At the Consignment Sale (needs pics, links...)

The DMS refers to the full Desktop Management System that you run on your PC or laptop. It includes all the management tools you need to run your sale and communicate with the OTCWeb portion of the system. Part of the DMS is the Flex-Check module - our license free Point-of-Sale checkout station. The Flex-Check module for your check-out PC's contains the check-out tools only so you never have to set up users and permissions. By definition a Flex-Check check-out station can only see what it needs to update sales information in the common databases. You don't have to worry about setting up users, rights or passwords.

When you set up a new sale, you have a lot of options. Here's some of the things you can configure:

• Nothing. Except the sale dates and the name of the sale. You can just accept the system defaults
• The logo and color of the DMS screens bringing easy branding and new marketing solutions.
• Types of tags (with or without barcodes) to be used
• If and how you'll use barcode labels run at the sale
• Your volunteer incentive program, and how you will track it
• Whether you will reward sellers for being on-time for dropoff
• What your buyer's receipt looks like (if you choose to use one)
• Administrative requirements - what printers you use, where the common databases are located, whether you charge sales tax, accept credit cards, types of print stock etc.

The process sounds complicated, but we're there with you every step of the way to answer your questions and be a guiding hand. We work with you to help you understand your options and how to set them up. Remember that you don't have to use everything. You might just use the Flex-Check system with deposit reports and check writing. It all depends on your sale and what you feel the most comfortable with.

The OTCWeb portion of the system gives you easy access to "top down" statistics about progress of the sellers use of the web system - giving you information about how many volunteer and dropoff slots have been filled, how many sellers have registered and how many items have been entered.

About 2 weeks before the sale, you'll want to begin transferring the web data down to the DMS so you can see more detail. Transfer with the OTCWeb is easy.... when convenient and connected to the internet, just open the transfer screen and push the button. The DMS takes care of the rest.

Once the OTCWeb information is stored locally, you can run detailed reports:

• Sellers registered for previous sale, but not registered for this one
• Specific assignments for volunteer and dropoff positions
• Sellers with the most items, the highest gross sales potential
• Distribution and number of items by category
• Average cost per item

Once the data is on your PC or laptop, you can analyze it any way you want to understand how the current sale is performing compared to past sales. You can run reports within the DMS or export the data into Excel or other worksheet program.

The OTC system is designed so you can send full HTML emails to your sellers, volunteers, mailing list as well as pertinent subsets of those groups. For example, you can email all sellers that participated in a sale last year but missed the last one, all volunteers that worked more than 1 shift, or just about any combination of criteria - from an individual to everyone in your database.

And the DMS system lets you run labels for snail mail to everyone, those without a valid email address or whatever group or individual or group you choose.

Because you'll use the Flex-Check portion of the DMS for check-out and other functions of the sale, there's a bit of set-up that happens on the opening day of the sale. Depending on the number of check-out stations you want to have and their locations on the floor, you'll need to set up a "network". Although both wireless and wired networks are supported, we recommend a wired network (10/100) as its simpler to configure, has higher security and is relatively trouble-free.

We recommend that you plan to have more check-out stations than you'll need. The goal should be to move the sellers through the process, not having any seller wait more than 15 minutes at check-out. We offer fully qualified, inspected and configured equipment for you to rent for your sale at a fraction of the cost of new equipment. And you don't have to worry about storing the equipment from sale to sale.

In summary, the DMS system setup is easy. We provide the level of help you need - from on-site setup services, a detailed manual and "as you do it" phone support to walk you through the process.

As the sellers drop off their items, you may want to "check them in" using the DMS. The check-in process accomplishes the following:

• Gives you the opportunity to verify that the email address, phone number and other contact information in the database is correct
• Checks off that the seller has registered for the sale, is on time for the dropoff slot (if configured)
• Verifies that the barcodes will be readable by the Flex-Check system
• Print appropriate item tags for the seller, depending on if an how you've decided to use barcodes during the sale.

