. They're built for a different shop.
There's a records reason too. The IRS record-keeping guidance says good records help you prepare your financial statements, identify sources of income and support items reported on your tax returns. So the software you pick should export sales and consignor payout records you can hand to your accountant. Rules vary by country and by business, so treat this as a reason to keep tidy records and check the details with the IRS, your own tax authority or your accountant.
Five built for resale, three built for everyone
Built around consignors. ConsignCloud and SimpleConsign both put consignor management at the centre of what they sell. If you rent out booths as well, make the vendor mall side part of the demo. ResaleWorld (Liberty Cloud) comes from the same world and makes digital payouts part of its pitch.
Built around odd stock. Consign POS leans towards antiques and one-of-one items, which is a real difference if nothing in your shop has a twin.
Built around donations. ThriftCart is for nonprofit thrift shops. Donated stock has no consignor to pay, so it answers a different question from the others here. It's here so charity shops can see what's built for them.
Built for general retail. Square for Retail, Shopify POS and Lightspeed Retail are general systems, and their own pages show no consignor splits. They make sense when consignment is a small sideline. For more options in that group, see my list of retail POS systems.
Eight consignment systems at a glance
| Tool | Kind of tool | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Consign POS | Antique and resale POS | One-of-one stock in antique and resale shops |
| ConsignCloud | Consignment POS | Tracking who owns each item and who's owed what |
| Lightspeed Retail | General retail POS | Multi-location shops that buy wholesale |
| ResaleWorld (Liberty Cloud) | Resale POS | Resale stores wanting digital consignor payouts |
| Shopify POS | General retail POS | Selling in store, online and at pop-ups |
| SimpleConsign | Consignment software | Consignment shops and vendor malls |
| Square for Retail | General retail POS | Real-time stock across locations and channels |
| ThriftCart | Nonprofit thrift POS | Charity thrift shops selling donated stock |
Who each system is best for
Consign POS
Best for: Antique dealers and resale shops with one-of-one stock; its site describes consignor payouts, automatic ageing markdowns and one-of-one inventory protection.
ConsignCloud
Best for: Consignment and resale shops selling in store and online; its site says it tracks who owns what, when it came in and what everyone's owed.
Lightspeed Retail
Best for: Shops buying most stock wholesale across several locations; its retail page covers buying, inventory and selling but doesn't describe consignor payouts.
ResaleWorld (Liberty Cloud)
Best for: Resale and consignment stores wanting loyalty, mobile apps and web integration, plus the ACH digital payouts to consignors its site describes.
Shopify POS
Best for: Mixed sellers running store, online and pop-up sales from one system; its page describes no consignor payouts, so it's a match for stock you own.
SimpleConsign
Best for: Vendor malls and consignment shops: it's cloud software for managing consignors and inventory, and its site offers a vendor mall add-on.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Square for Retail
Best for: Retailers who own their stock and want real-time updates across locations and channels; its page describes no consignor splits.
ThriftCart
Best for: Nonprofit thrift shops tracking donations and colour-based discounts; it's built around donated goods, so it's a weaker match for owner-consignor stores.
My advice for consignment owners
Let the share of consigned stock decide. If most of what's on your rails belongs to someone else, start with the systems built for consignment and resale, and don't look at the general ones until you've seen at least two of those. If you only take a handful of consigned items and everything else is yours, a general retail POS may be enough, as long as you're happy keeping consignor records somewhere else and you've been honest with yourself about how long that'll last.
Don't let a nice till screen make the decision. Your customer spends seconds at the checkout, while your consignors will judge you on every statement you ever send them. If stock control is your bigger headache, my guide to inventory software for small businesses is a useful second read.
Five things to make the demo show you
Ask the salesperson to do these live, using your own example, and don't accept a slide instead:
- Add one item for a named consignor with the split you'd really agree.
- Sell it, then show exactly where that consignor's balance has changed.
- Show what happens to an item that's been on the floor too long.
- Print or export a statement for that one consignor.
- Export a sales and payout record you could hand to your accountant.
If the fourth or fifth step takes a workaround, you've learned what your month-end will feel like.
Do you make consignment or resale software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
What is consignment store software?
It's a POS and stock system for shops selling items they don't own. As well as the sale, it tracks who owns each item, the agreed split and what's owed to each consignor.
Can I run a consignment shop on a general retail POS?
You can if consignment is a small part of the business and you keep consignor records elsewhere. The general retail systems here don't describe consignor splits or payouts on their own pages, so ask before you assume.
Is thrift store software the same as consignment software?
Not quite. A charity thrift shop sells donated goods, so there's nobody to pay out, and it cares more about donation tracking. A consignment shop owes money to a consignor on every sale.
What should a consignor statement show?
At the least, it should list the items sold, the split applied and what's owed. Ask to see a real one in the demo, and check you can send it without retyping anything.
Does consignment software handle my tax?
It keeps the records your tax work relies on, which isn't the same thing. Requirements vary, so check with your tax authority or your accountant.
