Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Getting It Ready: Day 6: Clothing

If you are like me, getting clothing ready for the sale can honestly become a MAJOR chore. I literally spend hours pulling clothing out of bins, hanging sets, ironing, searching for stains, etc. I have to remind myself how much it is all worth it once I get that check. Here are a few tips that will hopefully make getting your clothing together a little easier:

1. As you pack up clothing that no longer fits, fold sets together in the bin. This makes it so much easier when it's time to start matching up sets.

2. If YOU think it looks too worn, is outdated, has stains, etc. go ahead and donate it. If you find issue with it why would you want someone else to get home with it?

3. Hang pants, shorts and nice sets on paper covered hangers. They just look so much nicer on paper and the paper keeps the individual pieces from sliding around. When they look better, they sell for a higher price.

4. Think about what you would pay for clothing as you price it. Also try to take emotions out of pricing. So many times people price things too high because they have fond memories of their child wearing the outfit only to be disappointed when it doesn't sell. I have found that pricing clothing at 75% off what you originally paid gets it sold.

5. The higher the size, the better it sells. Don't forget while pricing that many people receive sizes 0-12 months as shower gifts so it's harder to resell those sizes. In my opinion, boy clothing that is name brand and in great condition sells for a higher price and faster than girl clothing.

6. Sets sell better than pieces. The only time I will bust up a set is if the top is a different size from the bottom. Many times, especially on my boys' clothing, I will put a Gymboree top with a Gap pair of shorts. People like to buy in sets because they don't have to turn around and search out matching pieces.

Next post: final tips on getting it all done!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Getting It Ready: Day 5: Ride On Toys

If you want to make some serious $ at a consignment sale, consign your child's riding toys.

I have ran a consignment sale for 5 1/2 years and I can tell you it is probably THE category that sells the best. Workers and consignors typically run to grab the tag off a cozy coupe, battery powered jeep, or bicycle. We are lucky if we have any ride on toys left two days into the consignment sale.

Want to get top dollar for your ride on toy? Keep these tips in mind...

1. Clean your ride on toys! We all know that your children typically use these toys outdoors, so it's not unusual that they will need a good cleaning prior to selling. A clean cozy coupe will easily bring $20-$25 but if it's not clean, many times they won't sell for more than $10. Clorox wipes will usually do the trick on most ride on toys. During the summer, before the fall sale, I always let my kids do a car wash on the toys we plan to sell. They put on their swimsuits and clean the toys with soap and water. They think it's a fun game and I get all my stuff sparkling clean...it's a great game!

2. Make sure all the parts are included and work. On a power wheels, a dead battery will keep you from being able to sell a Barbie jeep. Did you know many of the discount battery stores sell batteries that will work for these vehicles? To me, it's worth spending $30 on a battery to turn around and sell it for $75. All keep in mind that most manufacturers sell replacement parts via their website, so when it doubt, google the manufacturer.

3. Tagging is key! If you paid $50 for the ride on toy and your child barely used it, tell them! Using key words "like new", "hard to find", etc. definitely tempt buyers to grab that tag as soon as they see the item.

So clean out your garages and get those ride on toys ready!

Tomorrow's post: CLOTHING!!

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Getting It Ready: Day 4: Baby Stuff

If you are like me, baby stuff tends to reproduce in your home and then when you are ready to be done with it, parts and pieces start hiding out in all these weird places. Like, why can't I find the caps for the bottles when I have kept them in the same spot on the shelf for years.

Getting baby stuff tagged for the sale takes a lot of work and supplies. Before you get started, I would get your gallon size baggies, clear packaging tape, curling ribbon, and pins out.

First thing we'll discuss is bibs, onesies and receiving blankets. On bibs, I like to group bibs into like sets (boy, girl, gender neutral) and then put 3-5 bibs in a baggie and seal the top of it. Don't forget to TAPE or PIN the tag to the OUTSIDE of the baggie. Same exact same on blankets, unless they are high end receiving blankets like Gymboree, Kissy Kissy, Janie and Jack, etc. On these, I like to physically hang them over a hanger, still securing with pins and tag like normal. We will actually hang these at the front of the newborn section and these sell great. You can typically get $3-$5 for a NICE blanket! Now, if you have a sets of Carters, etc., I would again put several together as a set, seal them in the baggie, and then price them for about $1 per blanket.
If you have an awesome Gymboree set of onesies, rig them up on a hanger and sell them that way. I would only bag onesies if they are a more generic brand and again, go with the $1 per item on things like this.

I also tend to sell bottles in sets (like 5 Dr. Brown Bottles for $9)

Items like infant socks, hair accessories, etc. would also need to be bagged with a detailed description either taped or pinned to the OUTSIDE of the bag.

On items like baby monitors, please check to make these items still work and that they have working batteries. Also, a good wipedown with Clorox wipes makes these look like new.

Here is a more detailed list of items that sell great that I would include in the baby category.

Bathtubs
Bumbos
Potty Training Potty
Booster seats
Sheets for cribs
Hooded Towel sets
Baby Gates
Diaper Genie (just please do us all a favor and give them a good scrub down before you bring them in!)
Boppy
Diaper Bags

Also, don't forget your larger items you used with your baby: Changing table, glider rocker, crib, toddler beds, room decor. All of these tend to fly out the door!