The check-in process can be set up in as a "kiosk" where the seller is responsible for checking themselves in. You can also do "full scanning" of the items brought in if you want to verify what's actually on the sales floor, or you're offering a "guarantee" program for seller's items. The inventory process can be staffed by your volunteers or can be configured so that the seller does the scanning and produces a "verification" that the scanned items match what they say they've brought.

Just remember, the system is configurable to your needs.

We alluded to having a lot of flexibility in how you use barcodes at your sale. Currently our system is configured to use three broad categories of barcodes:

• Barcodes generated at the item level by the OTCWeb system - these barcodes are the most detailed, and include reference information to the particular item number in the seller's web list
• Seller number barcodes - either generated by the OTCWeb system (at the seller level) or provided as a template to each seller
• DMS generated barcodes that match the most detailed barcode generated by the OTCWeb system or "quick print" labels that contain seller, pricing and donation information

What type of barcode you use for your sale will depend on a lot of factors: How comfortable are you with your venue security? How much accountability do you want and do you want to offer an "item guarantee" program to your sellers? How committed are you to keeping buyers moving through the check-out process?

The basic advantages of using barcodes for data entry are described here. We've got some information on the effects of buyers having to stand in line here.

You've lived it. You have a seller that absolutely swears that the item was dropped off, but on sorting and pick-up it is nowhere to be found. Your seller's agreements clearly states...... but you understand that the goodwill you'll destroy by following the "letter of the law" can be devastating to your business.

The OTC system gives you the ability to provide verification that the inventory the seller thinks they've dropped off is actually there. By using the item level barcodes generated by the OTCWeb system, you can scan each of the sellers tags and verify its physical presence on the selling floor. If items are missing, you can print a "discrepancy" reports, an "actual items" form where you and the seller can acknowledge what exactly they've dropped off.

You can set up the verification process to be separate from the check-in process and even have the seller scan their own items to generate the list.

We're finding that physical security at the sale is becoming more and more important as the size an popularity of consignment sales grow. The OTC system will NOT solve the problem of physical security at your sale! We can help you put some security measures in place to help, but tag switching and outright theft will still occur.

Just remember, we're committed to your sale success and can discuss things like camera systems, receipt checks, roving volunteer security, tag guns and other easy security measures you can take.

And as the cost of technology continues to decrease, we'll be incorporating EAS / RFID tagging in the near future.

Before the sale, you decided how many check-out stations would be set-up. The checkout process is designed to be fast and painless. Remember that the Flex-Check system is a stand-alone program that runs on any Microsoft Windows PC or laptop.

Flex-Check is easy to learn and easy to use. Training of cashiers typically takes less than 15 minutes, and once the checker gets used to the system, they can process sales tickets (one buyer's purchase) quickly and efficiently. Here are some of the features of the Flex-Check system:

• Automatically know the price when using item level barcodes or DMS generated barcodes
• Based on the date / time the sales ticket is processed, the system knows if the item is half price and if the half price rules apply
• Easily take check information as part of the transaction, to be use later for detailed deposit reports
• Run split payment tickets between any 2 payment methods
• Run custom receipts with your logo and detailed item information or just price information.
• Flex-Check can use a standard receipt printer, a full sheet printer or no receipt printer at all
• Check-out stations can be configured with cash drawers to improve organization. A key lock provides physical security during cashier breaks
• Barcode scanning to indicate payment method
• If you use seller number barcodes only, the system allows keying or scanning of the price and half price flag using pre-printed templates. Scan the seller number, the template for the price and the half-price code if it applies to the item and half price rules are in effect
• If a barcode won't scan, the operator can hand enter the item information into the sales ticket.

From the manager's DMS, you have supervisory control of the check-out process:

• Void and re-run sales tickets
• Edit a ticket to remove an item, add an item or change pricing
• Each Flex-Check station keeps track of how much tender is in the cash drawer or cash box. At the end of the shift or selling day you can reconcile the amount of money in the drawer versus the amount rung through the check-out station.

