How to consign like a pro!

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My husband loves to tease me every Spring and Fall. He pumps me up and gets me ready for what he refers to as “My Superbowl”. The time of year I lovingly look forward to, Consignment Season!!

Kids go through so many clothes. So many. And they are just as expensive if not more than adult clothes. I am not having it. I will gladly pay $2 for a t-shirt someone’s kid wore twice. I’ll pay $5 for your kids designer dress with the tags still attached. I will. 

When I rave about how much I love consignment I often hear people say it is too much work. I admit, in the beginning it was a lot of work. Mainly because baby clothes are so tiny and I way overbought and well I didn’t know what I was doing. But today I am a pro. Well kinda. And I can share of tips to make your first or next consignment sale go a little more smoothly. 

First. A few supplies you will definitely need. Get them all in one swoop and you will be so thankful and prepared.

  • White or light colored card stock. 
  • Wire coat hangers- ask friends or go to your local dry cleaner, after your first year you will have stock.
  • Safety pins- good size and sturdy, none of the tiny gold ones. These aren’t as readily available as I expected. You may need to visit a craft/fabric store to get the decent ones.
  • Access to a printer
  • Some kind of hanging rack. I use a Swiffer handle strung through our kitchen chairs. Fancy.

Next. In my opinion the hardest part. Sorting.

Anyone else strangely emotionally attached to every piece of clothing your child wears? No?

This normally takes me a few rounds. Once when I get them out of the dresser/closet at the end of a season. I throw what I plan to keep or sell into an old diaper box and stash it away, I should sort for the sale at this point, but, life and emotional attachment get in the way. Any items I don’t plan to keep and aren’t worth the highly sought after sturdy safety pin it would take to hang them are either donated or thrown out. I hate saying thrown out but feel extremely guilty donating ratty and stained clothes! 

Next up comes time for the sale. I normally do this all in one day, about a week before drop off. Any sooner and I don’t have kitchen chairs to sit in. At this point I decide what items I am still attached to either financially or emotionally. Those I keep. All the others go in a pile for pricing.

Pricing. Let’s be real.

I price to sell. Once I spend the time sorting, hanging, tagging I have zero desire to see those clothes walk back into my house. My rule of thumb? What would I pay for an item at a consignment sale? Whatever number quickly comes to mind. I subtract $1 and hit enter (I highly suggest only participating in sales that use a computer tagging system, such a time and headache saver). 

If you find this part to be exceptionally hard because of attachment or what you paid for it, feel free to price at a higher point. If it sells, GREAT! If not, it will come back to you and you have a whole year to decide if it is worth keeping around.

Organize & Hang!

I tend to price, hang and tag. In that order and all in one day (usually takes about 2 hours) so that it is just done. Done. And if I do it all together then I remember what item’s are and I don’t have to check tag names and what not to remember what goes where. If you have a toddler at home, I suggest doing this when they aren’t at home. We had some tears this year. She was oddly attached to every. single. bathing suit.

  • Hang all your items on your wire hangers facing the same direction. Make sure all items are secure. Don’t skimp on safety pins here. If they clothes aren’t neatly hung they are hard to shop.
  • Line up according to size.
  • Cut your tags one sheet at a time so they stay relatively organized.
  • Pin your tags to your items with sturdy safety pins. If the tags fall off they can’t sell it. Bummer.

Your first run through may seem a bit overwhelming or time consuming. Stick with it. Find sales you enjoy shopping and get on their consignor list early. Most sales offer a discounted consigner fee or early shopping which can mean some BIG scores and smaller crowds.

Happy tagging.

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Abbie Rice
Born and raised in Memphis, Abbie moved to Nashville fresh out of college. She landed a job in sales for a large computer company where she eventually met her husband Josh. They spent years enjoying all the city had to offer: live music, festivals, and late nights on Broadway. They decided to settle down in Inglewood and welcomed their daughter Lucy — a hard headed, opinionated, and free spirited 3 year old. Abbie is currently co-owner with her husband Josh of a kickboxing gym in Hendersonville. She runs the business operations and trains members in American Kickboxing. When not training, chasing their toddler, or keeping the day-to-day life together, she enjoys cooking, knitting, writing, and studying about nutrition.

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