If you have any questions on this list, feel free to leave a comment and I'll get right back to you.

COMING UP NEXT: DAY 5: Ride On Toys

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Getting It Ready: Day 3: Puzzles and Games

Believe it or not, I have found the any type of toy sells better than clothing. I know I personally use the consignment sale as a way to PURGE toys, but it is a great way to pick up practically brand new toys for a fraction of retail.

I know when it comes to buying puzzles and games, there is nothing more frustrating as a shopper than to get home and realize that there are pieces missing or that part of the game doesn't work. We bought a DVD Twister game at a sale in the fall and when we got home, the entire DVD was in Spanish.

So, when it comes to tagging puzzles and games, have your children either work the puzzle or play the game before you tag it. Trust me, they will tell you what is missing and you certainly don't want to sell something that isn't 100% complete. When it comes to toddler wooden puzzles, put the puzzle pieces in a clear baggie and tape it to the back of the wooden board. Add your tag to the outside of the bag and make sure you use clear packing tape to keep it all secured. On puzzles in boxes, once you have confirmed all pieces are there, use clear packing tape to seal the original box back together. Tape tag to the outside of the box.

On games, you will use the clear packing tape to seal the original box back together. Tape your tag to the outside of the box. If you are selling games that have DVDs or you are selling video games, make sure you check them for scratches or that they actually work. Sealing the game inside it's original box doesn't allow the consignor to check for scratches so they are relying on you to make sure you have already made sure it worked.

Tomorrow's post I will talk about getting baby items packaged and tagged, including bottles, bibs, receiving blankets, etc.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Getting It Ready: Day 2: Equipment

It's day 2 which means it is time for me to talk about getting any type of baby/child equipment ready. When I say equipment, I basically mean high chairs, car seats, strollers, bumbos, etc.

Equipment is great to sell because not only is it one of our top sellers, but many people find they can get a great chunk of money back out of items they have gotten a lot of use out of. Things like Bumbos are easy to sell for $20 which is more than half of original retail. Simply wiping them down with a clorox wipe makes them look like new and they are in huge demand. During the last sale. we sold at least 25 of them and literally had none left at the end.

Items like car seats become a little harder to sell simply because they tend to show more wear and they get recalled more often. They also expire which many people don't know. Car seats are required to have a date stamped on them when they are made. This is usually on a sticker underneath the actual seat. Carseats are considered expired after 6 years but we at Encores and More North don't take them after 5 years. It is important to keep in mind how old your car seat is when it comes to pricing. If you have a Britax car seat that is 4 years old, it's hard to realize it may only be worth $30-$40 but keep in mind in another year or so, it's not worth anything. Another thing to note(especially with Britax), you can sell the covers without the actual car seat. Many people will buy a replacement cover for their Britax.

In my opinion, the most important thing to do when it comes to equipment is to make sure it is clean. No one wants to get home with a high chair that has loads of yucky food under the seat covering. If you keep your items clean and in good shape while using them, you will certainly be able to price it higher when it comes time to consign. If you find that you break a piece off your equipment during use, don't forget to contact the manufacturer as you can usually buy replacement parts directly from them.

I have found that generally on equipment you can usually get half of the original cost back out of the item. When you consider the amount of use you get out of things like exersaucers, swings, etc. I think this is a great return on investment. When I am purchasing things at the sale and then it's time to resell it again, I have found I get almost 100% back out of the item based on the original consignment price.

So while you are getting your clothing and shoes tagged, don't forget to tag your equipment. You'll be shocked at how quickly your consignment check quickly goes up when you get rid of equipment!

Tomorrow's post: puzzles and games

Monday, February 1, 2010

Getting it Ready: Day 1: Shoes

Since March is rapidly approaching, I felt it was time to do a little series called "Getting it Ready." This week I'll be doing one short blog post each day about how you can get everything tagged and ready in time for the sale. Today we will focus on shoes.

When it's time to gather my shoes to get them ready for tagging, I immediately start putting them into stacks. The first stack is "NEW/LIKE NEW". Shoes that would go in this stack means they never wore them or they might have worn them once. They have no visible wear and mine usually still have tags left on them. The second stack is the "WORN" pile. Here I put everything else that they have worn throughout the last season. The last pile is "YUCK" and I am quick to pull those yuck shoes out of the worn pile. I spend the most time on the worn pile: finding mates, examining them for damage, can this spot be cleaned? If I find items that are really too worn, they go directly to the YUCK pile.

I am usually surprised at how well I do with my shoes. All my YUCK shoes go immediately to donate, but everything else gets tied together with curling ribbon, tagged and then off it goes. Make sure on your tags you bring attention to the brand or what you originally paid for the shoes. Make sure you also put the accurate size on the tag up in the corner where you would put the size.

My best deal buying shoes at Encores and More North? Ugg boots for $8. Yes, I was pumped. They were very clean too!

Tomorrow's Post: Equipment (Exersaucers, High Chairs, Strollers)