Become a Secondhand Store Owner
You will learn: what a secondhand store owner does and how to operate a retail shop, how to develop your skills to succeed in a secondhand store owner career, and how to start your own secondhand store or shop and get customers.
What Happens in the Secondhand Store Owner Certificate Course Online
The Secondhand Store Owner Certificate course is an online learning program with suggested readings from the textbook (IAP Career College Guide to Become a Secondhand Store Owner). This course is self directed, which means you may study and complete assignments at times that are most convenient for you from the comfort of your own home.
This part-time Secondhand Store Owner Certificate Course has a recommended completion date of 6 weeks from the start of the program, however, you may choose to complete the course in as little as 4 weeks or as long as 12 weeks, depending on your schedule.
The Secondhand Store Owner Certificate Course has been created to allow you to complete it without any teaching assistance. However, if you have questions or need assistance, you can receive help from a Faculty Member throughout the 6 weeks of the course.
Your Faculty Member is a valuable resource person and mentor who can provide you with personal teaching assistance to help you succeed in the course and advice to help you succeed in your new career.
Course Topics
The Secondhand Store Owner Certificate Course has been developed to meet high academic standards, ensuring that as a graduate you can display with pride the Secondhand Store Owner Certificate you will earn from the International Association of Professions Career College.
Topics covered in the Secondhand Store Owner Certificate Course include the following:
Overview of Retailing Pre-Owned Items
- Types of Merchandise
- Consignment or Retail?
- Needed Skills: Bargain-Hunting, People and Business
Earning While You Learn
- Gaining Experience as a Retail Sales Associate
- Operating Yard Sales, Internet Sales and Flea Marketing
- Join a Trade Association or Find a Mentor
- Acquire and Hone Your Business Skills
Starting Your Secondhand Store
- Your Business Plan
- Start-Up Budgeting and Funding
- Choosing a Niche, Name, Location and Signage
- Equipment, Supplies, Insurance, Licenses and Taxes
- Interior and Exterior Design Including Shop Décor and Displays
Running Your Secondhand Store
- Systems for Daily Management
- Acquiring, Displaying, Merchandising and Pricing Inventory
- Managing Inventory and Accepting Payments
- Working with Consignors and Customers
- Hiring Great Employees
Marketing Your Secondhand Store
- Advertising, Promotions and Free Publicity
- Brochures, Flyers and Your Website
- Getting Repeat Business and Referrals to Grow Your Business
- Bonus Chapter on Buying and Selling Antiques
What Is Included in the Secondhand Store Owner Certificate Course Online
This all-inclusive Secondhand Store Owner Certificate Course package includes:
- Registration for the Secondhand Store Owner Certificate Course Online
- Access to a Faculty Member to provide you with up to 3 hours of business mentoring during the course
- (Optional) 2023-2024 membership in the IAPO International Association of Secondhand Store Owners for only $2.99 per month
- Downloadable Secondhand Store Owner Certificate personalized with your name and the seal of the International Association of Professions Career College which you may print
- (Optional) Opportunity to order official certificates printed on fine linen paper and embossed with the gold seal of the college
- Textbook: IAP Career College Guide to Become a Secondhand Store Owner (e-book edition)

Register for the Secondhand Store Owner Certificate Course
BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIAL
It’s easy to change or cancel your course registration. See our FAQ page for details.
You can have all this for an incredible price. It can cost hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars to take other programs. (We found courses based on old editions of our guides with registration fees of up to $999 and more.) We are able to offer you online courses at a significantly lower cost to you because of our expertise from over 20 years of producing the leading online guides for non-traditional careers.
Our online certificate courses have previously been offered for a registration fee of $297 U.S. and include a textbook and professional membership – a total value of almost $377.
BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIAL: This all-inclusive registration package for the Secondhand Store Owner Certificate Course is priced as only $149.00 for the September 25, 2023 course.
Register today for the Secondhand Store Owner Certificate Course. Enrollment is limited and registration is on a first come first served basis, so we recommend that you register early for the Secondhand Store Owner Certificate Course online to avoid disappointment.
If the course is full, please email support@iapcollege.com to be notified when a new course date is scheduled.
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How Much Does a Secondhand Store Owner Make?
As a secondhand store owner, your income is determined by a number of factors, including: your experience, location, business model and how much revenue your secondhand store generates. According to data from PayScale, the average income for a small business owner in the United States is $73,000 - however this can range up to $182,000 or more.
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What Does a Secondhand Store Owner Do?
As a secondhand store owner you will have the freedom to make your own decisions and express your own creative spirit through your store. You have the luxury of selling the types of items you want to sell. As a secondhand store owner, you might sell antiques, books, clothing, collectibles, equipment, furniture, toys, or any type of merchandise that can be resold. When you start a secondhand store business, you can choose to open either a consignment shop or a resale shop. Consignment shops get items from clients and sell them for a percentage of the profits. If you open a consignment shop, you will have less risk because you can fill your store with merchandise without paying until it’s sold. Resale shops typically buy used items outright and resell them. If you open a resale shop you will have more of an investment up front, but you could earn higher profits because you don’t have to share profits with clients.
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How Do You Become a Secondhand Store Owner?
Earning a certificate as a secondhand store owner will equip you with the principles and techniques for starting and running your own secondhand store and becoming a professional secondhand store owner. A certificate also provides evidence of your expertise, assurance of your professionalism, an important credential for your resume, a competitive advantage when marketing your services and higher earnings (according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
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What is the Secondhand Store Owner Certificate Course?
In IAP Career College’s part-time online Secondhand Store Owner Certificate Course you will learn important principles and practical step-by-step techniques for getting started in a career as a professional secondhand store owner. This online course has a recommended completion date of 6 weeks, however it may be completed in as little as 4 weeks or as long as 12 weeks. The course has been created to allow you to complete it without any teaching assistance, however as a student you have access to Faculty Members to provide you with personal teaching assistance and career advice.
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What is IAP Career College?
The International Association of Professions Career College (IAP Career College) is a leading online career college offering affordable online certificate courses and professional certifications for non-traditional and "dream" careers. When you take a part-time online certificate course with IAP Career College, you can schedule your learning around your life - you can work at your own pace, at the best times for you and from the comfort of your own home. IAP Career College and affiliated company FabJob Inc (the leading online publisher of guide books on how to get started in a dream career) have served over half a million career changers on six continents since 1999.