Making Money Selling Your Kid's Gently Used Items: Why I Love Community Consignment Sales
>> Friday, January 23, 2009
I've been a mom for 8 1/2 years and during that time have tried about every way out there to sell my kid's gently used clothing, toys, books, etc. I've sold them on Ebay, in yard sales and through consigment stores but I think my favorite way to sell kids stuff is through community consignment sales. Community consignment sales have been growing in popularity and chances are you will find them in your community. If you're not familiar with them, they are what I consider a perfect combination of a yard sale and a consignment store. You gather up all the gently used items you want to sell, tag them, and take the to the consignment drop-off. The organizers and volunteers get all the racks and tables ready to go for the sale. The sales usually last just 3 days with consignors getting to attend a pre-sale to get the first chance at the items. You do have to pay a consignors fee although this is often waved or reduced if you refer other consignors. And the organizers get a percentage of your sales but they also handle all of the advertising and organization of this event.
The reason I prefer this way of selling is because:
1) The event draws a bigger crowd than you would at a yard sale.
2) The organizer handles the organization and advertising for the event.
3) The price points for the items are much better than a yard sale and comparable to Ebay and consignment stores.
4) While the money isn't in your hands immediately like at a yard sale, it is a much quicker turnaround than using a consignment store. I usually have the money within a week of the sale. The one exception would be the consignment stores that pay when you drop the items off. However, you generally don't get as much for your items when you do that.
5) As a consignor you get to attend the pre-sale events and get first pick at the great bargains.
6) It is less labor intensive than Ebay and you generally make as much money selling the item as you would on Ebay unless it's a highly desired clothing line/item. You also don't have to deal with all the fees, shipping and feedback concerns.
7) It is a wonderful community of moms helping moms. These resell events benefit all who participate by providing affordable clothing and kids items for purchase while at the same time affording moms a way to make some extra money to help cover the costs of needed items. This past Fall, when my husband was unemployed, I was able to make enough money by selling my children's outgrown clothing items at a community consignment sale to buy them all the clothing they needed for this school year.
I know there has been some concern over the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) and how it will impact the resell of children's clothing. I'm hoping the recent clarification will allow resell events to continue without any problems. I know my community's Spring sale is going on as planned. I'm sure the wonderful community of moms, resellers and small business owners will demand further clarification if need be to protect those who benefit from the resell of children's products.
Do you participate in community consignment sales? If not, what's your preferred way to sell your children's gently used items?
