Just Between Friends & Consignment in General

[robinb]

I had about 150 items, 4 totes full plus 4 paper bags (for books) plus a crib and a changing table. My total asking price was about $825. I hauled them all to the sale yesterday. I did not expect to put my own clothes on the racks! I got there at the end of the day and the racks were completely packed and there were overflow bins filled under the racks. I overheard one of the organizers telling another consignor that once the volunteers and the consignors were done with their shopping the racks would be emptier. I was sort-of annoyed that not all of my stuff got on a rack right away.

I was just about to head over to the sale to see how it's going. Tomorrow is the half price sale and I pick up any stragglers on Sunday.

 

[kfeuer]

Good luck, Robin! I'm sure your stuff will make it onto the racks quickly. You brought up another good tip for newbies--try to drop off your stuff as soon as they'll let you. It's much easier to put stuff out when the racks aren't full yet.

 

[PolyndianPrincessJes]

I had about 150 items, 4 totes full plus 4 paper bags (for books) plus a crib and a changing table. My total asking price was about $825. I hauled them all to the sale yesterday. I did not expect to put my own clothes on the racks! I got there at the end of the day and the racks were completely packed and there were overflow bins filled under the racks. I overheard one of the organizers telling another consignor that once the volunteers and the consignors were done with their shopping the racks would be emptier. I was sort-of annoyed that not all of my stuff got on a rack right away.

I was just about to head over to the sale to see how it's going. Tomorrow is the half price sale and I pick up any stragglers on Sunday.

If your sale's web site didn't mention that, let your coordinator know!! That's definitely something that needs to be prominent.

 

[CandCMommy]

I was thinking about taking some of DS's things to a JBF sale here in October but I read somewhere that smaller sized clothing like 0-24 months doesn't sell very well. Can someone confirm or deny that? Also, has anyone sold sleepers in the smaller sizes? Do you just group them together to get the 2.00 minimum or will they even sell at all? I'm really hoping this will work for me but I mostly have smaller sizes since DS is only 2 right now and don't want to waste time if it doesn't sell. I will have a few bigger things from my DS5 but I don't want to get rid of it all since DS2 will still need to wear some of it.

 

[Disneylush]

Love my consignment market!! I have over 600 items in a sale right now that ends tomorrow at this location and then is at a bigger (state fair) location next weekend. I have a ton more items that I will contuine to put in the sale.


We have the computer system so every night I can see what has sold and my hot items that went right away were halloween costumes and winter jackets.

We have to use card stock too and I found the "cover stock" from Staples works great in my printer and is cheaper then card stock but not thin like paper.

All of our stuff has to be hung with the tag pined in the right corner. We can not use metal hangers either.

I went last night to the volunteers pre-shop and I was shocked at how much more stuff was there then previous sales. The owner felt horrible that the racks were packed tight and it was so crowed with items.

I am hoping to make enough for our entire 10 day trips spending money and tip money for free dining.

 

[Dancemom03]

Is anyone familiar with WEE-CYCLE or TOT SWAP sales by chance? I'm in MD and considering consigning instead of ebay but have no clue which gets better attendance/publicity. Any suggestions?

 

[kfeuer]

I was thinking about taking some of DS's things to a JBF sale here in October but I read somewhere that smaller sized clothing like 0-24 months doesn't sell very well. Can someone confirm or deny that? Also, has anyone sold sleepers in the smaller sizes? Do you just group them together to get the 2.00 minimum or will they even sell at all? I'm really hoping this will work for me but I mostly have smaller sizes since DS is only 2 right now and don't want to waste time if it doesn't sell. I will have a few bigger things from my DS5 but I don't want to get rid of it all since DS2 will still need to wear some of it.

I would have to agree that baby stuff doesn't sell as well as bigger sizes. I buy kid's clothes at yard sales to resell, and even if it's only a quarter I rarely buy baby clothes. Baby clothes do sell, there's just a lot of competition. If you've got name brand stuff in good shape and price it right, I'm sure you'd do better at JBF then anywhere else. Grouping baby items is a good idea.

DH helped me yesterday and I'm down to my last 3 items (which all involve clean-up). I ended up putting $5-$7 on my snow overalls, hopefully I'll get full price. Good luck to all!

