How to get pumped up about tagging for consignment sale?

[WatchingThemGrow]

Maybe it applies to doing anything that isn't totally fun...but please help me get pumped to tag a TON of items sitting in our dining room - today. My kids have been home from school for 2 straight weeks, minus the 1.5 days they went earlier in the week. I'm a little bit worn out, and I can't run out for coffee (not regular drinker, so all we keep is some powdered suisse mocha) because my street is covered with ice as is my entire van.

What all would you do to get the job done while keeping my 3 (ages 5,7,8) out of my hair and happy. They're a bit tired of one another.

[boolady]

I would try to avoid tagging everything individually, if I could. Can you set up categories that will be different prices, like $1, $2, $5, and make signs for different tables/sections of your sale? We always just make colorful signs for all of our books/dvds/etc., and have sometimes extended it to everything else. Then, you only really have to tag the items that don't fit into one of your broader categories. The other way to do that if you prefer to merchandise differently is instead of writing prices on stickers/tags, then tagging, get the neon round stickers and just make a chart of what price each color stands for. Then all you have to do is slap bright pink on $1 items, yellow on $2 items, etc., and customers can look at your price posters. If you go that route, you could get the piles of things separated and have your 7 and 8 year olds help you put the stickers on the items.

[MommyAllison]

Are you tagging for something similar to the JBF sale? If so, my strategy is:

Day 1 - go through each item and enter in the tag. As I enter, I toss the item into a pile of stuff to wash, or put it in a laundry basket if it's something NWT or a toy, or whatever else that doesn't need to be washed.

Day 2 - As things come out of the dryer, I hang and pin everything. Put a pin on each item for the tag, but I don't actually put tags on yet. Sort items into categories (Boys clothing, girls clothing, toys, shoes, books, etc etc - for clothing, each gender is then organized by size).

Day 3 - Print and cut tags. Sort tags into the above categories. Then tag, tag, tag. This goes quickly since things are organized already and pins are all ready - just open pin, slip tag on, close pin.

And for all tasks, I stream movies/tv as background entertainment. :) Good luck!!

[mom2binsd]

I would try to avoid tagging everything individually, if I could. Can you set up categories that will be different prices, like $1, $2, $5, and make signs for different tables/sections of your sale? We always just make colorful signs for all of our books/dvds/etc., and have sometimes extended it to everything else. Then, you only really have to tag the items that don't fit into one of your broader categories. The other way to do that if you prefer to merchandise differently is instead of writing prices on stickers/tags, then tagging, get the neon round stickers and just make a chart of what price each color stands for. Then all you have to do is slap bright pink on $1 items, yellow on $2 items, etc., and customers can look at your price posters. If you go that route, you could get the piles of things separated and have your 7 and 8 year olds help you put the stickers on the items.

You have to follow strict rules for consignment sales, the tags are computerized.

For me, I do them in small batches, but I have already got mine sized/separated so it's easier. I also find a glass of wine helps it go much better.

I also do it in the daylight as I often see stains that I missed the first time around.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Thanks for the encouragement- I guess the piles are just overwhelming this time. Clothes are hung and ironed. There's a pile to be stain treated, so maybe it should be a goal to get all the way to those piles. I forgot about putting it in piles by $amount. We do tag individual items. I think just having kids at home for mostly 14 days has fried my brain.


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[boolady]

You have to follow strict rules for consignment sales, the tags are computerized.

For me, I do them in small batches, but I have already got mine sized/separated so it's easier. I also find a glass of wine helps it go much better.

I also do it in the daylight as I often see stains that I missed the first time around.

I misread and was thinking of how we do tag/yard sales.

[Maggie'sMom]

Think about all you can buy with the money you make-- that is what keeps me going. I say every year will be my last, but my checks keep getting bigger. We just got our checks from the big sale I consign in and mine was for $467!

[stillplayswithbarbies]

get an old fashioned paper cutter to cut tags
get a tagging gun instead of pins (if allowed) They are cheap on Amazon

I sort by size first and hang everything as I enter it. Anything stained is pulled out for Goodwill.
Then I enter it in the order it is hung on the rack (or in a pile)
then I print tags, two pages at a time and cut them.
It's easy to go down the stack and tag because they are all in order

everything is then already sorted and I just have to pack it in Ikea blue bags and load it in the car.

[WatchingThemGrow]

So...your suggestions of telling me how to get busy were helpful! Finally, DH was home to do some childcare, and he brought me coffee to hype me up. I bagged/sealed 140 items so far, making sure all the parts were there. ALL the Little People, puzzles, Barbies and Beanies my mom collected and dumped on us, a ton of random toy items. I wrote it in chicken scratch on paper and DH swooped in after bedtime (and after our babysitter's ballet performance across town) and he entered everything.

This morning before church, I have probably 30-40 more clothing items to sort/price, then we can print, cut, adhere the tags after that. Final dropoff is this afternoon 2-4. I think it's so painful this time because it's toys with so many parts- but we sorted all the little people into their proper sets (learning zoo, preschool, market, boating fun, airplane, bus, playground, petting zoo, small farm, etc.) They alone were insanity.

Thankfully, I'd spent some time last month sorting the Barbies and their accessories as they came out of DD's room, and I had ironed the summer clothes as DS2 finished with them that same week.

I've done this so many times before, but the 2 weeks of snowdays/kids underfoot really knocked me down. So much childcare made it difficult to get started and spread out. My poor dining room is covered with nearly 200 items!

[jgenie]

Way to go!! I hope it all sells!!

[KrisM]

Glad you got through it! I have a pile of toys and declined yesterday's mom2mom sale her because I couldn't figure out when to sort it all out. I'll probably do one next month or August :). Toys are a ton of work.

[WatchingThemGrow]

Toys are a ton of work.
Glad you captured your weekend and skipped the sale :)
Yes, I've been putting off toys for TOO long. Every time I got them out, kids would drag them all over the house.