Faqs
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What is a fashion “resale” store?
Already widespread in the U.S., the “buy-sell-trade” formula is a popular alternative to “thrift”or “consignment” shops. BIVIO buys its “pre-owned” merchandise from their client-suppliers – private individuals who choose to be paid either in cash or store credit right at the moment of the transaction.
BIVIO offers anyone the possibility to
- buy carefully-selected clothing and accessories
- sell your own clothing/accessories
- or use the store credit option to trade your clothing/accessories in any of our store locations
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What makes BIVIO different than a traditional consignment store?
BIVIO is similar to a consignment store in that it sources merchandise from people who bring things in. But the real advantage of BIVIO is that we pay on the spot, instead of making a client wait for their items to sell before getting paid. This means that we are quite particular about what we buy and when we buy it, and we make sure our prices are “democratic”. This ensures a quick turnover of inventory, which makes shopping at BIVIO a unique experience each visit.
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What is the BIVIO formula?
Bring in your seasonally-appropriate clothing and accessories in excellent condition and our BIVIO buyers will select and price the items we are interested in selling. From our selling price, we can offer you 33% in cash or check, or else 50% in store credit valid for one year in all of our locations. Please note: There will be a successive 12% sales tax added onto each item.
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What about my “high-budget” items? Will BIVIO buy those too?
For items of elevated value or for hard-to-sell pieces, BIVIO may offer its suppliers the Contratto Estimatorio option. In this case, the customer and BIVIO will agree on a sum to pay the supplier if the item sells, but only after the sale. In most cases, BIVIO will keep the item for a maximum of 90 days, at the end of which the unsold item will be returned to the supplier.
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Can anyone sell at BIVIO?
BIVIO welcomes anyone over the age of 18 with an Italian Fiscal Code and a valid ID card. For non-Italians, a valid form of ID is required.
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Can I bring in my items whenever I want? Do I have to make an appointment?
BIVIO’s buying campaigns are seasonal, and we tend to anticipate the upcoming seasons, beginning and finishing our campaigns “early” in the season. Our stores never buy during the months of August and December. Our buying hours are from noon to 5:30pm every day when we our Buying Campaigns are active, and an appointment is required. (Link to appointment page).
Appointments last 30 minutes and we ask that you bring a maximum of 30 pieces each time. We also ask that you not book more than one appointment per season in each of our stores: our aim is to reach as many sellers as possible so shoppers can select from a wide range of “closets”.
Those who have high-end bags and shoes may come in without an appointment between the hours of noon and 5:30pm, but will need to wait until a BIVIO buyer is finished with a scheduled appointment.
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Can I send you photos of my items before coming in?
Unfortunately – or rather, luckily! – our staff at BIVIO is quite busy during the day and we simply do not have time to review emails with attached photos sent via email, Facebook messenger or Instagram. If you do send photos of your merchandise, it is likely you will not get a reply and we apologize in advance.
The best way to understand the kinds of things we are interested in buying is to come in to our store and see our selection, or to scroll through our social media pages, which are filled with thousands of photos of items we have bought and their prices.
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Can BIVIO come to my house? I really have a TON of stuff!
BIVIO does not offer an at-home service at this time, although we are working on providing an SOS service for helping people “declutter” their closets. Please stay tuned!
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How do I know if BIVIO will buy my stuff?
BIVIO is interested in quality items, in great condition, that have a contemporary feel. We select pieces that we think our customers will be interested in buying. We are looking for items that can be worn in the current season, and can be sold right away: this means they should be clean and presentable, without defects, holes, stains or bad odors. There should be no missing buttons or broken zippers. Shoes should be in excellent condition, with no need for repairs.
Obviously, the more “basic” an item is – for example, a blue blazer or a pair of jeans – the more selective we will be.
For some ideas of what to bring in, please consult our wishlist. (link to wishlist)
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What brands does BIVIO buy (and sell)?
Of course, brands are important, but we also look at the condition, color, fabric and cut of each piece. That being said, BIVIO discourages bringing in “fast fashion” brands (H&M, Zara, Benetton, etc) or brands in the low-cost segment. The market is already flooded with this merchandise and shoppers come to BIVIO to find things they can’t find anywhere else.
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Who determines the price of my clothes?
The BIVIO buyers price each item as soon as you bring it in. When we price your items, we do so keeping in mind the price of the similar pieces we currently have in the store, or what similar items have sold for in the past.
Our buyers have a good idea of what the retail price of items are, but we also recognize that once an article leaves a store, or is no longer in the “current collection” the retail price has very little to do with how much somebody is willing to pay for it second hand. Of course we want our inventory to move quickly, so we do price “to sell. If you aren’t comfortable with any of our pricing decisions, or have second thoughts about selling one or more of your items in the course of a transaction, we completely understand and you can change your mind at any time before the transaction is completed.
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OMG! Why did BIVIO offer me so little for my stuff? My clothes are all from good brands! And in good condition!
Here’s the deal: BIVIO is trying to “redistribute” items that people own, but don’t use. With the rise of fast-fashion, online platforms and “designer” outlets, the market is saturated with “new” clothes at “discounted” prices. In order to encourage people to shop “second-hand” (therefore reducing their consumer impact), our prices need to be very competitive and we need to stock our shops with things people can’t easily find elsewhere. Clothes you don’t wear add no value to your life. And it’s not realistic to think that you can “make back” the money you’ve spent on clothes – except for a handful of luxury items, almost nothing you buy retains its value over time.
Often it’s not our final price that people take issue with, it’s the fact that they are getting one third or one half of what we sell it for. But unlike most commercial enterprises, we are transparent in our markup and in order to make our business sustainable, this is our formula.
We suggest that before selling you look through our shops or our social media pages and see what things sell for in order to have a realistic idea of what you might “get” for similar items.