Only part of my first purge for consignment almost 2 years ago.
If you have kids then I'm sure you've probably heard of these really big consignment sales that happen a couple of times a year for kids clothes, toys, gear and maternity items? Most areas have them, usually in the early Spring and Fall (check online or in the paper for locations). The sales are usually held by local churches or even independent organizations. If you’ve never been to one and want to know more or even if you have been to one but found it so overwhelming (that's what happened to me my first time) that you just didn’t know what to do, never fear. I’m here to give you some tips and insight into what I’ve learned by going to and consigning in these sales. I’ll start first with how to shop them:
Part of this past Fall's purge to go to consignment.
First of all you will need to have a game plan. For me this means taking stock of what my girl has and what she needs for the coming season. I usually pull all the clothes out of her closet/drawers for the coming season and start to make a list of what we have that will work. Then that leads to a list of what we will need. Be really aware of what the needs are and will be. For example, I know my girl hates wearing jeans and other woven pants, I mean HATES. As much as I would love her to wear them, it’s worthless for me to even buy them because she flat out refuses to put and keep them on. So I know that I need to find knit leggings and other knit bottoms that can be paired with comfy knit tunics and tops.
Okay, you have your list and are ready to head inside to start shopping. I usually hit the clothes first, then the shoes, then the toys and lastly the décor/gear. I find that I can get the most bang for my buck with the clothes and shoes than the toys or décor/gear. Go to the racks and start going through the clothes (these are usually grouped by size and gender). What I found the most helpful is to act like a fashion editor and just start pulling any clothes from the racks that you like and catch your eye – don’t dwell too much, just start pulling. This will usually mean you have a large stack of clothes in your hands by the time you finish in your size range, but that’s a good thing. Take your stack off to the side (these places usually have some sort of place where you can sit down on the floor, etc) and then the real editing can begin. Go through what you’ve pulled, be objective and ruthless. Make sure there are no stains, pulls or rips. A big issue I’ve had is buying an outfit (as a set), getting home and the top and bottom are two different sizes – so check all items in a set for correct sizing! Start assembling outfits from separates so you know you’ve got outfits and not just a bunch of random pieces. Once you have your outfits you can then fill in with any tops or bottoms that can work with the other tops and bottoms you already have at home or have found at the sale.
Now if you want to consign (which means making some moola to help cover your purchases), most of these sales have their rules and guidelines for what you can and can’t consign so make sure you read those really carefully! It’s generally a good idea to consign and/or volunteer to help set up/tear down the sale because you can usually go to some sort of pre-sale before the sale is open to the public (some do and some don't offer that option so again, read all the fine print). If that is an option, I highly recommend doing that if you have the time, because you have access to all the great stuff before the general public does. You also may have the opportunity to meet and chat with the mom of one of the guys in Lady Antebellum (which happened to me last Spring – she could not have been nicer) or other interesting people you may not usually meet. I try to consign stuff with every sale because I can declutter and make a little extra cash at the same time. Usually I either make more than I spend at the sale or break even, so that’s a good thing! Each sale has a different percentage you can earn with consigning so make sure you read that information too. I personally like to consign with my local church’s sale because I like that their percentage goes to their mission/outreach programs and I just really like the way they handle the sale.
So that's my quick kids consigning guidelines. So have any of you consigned/shopped these sort of sales? If so feel free to share any additional tips. And please let me know if you have any further questions. Happy hunting!