At the end of the day, the DMS gives you a series of reports that cam make your job of organizing deposits quick and easy. When you configure the payment methods allowed, the Flex-Check system requires the cashier to enter the payment type, and if desired check information. When you run depoit reports at the end of the day, you're given the following:

• The total amount of cash tendered during the day
• An itemized list of debit card transactions, with the date, time and amount of the transaction
• An itemized list of the credit card transactions with date, time and amount of the transaction
• An itemized list of check numbers for the checks used for payment, in decending numeric order.

These reports make your end of day chores easy. The reports are printed in less than a minute. Then, put the checks in numeric order with the deposit report, fill in the total on the deposit slip, and they're done. Count up the cash and verify that it matched the total on the "Cash Tendered" report, fill out the deposit slip, and that's done. Then reconcile the transaction amounts for the debit and credit card sales and verify that they were put in the authorization batch. Handling the financial aspects of closing the sale at the end of the day couldn't be easier.

If you're using the item level inventory option of the OTC system, you can easily use the DMS to find items and answer questions about the who, what, when of individual items at the sale. Here are some real life examples of questions that the "query" portion of the DMS can easily answer:

• Where is that Red Fischer Price Kitchen set? Did it sell?
• Can you tell me who this pair of sneakers belong to?
• How many diaper pails (or any other type of item) are still on the floor? Which ones have sold? What were the prices.

You'll find the DMS makes it easy to match up "tagless" items with the seller it belongs to. You can also use it to see how much of each item category remains on the floor. Our clients thing of more uses for this feature with every sale they do you will too!

Throughout the sale, you can use the "Sale Dashboard" to get immediate sale informtion. See the gross sales for a time period or for the entire sale. Run "spot" reports to see what categories of items are moving and how many remain. Run individual reports for a seller so you can tell them how they're doing.

A feature that is very popular with seller is how the DMS reports sold items back to the OTCWeb. At the end of the day, on your break or anytime you can arrange to have an internet connection, you can transfer the sold item data back up to the web component of the OTC system. The transfer is fast and easy and keeps your sellers up to date on what is left to sell and how much they've made so far.

As the sale progresses, you're going to want to shut down portions of the OTCWeb. For example, you may want to turn off the ability of volunteers to cancel out of the positions they've signed up for, but still allow them to sign up for open positions. OTC gives you that level of contro!

One of the exciting features of the OTC system is that you can continue to let your sellers enter and modify items as the sale progresses. Remember the feature above where the sold items are reported back to the seller? With item editing allowed, the seller can re-price those items that aren't selling to make them more competitive. The then print the new tag, come to the sale and locate the item, changing the existing tag with the new one. The OTC system keeps track of the changes to the items so there's a history of changes to the item if there's ever a pricing dispute/

The system will also allow "reloading" items into a sale. So, during the sale each seller can enter new items, run the tags and being the new invenotry to the sale. items and bring them to the sale.

Although both these features can be "disruptive" to your normal sales process, in both cases you can benefit with higher gross sales and profit! And sellers love the control they have of both pricing and sales progress!

At the end of the sale, use the DMS to make a quick check that the percentages and fees are correct for each seller. Load the printer with paper and print detailed itemized receipts for your sellers. Then load up Quickbooks form checks, enter the starting check numbers, and press another button. Check printing is quick, easy and problem free. A detailed accounting list of gross sales, fee and percentage deducted, check number and seller information are stored and printed on plain paper, exported to Microsoft Excel and / or a QuickBooks or Peachtree accounting friendly text file. The reports and worksheet have total gross sales, total reimbursed to sellers, total fees collected and total percentage earnings. These totals allow you to make entries in your accounting system.

You can use the data from prior sales to identify your best and worst sellers, sellers that haven't participated recently, volunteers that cancelled their work shifts, etc to design mailing and email lists. Because you own the data you can analyse down to individual item combinations to see what was most profitable, most numerous or didn't sell at all.