Managing Consignors: Estimates, Receiving, and Returns

The Consignment Lifecycle

Consignment businesses — whether auction houses, estate sale companies, or resale shops — share a common challenge: tracking who owns what, what it's worth, and where it is in the process.

Estimint provides a structured system for managing every stage of the consignor relationship.

Setting Up Consignors

Creating a Consignor Profile

Navigate to Consignors in your sidebar and click New Consignor. Enter:

• Code — A short identifier (e.g., "JOHNSON," "EST-2026-001"). Must be unique.
• Name — Full name or business name
• Email — Used for sending estimates and return verification
• Phone — Contact number
• Notes — Internal notes about the consignor, terms, or preferences

Consignor codes appear on item cards throughout the app, making it easy to identify ownership at a glance.

Commission Rates

If you have agreed-upon commission rates, record them on the consignor profile. These are referenced when creating estimates and calculating settlement amounts.

Creating Estimates

Starting an Estimate

Go to Estimates > New Estimate. Select the consignor and give the estimate a name. You can create multiple estimates per consignor (e.g., one per consignment delivery).

Adding Items

You have several options for adding items to an estimate:

1. Quick Add — Set the estimate as your destination and photograph items rapidly
2. Text Only — Add items by description when photos aren't available yet
3. From Inventory — Assign existing items from your library to the estimate

AI Processing

Items added with photos are automatically processed by AI, generating titles, descriptions, values, and condition reports. Text-only items can have AI-suggested values based on the title and description.

Reviewing and Adjusting

Before sending to the consignor, review each item's values and descriptions. Adjust anything that needs correction. The estimate total updates automatically as you make changes.

Sending Estimates

Sharing Options

From the estimate page, click Share to access delivery options:

• Shareable Link — Copy a URL that the consignor can open in their browser
• Email Delivery — Send the estimate directly to the consignor's email with a branded message
• PDF Download — Generate a professional PDF with your company header, itemized list, and totals

Consignor Review

When a consignor opens the shared estimate, they can:

• View all items with photos, descriptions, and values
• Approve — Accept the estimate (requires email verification)
• Request Changes — Send a message explaining what they'd like adjusted
• Decline — Reject the estimate (requires email verification)

You'll see the consignor's action reflected on the estimate status.

Receiving Items

The Receive Flow

After a consignor approves an estimate, use the Receive Items action to formally intake the items. This:

1. Changes item lifecycle status from "prospective" to "received"
2. Optionally adds items to a catalog
3. Updates the estimate status to "received"

Adding Photos After Receiving

If items were added as text-only during the estimate phase, you'll be prompted to add photos once they're received. Navigate to each item's detail page and use the image gallery to upload photos, then regenerate the AI listing with visual data.

Returns

When Items Need to Go Back

Items may need to be returned to consignors if they don't sell, if the consignor requests them back, or if an agreement expires. Estimint tracks the entire return flow.

Initiating a Return

From the item detail page, select Return to Consignor from the actions menu. The system:

1. Generates a return verification for the consignor to confirm receipt
2. Updates the item's lifecycle status to "returned"
3. Maintains a record of the return for audit purposes

Return Verification

When returning items, Estimint verifies the consignor's identity via email. The consignor receives a verification code, enters it, and confirms receipt. This creates a documented chain of custody.

Tracking Everything

Item Lifecycle

Every item in Estimint has a lifecycle status that tells you exactly where it stands:

• Prospective — In an estimate, not yet received
• Received — Physically in your possession
• Listed — Added to a catalog for sale
• Sold — Successfully sold
• Returned — Given back to the consignor
• Declined — Consignor declined the estimate

Filtering by Consignor

On your My Items page, you can search by consignor code to see all items from a specific consignor. In the consignor's detail page, all their items are listed with current status and values.

Audit Trail

For business accounts, every action on an item — creation, editing, status changes, returns — is logged in the audit trail. This provides accountability and documentation for any disputes.

Best Practices

1. Create estimates before receiving items — Even for walk-in consignors, create a quick estimate first. This establishes the paper trail from day one.
2. Use unique consignor codes — Develop a consistent coding system (e.g., last name + number, or sequential codes).
3. Record commission rates — Set them at the consignor level so estimates automatically calculate net proceeds.
4. Verify returns — Always use the return verification flow to document handoffs. This protects both you and the consignor.
5. Review before sending — Take a few minutes to review AI-generated values before sending an estimate. Your reputation depends on accurate pricing.