Selling at consignment sales

[PolyndianPrincessJes]

I own an adult consignment sale and this is the #1 question I get-"how do I know what to price my items?" I, personally, don't want to see these things back in my house and I would rather get a dollar or two less and sell it than bring it back home. I say to price it higher than you would at a garage sale but not so high it will be overlooked. And you always have the 1/2 price option.

Hey! I think my mom does your sale!!

 

[pjupton]

Wow many of you get great prices for your items. I had many NWT items Gap Gymbo Marked $5. $5!!! people complained. I was so irritated. They would come up and start looking and if it wasnt 1 or 2 bucks they walked away.

We're not talking about a yard sale, it's a consignment sale. It's expected that items will be in better shape since they are inspected by the sale before being placed on the sales floor and therefore deserving of a higher price. Also, there is no haggling, the price is set in the computer system and cannot be changed. I LOVE consignment sales... love them so much, that I operate four a year as my business and two more on a volunteer basis!

 

[Daytonamom2]

Dear Pjupton

Sounds like your the expert

The only consignment sale that I have come across like this in central Florida is JBF. Anyone know of any others

How do I price paperback books. Where do I put the sales label?

Is there a message board for these kind of sales?????

Thanks for your help. Any thoughts would be great.

 

[teedisney]

Cindy are you selling at the LCA sale? I saw the billboard. New to the area. Thinking about shopping there!

 

[pjupton]

Daytonamom, I like to bag similar books and sell several for one price. Maybe $2-3 for a set of 5 or 6 books for little kid books, $1 each for youth books?

http://www.kidsconsignmentsales.com/ has a pretty good listing on nationwide sales.

I know of message boards for sale owners, but not sellers. Many sales now have Facebook groups that might have message forums.

teedisney, Cindi's sale is full with a waiting list, but you are also welcome over at the Everything for Kids sale if you are in Lexington. http://www.everythingforkids.net I've been trying to get the scoop on the LCA sale, I've been told that it's just a school uniform sale and also that it's a group garage sale. PM me if you have better info!

If you are closer to Elizabethtown or Louisville, I'd love to see you at a Kentucky Kids Consignment sale! http://www.kentuckykidsconsignment.com

 

[wickywinn]

Wow, some of you are getting great prices for your clothes! Generally, they advise here in my area 1/4 of new unless it's boutique or new, then a little more. Remember you run the risk of someone else having the same outfit you priced at $12 for $7. The consignment sale I have participated in the last 6+ years is HUGE (not JBF) and they hold workshops and send tips on how not to overprice. The goal is to increase your sales. Although some use the tactic of pricing a bit too high and putting that they want it to go half off (you have the option not to) so, when folks see it's half off buy it not knowing they're basically paying what the owner originally planned (ie price gauging). I don't do that but I know some do. anyway, a pair of jeans and a nice shirt for $10-$12 would be in your stack for you to pick up at the end of the sale bc it would not sale....and you would have ALOT left to pick up... and we're not talking about a budget friendly area. I live in a well known affluent community but these women know what's too high and what's reasonable for a consignment sale and, with as much variety and amount to choose from, they would pass right by some of the prices listed here without batting an eye, knowing they'll probably find the same outfit or very similar a few feet down for less.

 

[Daytonamom2]

bump for the Monday morning people

 

[Soon2B4]

I just did my first sale and was somewhat disappointed. It was not in my "normal" neighborhood, but I thought I would try it. I priced my new Gymbo even lower than 50% of sticker and only sold 1 thing. I did sell a lot of used things that were $1 and $2, but nothing really above that. Like I said, it's not my normal area, but I had a lot of things to sell and no sales going on in my immediate area that may have commanded higher prices. I did sell maternity pants for $9 and $10, both from Gap.

Also, when it was all said in done I had 2 things missing and they tried to give me something that was not mine. It didn't even have my seller # on it. How much do you experienced sellers expect to not sell and have it not come back to you?

 

[PolyndianPrincessJes]

I just did my first sale and was somewhat disappointed. It was not in my "normal" neighborhood, but I thought I would try it. I priced my new Gymbo even lower than 50% of sticker and only sold 1 thing. I did sell a lot of used things that were $1 and $2, but nothing really above that. Like I said, it's not my normal area, but I had a lot of things to sell and no sales going on in my immediate area that may have commanded higher prices. I did sell maternity pants for $9 and $10, both from Gap.

Also, when it was all said in done I had 2 things missing and they tried to give me something that was not mine. It didn't even have my seller # on it. How much do you experienced sellers expect to not sell and have it not come back to you?

I take, on average, 100-150 clothing items (not including toys, bedding, etc.), and I come home, on average, with about 15-20 items after both sales. I usually hold them over one season, and if they don't sell at the following fall (or spring) sale, I donate them. Only happened a few times (maybe three?).

