To consign or not to consign - any advice? - YouLookFab Forum

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To consign or not to consign - any advice?

sarah

Veteran

I haven't done much consigning, and am wondering if y'all could offer some advice - mainly, I'm wondering when it's worth it. I've amassed a reasonable collection of shirts that are too short, pants that are too big and beige, boots that don't fit well - all things I purchased before I discovered YLF. Some of it is from decent brands - Talbots, Ralph Lauren, Garnet Hill - so I'm thinking it might sell, but I don't really have a great feel for what sells and what doesn't. How do you know when to consign vs. go to Goodwill (vs. sell on E-Bay, for that matter)?

General

14 replies

Latest reply was from Ornella

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

I've had mixed luck consigning. My consignment store was exceptionally picky. When I factored in dry cleaning I lost money on some things. Designer jeans sold well. I had a lot of DKNY that was expensive when I got it, and I feel I got a pittance.
I had a brand new wrap dress with tags that went through two rounds of consigning and never sold. I eventually gave it to a friend.
My consignment store also accepted things seasonally. They wanted spring stuff in the spring.

Becky

Veteran

I take everything to consignment (caveat: my consignment shop doesn't take items from "lower-end" retailers like ON, Target, Kohl's) and leave with them whatever they will accept. They always donate what doesn't sell (unless you specify differently), so I figure if I can get something out of it, I will, and otherwise it gets donated eventually.

Stephanie

Veteran

Perhaps my consignment shop is not very good, but I have had SO much better luck selling on e-bay than with consignment (the effort of which I found to be hardly worth the small payoff). I wrote a post a while back with all my e-bay tips. I don't find selling on e-bay to be much more effort than consigning, I enjoy sending my things to people who will make better use of them, and I have made almost $3000 over the last four months doing it. (Granted, I had a lot of clothes backlogged.)

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

To me it's interesting that Anna, who buys really good stuff, hasn't had any luck, then consigning is difficult. I have not had good results except for an Anna Sui coat I got $100 for and a few designer jeans. I'd rather do the good deed and give my things away. Now I'm going to go and read Stephanie's post on eBay! $3000 is impressive!

sarah

Veteran

@Stephanie - can you link to your ebay post please? I think I remember it from way back when...

catgirl

Veteran

I've had great results consigning, but I live in a fairly limited shopping zone, so anything from a good online store is going to be accepted. I'd see how you do with a couple of things and develop a good understanding of the store owner's taste and attitude before making any sort of decision.

Stephanie

Veteran

Here's my e-bay post, which also has some comments from others that are helpful:

http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....ay-selling

sarah

Veteran

Wow, Stephanie - what a wealth of information. Thanks for that.

MNsara

Veteran

Yup - I feel consignment doesn't make much money, but it's sometimes the easiest way to let go of things. You leave them, can go back and retrieve them if you change your mind. Then before too long you have totally forgotten about them and you might get some $$ in the end!

(I actually think my consignment store makes a fair amount of money from continuing to sell the *expired* items. They don't pay you any commission on *expired* items. I imagine this is why they don't get around to donating expired items until month(s) later. . . )

JulieinMI

I agree with Stephanie that ebay is the way to go, especially if you have really nice things. It took me a little bit of time to learn how to get around on ebay, but it was worth it. Thanks for all your information Stephanie. I learned a lot that I did not know before, like ordering all my Priority Mail boxes and having them shipped right to my house! I do bring things that don't sell on Ebay to my local consignment store.

Anonymous

I'm another vote for eBay.

sarah

Member

This site has some pretty detailed information on consigning - what it entails, what they accept etc. I've had some pretty good luck with them so far. I look at it like a clothing exchange - they sell my older things and I get to buy new ones! You can get a check too though.
http://www.shopkarmaonline.com

Anonymous

If you know someone who would love to have your clothing, that would be the way to go. You could try consigning a few things to see how it goes, but I found I got so little for them that I'd rather give them away.

Ornella

(website)

Veteran

I tried consignment store once only and won't again. I found the whole process of giving them the choice over what they'll take very odd, as I've had some really great brands (like Monsoon or Mexx) and in season, but they have returned them to me. So, it's ebay if I'm particularly upset over buying the wrong thing in the past and wanting to get some of the money back, or more frequently it's donation.