The 5 Best Antique Store POS Systems for 2026: A Brutally Honest Review
Let's be clear: trying to run an antique store on a generic retail POS like Square is a recipe for a migraine. Your business isn't about restocking widgets; it's about managing one-of-a-kind items, tracking consignor payouts, and handling booth rentals. Most systems just aren't built for that kind of organized chaos. They choke when you need to print custom tags for odd-shaped furniture or calculate a 60/40 split for a vendor at the end of the month. We've gone through the pain of testing the specialized options to find the software that actually gets it.
Table of Contents
Before You Choose: Essential Antique Store POS Software FAQs
What is an Antique Store POS Software?
An Antique Store POS Software is a specialized point-of-sale system built specifically for the unique needs of antique shops, vintage stores, and consignment malls. Unlike generic retail POS systems, it includes features for managing one-of-a-kind inventory items, tracking sales for multiple vendors or consignors, and calculating complex commission payouts.
What does an Antique Store POS Software actually do?
An Antique Store POS software handles daily sales transactions, but its core function is managing the complex inventory of unique items. It assigns a unique ID to each piece, tracks its consignor or dealer, manages pricing and scheduled markdowns, and automates the calculation of sales commissions and booth rental fees. It also generates custom price tags and provides detailed reports on sales by vendor, category, and inventory age.
Who uses an Antique Store POS Software?
This type of software is used by owners and operators of antique malls, consignment shops, collectibles stores, vintage boutiques, and estate sale businesses. Essentially, any retail environment that deals with non-standard, unique inventory and manages sales for multiple third-party sellers (dealers or consignors) will benefit from its specialized features.
What are the key benefits of using an Antique Store POS Software?
The primary benefits are drastic reductions in administrative work and improved accuracy. It automates dealer/consignor payouts, which saves hours of manual spreadsheet calculations and prevents costly errors. It also provides a clear, real-time view of every single item in the store, reducing the risk of theft or lost inventory. This leads to better relationships with your dealers and more profitable business operations.
Why should you buy an Antique Store POS Software?
You need a specialized POS because managing an antique mall with a generic system is an operational nightmare. Think of it: you have 40 dealer booths, and each dealer brings in 30 unique items per month. That's 1,200 individual items to track, each with a different owner, a different cost, and potentially a different commission split (e.g., 90/10 for Dealer A, 85/15 for Dealer B). Manually calculating payouts, deducting booth rent, and tracking what sold for whom at the end of the month is not just time-consuming—it's guaranteed to produce errors, leading to angry dealers and lost profits.
How does antique store POS software handle dealer payouts and commissions?
Specialized antique store software automates the entire payout process. When an item is sold, the system records the sale and links it to the specific dealer's account, applying their pre-set commission rate. At the end of a pay period, the software can generate a detailed payout report for each dealer, automatically subtracting any booth rent, credit card processing fees, or other charges from their total sales.
Can this software print custom price tags for unique items?
Yes, a core feature of most antique store POS systems is the ability to design and print custom price tags and labels. You can include essential information like a unique item ID, the dealer's code, a detailed description, the price, and a scannable barcode. This ensures that every item is tracked accurately from the moment it enters the store to the moment it's sold.
Is cloud-based or on-premise POS better for an antique store?
For the vast majority of antique stores, a cloud-based POS is the superior option. It allows you to access your sales and inventory data from any device with an internet connection, which is perfect for owners who aren't always on-site. Cloud systems also handle data backups and software updates automatically, removing a significant technical burden and ensuring your sales data is secure from hardware failure or theft.
Quick Comparison: Our Top Picks
| Rank | Antique Store POS Software | Score | Start Price | Best Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SimpleConsign | 4.1 / 5.0 | $139/month | Extremely simple interface is easy for non-technical staff to learn quickly. |
| 2 | Rain POS | 4 / 5.0 | $119/month | The POS and website are a single, unified system, eliminating inventory sync headaches between separate platforms. |
| 3 | ConsignPro | 4 / 5.0 | $59/month | Automated consignor payouts and direct check printing eliminate a massive monthly bookkeeping headache. |
| 4 | Antique Mall Accounting System | 3.5 / 5.0 | $69/month | Centralizes dealer sales, commissions, and booth rental payments, which eliminates the need for chaotic spreadsheets. |
| 5 | Liberty Consignment Software | 3.5 / 5.0 | $85/month | The 'Consignor Login' feature is a lifesaver, cutting down on phone calls from consignors asking about their account balance and item status. |
1. SimpleConsign: Best for Independent consignment stores.
The best thing about SimpleConsign is a feature that has nothing to do with the point of sale: the online Consignor Login portal. That alone will stop 90% of the phone calls from consignors asking if their stuff has sold yet. For a small to mid-sized shop, that's a huge operational relief. The main POS interface is a bit bland—all gray boxes and dropdowns—but it handles inventory intake and payouts reliably. It's not for a multi-location empire, but it'll quiet down your phone.
