Childrens Consignment Stores....Worthwhile?

[Pennylane]

Hi ,

I have tons of baby and toddler clothes that I was thinking of taking to a local consignment store. My question is , Is it worth the time to do it? How well do they pay for nice clothes and newer baby gear, swing, baby bjorn? Would it be better to just donate the items? I have done it with my own clothes and was so disappointed in the $ I received compared to the time it took me to get everything together, washed, etc....

I am a longtime lurker and really enjoy all the advice and info I get here !

TIA,

Ann

[tarahsolazy]

I think its a lazy alternative to ebay, and I figure that whatever I get for it, its more than donating. We have a local large consignment store and they've sold tons of my stuff. I don't take Hanna Andersson or Gymboree items there, though, because I can get better prices on ebay or BBBSwap.

[KBecks]

Don't expect much... You may want to do a small trial run with a store in your area and then evaluate for yourself.

We have 2 kinds of stores here -- a regular consignment where you wait to get paid, and a few pay right away stores.

The stores that pay right away don't pay much - maybe $1 -$2 per clothing item that they would sell for $4 - $8.

And I've found our consignment is tricky, you never know if your stuff will sell or if it won't and be donated. I didn't feel I like I got much $$ for what I took in there.

I think it's better than the hassle of a garage sale. I'd definitely Ebay any brand name stuff, and then if you are in a high tax bracket, donating may be better for you.

[Momof3Labs]

Depends. I did a trial at a store near our old house, and was disappointed. She takes the first dollar from every item, and then gives you 40% of the balance, which really isn't much. And if someone uses a coupon (which she puts out often), that affects your cut since you get 40% of the actual sale price (less $1). I brought in probably 40 items, half of them were rejected, and maybe half of the remainder sold. I got about $11 in the end; I probably would have gotten that or more if I had done a garage sale.

I definitely wouldn't bring high-end stuff there unless they are known to pay well for that - at our store, Peg Perego strollers in decent condition were usually listed at $40-50, whereas they'd go for a lot more than that on eBay. But they say that people are only willing to pay used Graco prices, kwim?

I'd suggest walking through the store and looking at prices, then get their contract and find out how much of the sale price you get. Then, of course, factor in what happens to items that don't sell. Some stores buy your items from you up front, and some only pay you if they sell.

Alternatively, some areas have consignment sales through the school or whatever, where you name your own price and get, say, 50% of the sale price with the balance going to the parents group or whatever. I would definitely give one of those a shot if I found one!!

[jfmiller]

I'm with Lori - you need to take a look (walk through without kids!) at the consignment store you are considering. I use two - one that pays on the spot and another that does not. The second is GREAT for brand names (prices are better for consigners than shoppers!)and I usually make more than store #1. Store #2 is more of a mom and pop shop, vs. #1 which is a franchise. I would do some exploration and find a store/policy that is a good fit for your merchandise AND what you'd like to make on your clothes!

Good luck - hope this helps!

Jennifer
Proud SAHM to Graham (1/02) and Genevieve (4/04)

[MelissaTC]

I am a big fan of consignment sales where you set your own price. I am involved with a bi-annual sale and love it. Last time, I made around $300 selling Ds's clothes, sizes 18 months-24 months/2T. It was great.

[SewSarahSew]

I agree with everyone else, it really depends on the store. I've brought stuff to my local place and it was a fair amount of work. I had to have everything on hangers and organized by size. I didn't have any big name stuff, but everything was in good condition and she took 95% of what I brought. I made about $110 one time, and $60 another time, when I brought in less. I think I got 60% of the selling price? Or maybe it was 40%, I don't remember. But she priced it.

My sis used to bring stuff to Once Upon a Child. They vary by location, but she only got $1 - 2 an item and it wasn't worth the hassle to her. She got some new money managing/tax program that has a rather eloborate spreadsheet system for tracking your clothing donations. Using the software, you rate the condition, enter the brand name and type of item, and it assigns a value based on what's allowed by the tax laws. She says she gets WAY more $$ in terms of tax write-off than she would ever get by consigning or even doing a garage sale. Of course, that sounds like a fair amount of work in data entry if you ask me!

[nupe]

Do you know what software she uses? Thanks, Nupe

[Pennylane]

Thanks again for all the advice everyone. I am going to check out their prices tonight and see what things are selling for. I think I will donate most of my items, although I would love to try Ebay. It just seems like a hassle to get the items you sell sent out. Our post office is a nightmare!

Ann

[Pennylane]

oops :)