joy that you first brought home from the hospital has been growing like a weed and is now such a big kid.
While your baby became a toddler than a preschooler and off to the big leagues of
elementary school you probably kept on buying new clothes and putting the old
ones away. Now it’s time to
reclaim the spare bedroom and finally let go of all those adorable clothes, but
what should you do? Kids
clothing is in high demand and while you can donate or gasp throw out those
precious clothes, selling them will put money back in your pocket, is earth
friendly recycling, and will bring the same joy to another family that it first
brought to you. If you’re not
familiar with consigning this article will help you understand how to turn your
old clothes into cash.
1.
Find a local place to sell your gently used children’s clothes, shoes, toys, books, and
infant gear. In most cities local
churches, preschools and organizations hold bi-annual consignment sales to
benefit their group and many cities have storefront locations that concentrate
on kid’s consignment. The two best sources for finding a reputable consignment sale is word
of mouth and a Google search that displays
reviews.
2. Once you have found a location you would like to sell at you will need to review their seller sign-up process and get started as a seller for their sale.
The seller sign-up process typically consists of an upfront fee ranging from $5-$10 and giving the location your personal information.
3.
After
you’ve signed up as a seller you will need to look through your used clothing
for any stains, holes, tears, and overly worn spots. These items are not good
for re-sale. Once you’ve determined what you are going to sell you will need to get
the items prepped.
4. Prepping the items for sale is the key to receiving the most money. People want to feel like they are buying a new item even when they know it is used. To create an image of newness you must first clean all clothes, shoes, toys, books, and infant gear as best as you can. Sometimes items
such as shoes will just not become perfect again and it’s okay to have small
scuffs and typical wear on these items.
All cleaned clothes should then be ironed and hung properly on a wire hanger and all shoes, toys, books, and baby items should be prepped according the specific seller guidelines for the sale.
5. After your items are prepped it is time to tag. You will receive a seller number and will use this number on your tag
template. Some sales use My
Consignment Manager that allows you to input your items on the computer then
print tags while others use a tag template that you input your information into
before printing. Both systems require you to place your seller number, your items size, description, and price on the tag.
6. While you are tagging items you will be pricing them. Sometimes it’s hard to give an item we love or paid a lot for a low price, but you have to be realistic. Most items sell for 70% off of retail. Most consignment sales have a final day or half day that they sell remaining items half off.
This should be taken into consideration for your pricing strategy. It is also a good rule of thumb to price your items at even numbers. Trying to squeeze an extra .25 or .50 cents out of a sales price usually
backfires. Sticking to dollar increments will yield better results.
7. Once all your items are cleaned, prepped, hung, and priced it is time to sort them into their respective sizes by gender and take them off to the sale.
8.Your items will then be placed out for sale by the locations staff and all you will
need to do is sit back and wait for your big fat check to arrive. Most consignment sales allow you to pick up your check with your unsold items or will mail you a check if you do not show during the pick-up time frame.
It may seem tedious at first getting your
clothes, shoes, toys, books, and other baby equipment ready for consignment
sales and out the door, but once you go through your first sale you will feel
like a pro. Once the consignment
location does all the selling and money transaction for you and all you have to
do is pick up your first check you will see the potential and excitement that
kid’s consignment sales generate.