Buying and Selling at Consignment Sales: We Would Love Some Feedback!

Saturday, March 5, 2011 Submitted by Allison

One of the great parts of spring is consignment sales. Time to sell some of the things you don't need and find some great deals on the things you do. There are lots of consignment sales around the country and each one is a little different. Some have special tagging systems, some take a cut of the profits, and others allow you to buy space and do your own thing. We need to hear from you. Nobody knows better than the seasoned buyers and sellers. Here is what we want to know -

Buyers: What do you look for? What awesome deals have you found? What types of things should you avoid buying? How do you negotiate?

Sellers: How long does it take you to get ready? Tips for set up? What types of things always sell well? How do you decide your prices? Do you like being negotiated with?

Share with us your tips and tricks so we can help each other make the most of consignment sales.

Find this and similar resources in: Finance Mom | Organized

Share |

email this page

Seller

Submitted by Allison on Sun, 2011-03-06 18:36.

I love that I get tons of traffic to my items without all the work. If I had a yard sale I would never get that much traffic. Its great to see people walk away with the stuff they need too!

The sale I usually do allows you to rent your space and deal with it yourself. I like that because 90% of my items are just folded by size on my table for $1 and that takes a lot of the work out. I just hand and tag the items that are worth more. Happy shopping!

» reply | email this page

Consignor - Buyer & Seller

Submitted by kim on Sun, 2011-03-06 15:40.

As a buyer I like the sales because *usually* the prices are only slightly more than garage sales and it's a one-stop-shop. I don't have time to find and scour through garage sale merchandise. I like that I can get name-brand clothing, in good shape for almost 2/3 off the retail price. With four kids, that is so helpful. Be careful, though. Make sure to check prices, because each buyer prices their own items there can be a big difference in prices for the same item (some people emotionally price their items, assigning more worth to the memories than the actual item). Check each garment to make sure it isn't stained, ripped, etc. Some sellers try to slip stuff by but most are just too overwhelmed with clothing to sell to be meticulous.

As a seller, I like that I don't have to do all of the legwork of arranging a garage sale or listing it on eBay or Craigslist. There is a good deal of up-front organization with hanging and tagging it all but in the end the sweat equity is worth it. I would tell potential sellers to be reasonable about your pricing. If you wouldn't buy it for that price then chances are no one else will either. Don't waste your time or the space at the consignment sale. Also, be prepared that you might lose stuff. Tags fall off, clothing falls off of hangers. Things happen. Just know that you might lose some things. Consignment sales can be crrrrrazy!

» reply | email this page