Pros
- Extremely simple interface is easy for non-technical staff to learn quickly.
- Consignor Login portal reduces phone calls by letting consignors check their own sales.
- Integrated POS and tag printing avoids the need for separate, disconnected systems.
Cons
- The user interface feels dated and clunky, requiring significant training for new staff.
- Monthly subscription cost is steep for smaller, lower-volume consignment shops.
- Hardware compatibility is restrictive, often forcing the purchase of specific receipt printers and scanners.
2. Rain POS: Best for Specialty Retail & E-commerce
The interface is dated, I know. But if you run something like a quilt shop or a music store that also offers classes or does instrument repairs, you should still look at Rain POS. Why? The integrated `Repair Module`. It saves you from having to buy and manage a completely separate system for that part of your business. Its biggest advantage is how the POS and e-commerce site are natively connected, so you aren't fighting to keep inventory synced. It's built for those messy, multi-faceted hobby businesses.
Pros
- The POS and website are a single, unified system, eliminating inventory sync headaches between separate platforms.
- Built-in modules for rentals, repairs, and classes are genuinely useful for specialty stores like music or hobby shops.
- Includes surprisingly decent email marketing and customer loyalty features, saving you money on third-party apps.
Cons
- The integrated e-commerce site feels dated and lacks the design flexibility of a dedicated platform like Shopify; you're boxed into their templates.
- It's heavily specialized for niche retail (like quilting or music shops), making it a poor fit for general-purpose stores that don't need its specific workflows.
- The all-in-one approach means the initial data import and setup can be overwhelming for a small business owner without dedicated IT help.
3. ConsignPro: Best for Brick-and-Mortar Consignment Shops
Let's be blunt: the main reason to even consider ConsignPro is its direct QuickBooks Link. The interface is a fossil from the Windows XP era and it's not fun to use. But the relief of not having to manually export sales and reconcile everything for your accountant at tax time is a powerful motivator. For store owners who dread bookkeeping more than they hate ugly software, this one specific feature makes all the other annoyances tolerable. It's a pragmatic choice, not an exciting one.
Pros
- Automated consignor payouts and direct check printing eliminate a massive monthly bookkeeping headache.
- The user interface, while dated, is incredibly stable—it just works without constant updates or internet issues.
- Integrated tag and label printing works with standard hardware, avoiding expensive, proprietary supplies.
Cons
- The user interface is profoundly dated, resembling a Windows XP application.
- It's a desktop-only program, offering no cloud-based access for remote management.
- High upfront perpetual license cost, with technical support requiring a separate, recurring fee.
4. Antique Mall Accounting System: Best for Antique and consignment malls.
I've watched too many antique mall owners try to force a standard retail POS to work for their business. It always ends in a mess of spreadsheets for tracking booth rent and dealer payouts. AMAS is the unattractive, but necessary, solution. The interface looks like something from a 90s accounting class, but it correctly handles dealer splits and rent deductions without breaking. Its printed sales slips are basic, but they give dealers the exact numbers they need. In this niche, purpose-built is better than pretty.
Pros
- Centralizes dealer sales, commissions, and booth rental payments, which eliminates the need for chaotic spreadsheets.
- Generates specific dealer payout statements and sales tax reports that are impossible to create in general accounting software.
- The 'Daily Sales Entry' screen is purpose-built and simple, allowing non-accountant staff to operate it without major training.
Cons
- The user interface is extremely dated, resembling software from the early 2000s, which can be confusing for new employees.
- Lacks modern integrations; syncing sales with platforms like Shopify or QuickBooks Online requires manual exports and imports.
- Reporting features are rigid and difficult to customize without exporting data to a separate spreadsheet program.
5. Liberty Consignment Software: Best for High Volume Consignment Stores
I’ve personally watched a client’s trendy, cloud-based POS crash in the middle of a Saturday rush. That just doesn't happen with Liberty. Yes, the interface feels like it's from 2005, but it is unbelievably stable. Their `Item Entry` screen is cluttered, I'll admit, and takes some getting used to. But once your staff learns the keystrokes, they can fly. For a brick-and-mortar store where a down system means lost sales, this kind of old-school reliability is frankly more important than a pretty UI.
Pros
- The 'Consignor Login' feature is a lifesaver, cutting down on phone calls from consignors asking about their account balance and item status.
- Its 'reCommerce' integration syncs directly with Shopify, so you don't have to manage a separate inventory for your online store.
- Handles the complex accounting of consignment splits and payouts automatically, which generic POS systems completely fail at.
Cons
- The user interface feels dated and requires a significant training period for new staff.
- Key functionality, such as cloud access (Liberty Cloud), comes with a considerable extra cost.
- Generating custom sales reports is inflexible and often requires technical support to get right.