 

[robinb]

Well guys ... I had hoped to sell more than I did. I just brought home a full tote so only 3/4 of my stuff sold. I think it was because there was just SO MUCH stuff available to buy. I heard there were twice as many consignors as there was last year and it showed in the packed racks. I went by to see how things were going about an hour after the sale opened to the public and the totes were emptied and the racks still full. My guess is that a lot of my stuff didn't even see the light of day until after the volunteers were done. I don't think that getting my stuff there earlier would have necessarily helped since I saw volunteers taking bunches of clothes off the racks and dumping them into totes to make way for new stuff.

My crib and changing table both sold, but I bet only at half price since they were both still there when I visited. No biggie ... at least they are out of my house!

I'll report back how much I made when I get my check . Maybe I'll be happier then.

There is a JBF sale in a few weeks. I'm going to re-price my leftovers and try to sell them there. It's at the other side of town so I'm sure there will be different shoppers there.

 

[mjhd]

Thanks for the update! I am still a little apprehensive about our sale - I went to our consignor meeting last week and there were only 6 of us there! Yikes! Also, there is a moms sale at the same venue this upcoming weekend (ours is the weekend after). We'll see if they've done enough advertising to make this worth my while! I am finally almost done - can't even estimate the number of hours I've put into this (but I have MUCH more product than the normal person would have). Thanks all for your continued input!

 

[CandCMommy]

I would have to agree that baby stuff doesn't sell as well as bigger sizes. I buy kid's clothes at yard sales to resell, and even if it's only a quarter I rarely buy baby clothes. Baby clothes do sell, there's just a lot of competition. If you've got name brand stuff in good shape and price it right, I'm sure you'd do better at JBF then anywhere else. Grouping baby items is a good idea.

DH helped me yesterday and I'm down to my last 3 items (which all involve clean-up). I ended up putting $5-$7 on my snow overalls, hopefully I'll get full price. Good luck to all!

Thanks for the info! Bumping to see if anyone else has had any other experience with 0-24 month clothes. Looks like it might not be worth my time right now, maybe in a few years when DS's are older.

 

[madge]

Well guys ... I had hoped to sell more than I did. I just brought home a full tote so only 3/4 of my stuff sold. I think it was because there was just SO MUCH stuff available to buy. I heard there were twice as many consignors as there was last year and it showed in the packed racks. I went by to see how things were going about an hour after the sale opened to the public and the totes were emptied and the racks still full. My guess is that a lot of my stuff didn't even see the light of day until after the volunteers were done. I don't think that getting my stuff there earlier would have necessarily helped since I saw volunteers taking bunches of clothes off the racks and dumping them into totes to make way for new stuff.

My crib and changing table both sold, but I bet only at half price since they were both still there when I visited. No biggie ... at least they are out of my house!

I'll report back how much I made when I get my check . Maybe I'll be happier then.

There is a JBF sale in a few weeks. I'm going to re-price my leftovers and try to sell them there. It's at the other side of town so I'm sure there will be different shoppers there.

I think 75% sold is great!

 

[christyhud]

Thanks for the info! Bumping to see if anyone else has had any other experience with 0-24 month clothes. Looks like it might not be worth my time right now, maybe in a few years when DS's are older.

I work for a children's consignment sale (we have just under 20 different event locations in several states) and I have to agree that baby clothing doesn't sell as well. However, if you group your items together and they are good quality, those seem to sell first. Also, I find that the 18 and 24 month clothes sell much better than the smaller clothes. So even if you get a little bit for these items, it's still much better than a garage sale or nothing at all. Good luck!

 

[PolyndianPrincessJes]

With baby clothes (24m and under), there is a lot of competition. However, if you have name brand, cute, well cared for items, you should have no problem. DS has been a Gap kid since he was born. Until he was around 2, he rarely wore the same outfit twice, so a lot of his clothes were like new (or were!), and I got a decent amount for all of them. If you're trying to get rid of, say, Wal-Mart clothes, unless they're dirt cheap and in good condition, you may end up hauling them back home.

 

[Pirate1+Princess4]

If anybody has a moment I've got another pricing question, because this is my first fall sale in a cold climate! How much do you put on snow pants? For example, I've got a pair of Outbrook snow pants, girls size 6 in perfect condition, an OshKosh pair size 3T also in perfect condition...what's a good price? I bought these at garage sales and I don't have a clue what they go for new, just figured they'd be sought after since they're a necessity around here.

