Consigning
I’ve been trying to complete a list of things before I turn 30, and the first one was I completed consigning at a children’s consignment sale. Looking back, it was an odd choice, but I knew that if I didn’t put it on the list, I wouldn’t make myself try it. It was something new and a little scary and that makes me a wee bit uncomfortable. As much as moving from my home town has forced me to grow, I still like my comfort zone, my little bubble, so I have to sometimes “encourage” myself to do something new.
We’ve been going to this children’s consignment sale for years now to get clothes for Big Brother (and now Little Brother), and I’ve always wondered what it would be like to consign items there. Is it as much work as it seems like it would be? Is it worth it? Is it fun? Could it become a regular thing? Well, I’d never find out if didn’t try it.
So in early April, I gave it a shot. You know what? It was a pleasant experience. It was a lot of work. There were some late nights since I scrambled at the last minute to get my stuff ready. Overall, though, I’d say it’s worth it. I started out small, so I didn’t make a huge amount of money. That’s okay, though. You get rid of stuff and get a little money in return. My sale will donate your unsold items for you (or you can pick them back up), so I opted for that. Less fuss and a little money in my pocket is nothing to complain about.
I think I’ll do it again. I haven’t officially signed up to consign at the next sale, so we’ll see. It’s certainly better than just giving that old stuff away. It’s safer than trying to sell it via certain online sites or holding a yard sale, and it probably isn’t that much more work than trying to sell your items online and shipping them to buyers.
Here are a few things I learned from my experience:
- A laundry drying rack like this one works great for hanging prepped clothes.
- If you’re buying at the consignment sale, the pre-sales may be worth it. I sold most of my items during those days.
- Check for stains in good light, preferably natural light. I missed some stains and had items rejected because I prepped one night under lamplight.
- Use the resources. My sale had a lot of “how to” videos. I’m sure there are several on YouTube as well.