To Consign or Not To Consign...

Do you consign? If not, you should. What does consign even mean? According to the dictionary, it means to "give over to the care of another." So what in the devil are we giving over to someone else? Mostly clothing, but anything ,and it's for both children and adults, alike. Regardless of whether you have children or not, it's something to be looked into. We will talk about both consignment stores and sales, because there is a difference.

If you're unfamiliar, consignment sales are where some organization or group makes a profit off the items sold and they usually split the proceeds 70/30 or 60/40 with you (they keep the lesser percentage). Some will charge you a consigning fee, some won't. If they charge a fee to enter the sale, it's usually in the neighborhood of $8-$15, which I personally think is a little much, but that's just me. My personal philosophy is if they are already making 30-40% on what your items sell for, what's the need in also charging to simply put items in the sale? I understand that these sales are money makers, so I'm just guessing the organizations are attempting to make all they can. I also understand that they do have some bills they will need to pay, before they ever reap a single cent. If you're personally incharge of said sales that charge consignor fees, please know I'm not hatin' on you, but I'm also not in love with the process of charging fees, either.

Okay, back to the logistics of the sale. Consignment sales are often geared toward the sale of children's clothing, toys, and baby items. It's a great way to pick up items on the cheap for your "little precious", especially when (let's face it) they out grow things so fast, they might wear an outfit once before the season has passed or you can't squeeze their tub-o-lard legs in it anymore, without "little precious' " legs looking like cased sausages. :)

In Middle Tennessee, you can find advertised sales here. Outside this area, in order to find out when/if there are consignment sales in your area, I suggest you look it up on Swagbucks (if you don't Swag, you totally should!). I 'swagged' (I think I just made that word up-- I figure if you can 'Google', you can totally 'Swag')middle Tennessee + consignment sales. Most communities/organizations that host them do so 2-3 times a year: Spring, Fall, and maybe Christmas. Consignment sales will expect that you bring your items on hangers, with some kind of label telling how much you are selling the item for and if you are willing to sell it for a discount on the last day of the sale.

So there are 2 hurdles to overcome before consigning: amassing hangers and safety pins. In the past, I have purchased safety pins at the Dollar Tree, but haven't been particularly happy with the results. I would highly recommend watching for them at places like Walmart, Kmart, or Target in the sewing section or Dollar General. As for the hangers, if your sale allows wire hangers, I need to give credit in 2 places for this next tip.

My friend, Mandi, recommended calling dry cleaners and asking them if they have wire hangers they are getting rid of and if they will GIVE them to you. Genious! So, a couple of days ago, I called a local dry cleaner (Shout out to Sparkle Laundry & Cleaners) and the nice people there loaded me up with yes sir, yes sir, 2 trash bags full of them! Sweet! I am so thankful.

The next way to consign is via consignment shops. Many times, you merely take your items in (not even necessarily on hangers, but every shop is different) and they will:
1) determine if they can sell the item and
2) how much of a price to put on it.
When your items sell, they write you a check and boom, you're done.

Locally, I have seen consignment shops for formal wear, every day clothing, and sports equipment. Places like Play It Again Sports and Plato's Closet are two of the larger stores, but nearly every town boasts a second-hand shop of some kind, where money is to be made (if you sell something) and saved (by shopping there and not buying new).

Lastly, there are often consignment sales with/for multiples and higher-order multiples (triplets, quads, etc). These are great places to get or sell stuff if you have multiples or are expecting them. They are often run by groups like P.O.T.A.T.O (Parents Of Twins And Triplets Organization), MOTT (Mothers of Twins and Triplets), and MOST (Mothers of Super Twins-- meaning triplets & up, not meaning fantastic). :)

If you have 'stuff' sitting in your closet or attic and aren't using it, but could use some extra money, consider consigning your 'stuff'. I think you'll be surprised!