I price mine around $4. They are usually off brand. If was LLBean, Columbia, Lands End, I'd price it closer to $10 or $15. But I would ONLY buy at the higher price if it were in name brand in very good condition. I shop/sell at our local multiples sale, and many people will price that sort of thing at what they paid for it. I've picked up snow bibs for $1. We all like to make our money, but for some, they want the stuff gone and pricing low sometimes sends the low price karma your way. If I were doing consignment like most of you are talking about, I'd probably price snow pants at least $5.

Our local 2nd hand shop prices them between $5 - $20 depending on brand. It's rare to find them at $5 - $8. I think it's over priced for used and I only shop there if I can't get what I need at my sale.

 

[mommy2twingles]

Just an update on our sale. I dropped off 620 items yesterday morning. Our sale was open last night for 5 hours for consigners and volunteers only. I sold 119 items making just shy of $300 so far. I'm anxious to see how today goes being the first day open to the public. I will post again at the end of the sale with a final total.

 

[kfeuer]

Just an update on our sale. I dropped off 620 items yesterday morning. Our sale was open last night for 5 hours for consigners and volunteers only. I sold 119 items making just shy of $300 so far. I'm anxious to see how today goes being the first day open to the public. I will post again at the end of the sale with a final total.

That's awesome! If you don't mind me asking, what are you selling to have that many items?!? I sell stuff after my youngest outgrows it, I go to garage sales almost every weekend and pick up stuff to resell, and I'm still at just over 200 items. I wish I had more, I want to make more money ;o)

I'm going to be dropping off this afternoon, I can not express how happy I am to be almost done and to get this stuff out of my house! I'm so tired of looking at it! I totalled up and I have just under $900 worth of stuff to take. I hope I end up bringing home $500. Our sale pays 65% instead of 70% like some do, so I may not make it. I'm hopeful, though.

 

[mommy2twingles]

That's awesome! If you don't mind me asking, what are you selling to have that many items?!? I sell stuff after my youngest outgrows it, I go to garage sales almost every weekend and pick up stuff to resell, and I'm still at just over 200 items. I wish I had more, I want to make more money ;o)

I'm going to be dropping off this afternoon, I can not express how happy I am to be almost done and to get this stuff out of my house! I'm so tired of looking at it! I totalled up and I have just under $900 worth of stuff to take. I hope I end up bringing home $500. Our sale pays 65% instead of 70% like some do, so I may not make it. I'm hopeful, though.

I have got clothes for all 3 kids from the last 3 years. The boys are in the same size. My family is constantly buying them clothes. I think they could go a month in shirts alone just for summer this year. I also had a bunch of toys from the toy closet. I bought so much stuff between great sales on amazon and clearance at Target. I kinda forgot about it and the kids are no longer interested in them or now to old. I wasn't sure how the toys would sell but they seem to be going pretty well. I did price everything fairly cheap so I don't have to bring it home. Our area does have another sale in 2 weeks that is from a different company so I did not mark any of my items at 1/2 price figuring I would take any leftovers to the 2nd sale. Our sale pays 65% unless you volunteer for at least 3 hours then it goes up to 70%.
Good luck

 

[PaulaSue]

Their is a BIG sale this week in Carlisle. Not sure if it is the same company but well worth going to. Starts Tomm for general public.

 

[PolyndianPrincessJes]

I have got clothes for all 3 kids from the last 3 years. The boys are in the same size. My family is constantly buying them clothes. I think they could go a month in shirts alone just for summer this year. I also had a bunch of toys from the toy closet. I bought so much stuff between great sales on amazon and clearance at Target. I kinda forgot about it and the kids are no longer interested in them or now to old. I wasn't sure how the toys would sell but they seem to be going pretty well. I did price everything fairly cheap so I don't have to bring it home. Our area does have another sale in 2 weeks that is from a different company so I did not mark any of my items at 1/2 price figuring I would take any leftovers to the 2nd sale. Our sale pays 65% unless you volunteer for at least 3 hours then it goes up to 70%.
Good luck

I know how that goes!!! I just have one DS4 (who is spoiled by all family members, friends and even his former pre-school teacher!), and I took close to 300 items to our first fall sale. Our next one is a couple of weeks after we get back from WDW.

 

[mommy2twingles]

Our sale is officially over and I am really glad that I participated. I took a total of 653 items and I sold 293 of them. I made a total of $815.xx. I have another sale I am participating in next weeked and would love to sell another $200 or so. Hope everyone else has a good of luck with their sales.