ETA: OK, I get what you're asking. I will lose, maybe, two pieces per season. Sometimes none. I figure, though, if you have to steal from a consignment sale (which it looks like that's what happened to a few of my triple pinned items), you need it more than I need the $5 from it.

 

[Soon2B4]

Thanks for your response. I had one thing that I think was stolen, a new girls Gymbo hat. The other item I think was a mistake in ringing. It was a plain white gerber onesie that probably just missed getting scanned since they all looked the same.

I took a total of 146 items and only sold 46. They did no advertising for it and I found out about it through a posting on Momslikeme.com. If I had lived in the area, I would have known they did no advertising and it probably wasn't going to have a great turn out. When I went to drop my things off, I drove my the place 3 times before I figured out where it was. No signs!

 

[kfeuer]

a pair of jeans and a nice shirt for $10-$12 would be in your stack for you to pick up at the end of the sale bc it would not sale....and you would have ALOT left to pick up... and we're not talking about a budget friendly area. I live in a well known affluent community but these women know what's too high and what's reasonable for a consignment sale and, with as much variety and amount to choose from, they would pass right by some of the prices listed here without batting an eye, knowing they'll probably find the same outfit or very similar a few feet down for less.

I agree with you. However, I think it comes down to knowing your area. To anybody doing this for the first time, I'd suggest pricing on the low side but be sure to shop the sale and see how other people are pricing. You'll get a feel for what you can get after you do it a few times.

What amazes me are the people who take their unsold (virtually always overpriced) clothes and put them out at their garage sale with the consignment tag still on for the price. Come on, if consignment shoppers found the price too high there's no way garage sale shoppers are going to pay it!

I'm selling at JBF these days and they do have a Facebook group for selling tips. Here's a few of mine:

Do not underestimate how roughly your items may be treated. Kids will attempt to play with toys, so be sure everything is attached together as securely as you can make it.

Clothes racks can get packed very tight, so I always pin any shirt that could be pulled off to the hanger (I use a tiny pin at each shoulder). I use wire dry-cleaning type hangers for pants (I've had good luck getting these at garage sales for free), but I do buy kid-sized hangers for smaller tops. Adult-sized hangers can make kid's tops hang strangely, poke the arms out, etc.

I have a couple portable clothes racks (the type that can be disassembled) that I pull out when I'm getting things ready for the sale. I find them very handy; I set one up by my computer so that I can rotate clothes around as I generate the price tags.

Walmart is the cheapest place I've found for cardstock (to make price tags with). Dollar tree safety pins work for most things. I'm thinking about getting a pricing gun, but haven't done it yet.

I bought a portable hand-held steamer at Walmart (it was only $25, it's not fancy but it works great once it heats up). I quickly steam-press anything that needs it and it makes a big difference in how things look, especially tees and sweaters. I think it's worth the effort.

I'd love to hear everybody else's tips on how they prep things. It's a lot of work and I'm always trying to figure out ways to make it easier.

 

[madelyn]

I participated in my first sale this past spring. I think I took in around 200 items. 10% of those were rejected due to wear or stains I didn't see. I probably priced things a bit high (a little higher than what I sell them for on Craigislist) and came home with about half my items. Made around $190. I marked some of the things to go half price but few things sold half price so I think I will just price things lower this time around. I bought a tagging gun off of Ebay but ended up damaging some items with it. Next time I am going to only hang the tag from the size label.

 

[PolyndianPrincessJes]

I participated in my first sale this past spring. I think I took in around 200 items. 10% of those were rejected due to wear or stains I didn't see. I probably priced things a bit high (a little higher than what I sell them for on Craigislist) and came home with about half my items. Made around $190. I marked some of the things to go half price but few things sold half price so I think I will just price things lower this time around. I bought a tagging gun off of Ebay but ended up damaging some items with it. Next time I am going to only hang the tag from the size label.

That always bugs me! I understand keeping things together, but we (I'm on the inspections squad) put the clothes through a crazy inspection, but the safety pins and tagging guns leave (sometimes giant) holes in the clothes.

 

[reagan75]

Hey! I think my mom does your sale!!

How cool! The next one will be in October. We leave in just a few days for WDW and then I will start to work on getting consignors and all.

 

[reagan75]

I participated in my first sale this past spring. I think I took in around 200 items. 10% of those were rejected due to wear or stains I didn't see. I probably priced things a bit high (a little higher than what I sell them for on Craigislist) and came home with about half my items. Made around $190. I marked some of the things to go half price but few things sold half price so I think I will just price things lower this time around. I bought a tagging gun off of Ebay but ended up damaging some items with it. Next time I am going to only hang the tag from the size label.

If the shirt does not have a tag, be sure to tag it in the seam of the neck. Otherwise, a safety pin is your best bet.