How Circular Works: The Operating System for Resale

This is the Complete Guide to Running Resale and Consignment Operations. If you’re running a secondhand store, consignment shop, or branded resale program, you’ve likely faced the same challenges: inconsistent pricing, manual intake, confusing payouts, and messy spreadsheets. Circular solves all of this by giving you a single platform to run your entire resale operation.

This guide explains exactly how Circular works, step-by-step, so you understand how to use the platform for intake, pricing, inventory, sales, and payouts - and why so many retailers and brands choose Circular as their resale operating system.

What Is Circular?

Circular is an AI-powered operating system for resale. It replaces manual spreadsheets and fragmented tools with one platform that handles:

  • Intake & item processing
  • AI-driven pricing
  • Inventory management
  • Seller portals
  • Sales sync with Shopify and POS
  • Seller payouts
  • Drop-off appointments
  • Reporting & bulk tools

Stores use Circular to run resale programs that are faster, more profitable, and easier to scale.

1. Your Resale Workspace

Every retailer, reseller, or brand gets their own resale workspace:

[YourStore].getcircular.ai

Inside this workspace, your team can:

  • Create and manage resale inventory
  • Track sales and item status
  • Handle seller payouts and store credit
  • Configure fees, rules, branding, and integrations
  • View analytics and performance metrics

This workspace becomes the central dashboard for all resale operations - both online and in-store.

2. Sellers & Accounts

Every consignor or seller gets their own account. This is key for automation, trust, and reducing your admin workload.

Sellers can:

  • Track active items
  • See sold items in real time
  • View earnings
  • Book drop-off appointments
  • Update bank details
  • See pick-up or donation status

You control:

  • Default commission splits (e.g., 50/50)
  • VIP seller overrides (e.g., 70% for premium sellers)
  • Sales period length
  • Pickup & donation rules

Circular handles communication automatically so your team avoids endless “Has my item sold?” messages.

3. Intake: How Items Enter the System

Circular makes intake fast, structured, and consistent - essential for scaling resale.

Your team can:

Select the seller

Photograph the item

Use AI to auto-fill category, color, and attributes

Get AI-powered price suggestions based on your own data

Enter brand, size, material, and condition

Print a barcode/SKU

Sync the item instantly to Shopify or your POS

Once added, Circular tracks the item for the rest of its lifecycle.

4. Automatic Shopify & POS Sync

Circular becomes your source of truth for resale inventory.

Automatically synced:

  • Title, description, brand
  • Category, size, color, material
  • Photos
  • Price
  • Stock
  • Shopify taxonomy mapping
  • Status updates

When an item sells in Shopify or POS:

POS/Shopify → Circular → Seller earnings calculated instantly → Seller gets a notification about the sale (if enabled of course).

This removes double entry and prevents pricing or stock mistakes.

5. Sales, Earnings & Inventory Tracking

Circular gives you a complete overview of store activity:

  • What sold
  • When it sold
  • Seller earnings
  • Active inventory
  • Expiring items
  • Pick-up and donation items
  • Lost/damaged audits

Every item has a clear timeline, making resale predictable and scalable.

6. Payouts & Store Credit

Circular automates payout management by maintaining a real-time balance for each seller.

Payout options:

  • Manual payouts (one-click settlement)
  • Store credit system
  • Transaction fee configuration
  • Accounting exports
  • Bank withdrawal tracking
  • Stripe integration (optional)

No more spreadsheets or manual payout calculations.

7. Drop-Off Appointments (Optional)

If your store relies on scheduled intake:

  • Sellers can book online
  • You control daily quotas
  • Staff marks appointments as completed or no-show

This makes intake predictable and eliminates chaotic walk-ins.

(Yes, you can cancel your Calendly subscription.)

8. Seller Portal (Self-Service)

The seller portal is one of the most powerful features for reducing admin.

Sellers can:

  • Check their items
  • See sales and payouts
  • Update bank details
  • Book new drop-offs
  • View pickup/donation status

Stores using Circular see 70–90% fewer seller inquiries.

9. Admin Tools & Settings

Everything is configurable so your resale model works exactly the way you want.

Consignment rules:

  • Sales period
  • Pickup deadlines
  • Donation rules
  • Ownership type (consigned or store-owned)

Payout rules:

  • Splits
  • VIP overrides
  • Transaction fees

Branding:

  • Logo
  • Colors
  • Store profile
  • Email templates

Integrations:

  • Shopify
  • Zettle
  • Extenda GO
  • Datanova

Circular adapts to any resale workflow - from boutique shops to enterprise retailers.

10. Bulk Tools (High-Volume Resale)

Bulk actions help you manage large amounts of inventory quickly.

Bulk capabilities include:

  • Change status (Active → Sold / Pickup / Donated / Returned)
  • Bulk edit prices (fixed or percentage)
  • Update categories, sizes, brands
  • Print labels
  • Print seller pickup labels
  • Adjust expiry dates
  • Export inventory lists

Essential for stores processing hundreds of items per week.

Why Stores Choose Circular

Most stores switch to Circular because it solves the biggest challenges in resale:

  • Faster item intake with AI (up to 15x faster)
  • Consistent pricing across staff
  • Automated seller communication
  • Accurate payouts based on real sales
  • Real-time inventory tracking
  • Instant Shopify sync
  • Reduced admin time (70–90% less)
  • Higher throughput and margins
  • Scalable operations for multi-store setups

Circular is created by people who run resale stores themselves - so every feature solves a real pain.

FAQ:

What system is best for running a consignment store?

Circular is one of the leading operating systems for consignment and resale, offering intake, pricing, inventory tracking, Shopify sync, seller portals, and automated payouts.

How do I manage resale inventory more efficiently?

Use a system like Circular that provides AI intake, barcodes, Shopify sync, and real-time seller tracking.

How does branded resale work for fashion brands?

Brands use Circular to run their entire branded resale operation, including intake, pricing, inventory, bookings, and seller management, and resell items online or in-store through their existing ecommerce and POS platforms.

How do seller payouts work in a consignment system?

Circular calculates earnings automatically and keeps a running balance so stores can pay out in store, via bank transfer or via store credit.

How can I automate intake in a secondhand store?

Circular’s intake workflow uses AI to categorize items, suggest prices, and create barcodes instantly.

How can retailers reduce admin in resale operations?

By giving sellers their own portal and letting Circular automate communication, inventory sync, and payout calculations.

The Bottom Line

Circular is the operating system that makes modern resale possible.

It removes the manual work, eliminates inconsistencies, and gives stores and brands a scalable way to run resale - online and in-store.