If someone finds a $7,000 Dior handbag on sale for $1,700, they may be suspicious. That’s why, for two mother daughter husbands Dianne and Gabrielle Melillo, the consignment business is not just about good merchandise. It’s about trust.
“We work in a field where our stuff is pre-owned,” Gabrielle said. “Our customers must trust us and our level of transparency. We treat them the way we would treat our friends. We will never steer them in the wrong direction in these matters.”
The Melillos are franchisees with Season 2 Consign, a brand that sells used goods in person and online. They opened their first field in 2023 in central New Jersey (the field is the region they are assigned to search for goods), and this year, after being named one of the International Franchise Association’s Franchisees of the Year, they opened a second field in northern New Jersey. — making them the owners of the most units in season 2. Here, they share what they’ve learned from building a business based on trust.
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Dianne, why did you decide to open a Season 2 Consign franchise?
I spent many years working as the national sales director for North America for high-end European fashion designer Giambattista Valli. I am 58 years old, and my husband owns a car dealership. He made me think that I want to have my own business. I have been selling and buying my luxury items on the secondary market. When Season 2 Consign announced on Instagram that they were going to start franchising, I jumped on it.
Gabrielle, why did you decide to be a 50-50 partner with your mother?
I worked for several different companies, ranging from fashion to lipstick. I knew about e-commerce because I used corporate websites. I’m 31, and I quit my job to do this. I also wanted to start my own business.
What are your biggest challenges?
Dianne: The technical part was a big learning curve. We use software for everything: uploading things to the website, how we do things with our senders. Gabrielle really knew that part of it, but I knew where we could make a profit, how things needed to be priced, what luxury things could be if we could get them.
Gabrielle: I had to learn all the names of the leathers, the types of bags, more about the luxury aspect of it, and the whole history of luxury goods and luxury products. We have a very experienced customer base.
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How do you earn the trust of those customers who have experience with pre-owned items?
Dianne: People will contact us through DMs. They will contact us via Instagram. One customer bought a $2,000 bag from us and asked for a video on how to change the strap. Someone asked us to take a picture of something in the bag. We are very personal to our customers and our shippers on many levels. We will take that video for them.
Is that kind of customer service different from what your competitors are offering?
Gabrielle: Very different.
Our customers are not just our fans. We always get comments thanking us for helping them. I feel like the only way we get to that level of feedback is when you are very close to your customers.
Dianne: And because Gabrielle is my daughter, we have a mutual trust between us. We have the same goals for this business, and we work hard. It is an incredible labor of love.
Do you ever meet your customers in person?
Dianne: Yes, if we do pop-up shops. We host events at country clubs, boutiques, and resorts. Most women who get Botox and spa treatments are ready and willing to buy luxury items.
That sounds like a rich target to replenish your stock again.
Dianne: Some of these women have large collections, giving away their bags that they no longer use. This is basically where we get our inventory. Those events – some of them were really amazing for us.
Related: Her Son Struggled in School. After Helping Him Become an ‘A’ Student, He Started a Business to Replicate Their Success.
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