What is a Wish List?

A Wish List is a list of items you would like to receive or purchase in the future - as gifts or purchases. The list is typically given to a provider of the goods and services you are seeking or to someone who will procure the items for you. A wishlist is often kept for Christmas presents, a birthday or wedding.

A consignment wish list is maintained by the consignment shop owner for customers wishing to purchase specific items normally sold on consignment, like clothing, furniture, antiques, gowns, jewelry - evens cars and RVs. The wish often stipulates definition of the desired items like age of the product, color, size, features, etc.

In consignment the shop owner also maintains the contact information of the buyer so that the buyer may be contacted when the item (or something similar) becomes available. The more sophisticated computerized shop uses software that determines a match between wishlist items and items being added to shop inventory. When an item approximating the description of a wish-list item is entered into inventory, the shop owner is alerted onscreen.

The wish-list option in consignment software programs is normally included as a basic feature in most plans; however, at least one disreputable vendor stripped this feature (and other features) from their program (to create a lower-cost 'bait and switch' version). Often shop owners won't discover their need for this option until after the 30-day money-back period (which is part of the ploy) when they discover they will have to pay much more ($60) just to add this feature.

If you are in the market for consignment software, these are other features which should be included in the most basic of programs: house accounts, layaways and special promotions. When you see vendors offering a low-cost version of their software and a 2nd (much) higher-priced version, watch out for price traps like this.