Clothes Mentor and consignment

unfrumped

After mail- in buyer Twice closed, I did some local consignment again by , duh, realizing I could ask for an appointment instead of using their very limited, inconvenient hours of when they take in clothes. I got some checks, woo hoo, though of course it's not much on the dollar and somd things don't seel, but I don't take them back. More mental, I guess. Still it's not very convenient re: hours and sporadic times they take " seasons" of items.

Recently, a Clothes Mentor shop opened up. ( I got my pink coat there.) They pay cash up front for whatever
they take. I think the ultimate pricing and percentage is pretty low, but they review stuff any time, & then it's over & done.

I'm thinking of trying them as a simplier and more convenient approach, and then go directly to Goodwill from there. Somehow making peace with the sunk cost psychology, but moving on more efficiently.

8 years ago

Inspiration

8 replies

Latest reply was from Gigi

SarahTheWhite

Veteran

Have you tried ThredUp? It is a lot like Twice, but I think they take way more brands. I have bought a number of things through them that I've been happy with and I just ordered a bag to sell some things. I never sold through Twice because I have very few of the brands they allowed.

8 years ago

unfrumped

Veteran

I was goig o try them, but then thought this store might be about the same.

8 years ago

lisaflex

Veteran

i use clothes mentor...no, i dont think the pricing they give is always fair...i know i could make more consignment wise....but, its convenient and once i leave there whatever they dont take, i drop off at goodwill.

you can find some great buys at clothes mentor too! not always the cheapest - really, $10 for an old navy fleece sweatshirt? not a bargain. but, some of the higher end items that are unworn are at a great price. i just got an unworn with tags black eileen fisher dress!!! for $23.....cant wait to wear it! i couldnt find a pic of it or i would have posted it.

8 years ago

rabbit

Veteran

I've used Thred Up before, and they took very little from my full bag even though they were the listed brands in very good condition. They also paid less then their online estimates, a lot less. So I probably wouldn't sell to them again unless it was items I was otherwise planning just to donate (since they will end up donating most of them).

The consignment shops near me take a 60/40 split (60 if you use it as store credit) but you need an appointment or to go on a certain day. I'm not selling anything high end, but they generally price things the highest.

I've also sold directly to Crossroads and the Buffalo Exchange, they take a 50/35 split (50 for store credit). The advantage of Crossroads is that they will hold your bag and then text you when it's time to sell so you can browse the store while you are waiting. Crossroads takes trendier/newer items that skew young. Buffalo Exchange you have to wait in line usually for awhile, but they also take the weird and wacky and vintage and aren't super concerned about clothes being in pristine condition. Both stores are also very seasonal and trend dependent and they generally list what they are really searching for on their social media or website.

Clothes Mentor sounds like a solution like these with a focus on different brands, maybe a different market?

8 years ago

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I don't think we have a Clothes Mentor in our area. Sounds like a good option. We do have Platos Closet, though that skews young just like Crossroads.

After Twice closed I started sending stuff to Thredup. They are less picky about brands than Twice was, but pay less per item and sometimes inexplicably refuse stuff for condition issues that looked fine to me. But I'm unwilling to fuss with eBay listings or whatever, so I just take what I get and am happy with it.

8 years ago

rabbit

Veteran

Laura I think one of my mistakes with Thredup was giving them things out of season, I'll be more careful about that in the future.

8 years ago

April

Veteran

Consignment has been a mixed experience for me.

The consignment shop in my old town was so extremely picky (items had to be very current; you had to have at least 10 pieces they wanted or they would take zero pieces; the condition had to be pristine) that it made me more inclined to shop there -- who doesn't want current and pristine -- than to sell there.

8 years ago

Gigi

Veteran

April, there is a consignment shop near me that is just like you describe--everything must be pristine. It is nearly impossible to sell anything white to them, because even if there is no spotting, it has to be the bright white that you see when the item is brand-new. But they do give quite good money, and you know that if they take something, they have a good idea that they can sell it, since they have a very small shop.

I use two local consigment shops: the one I mentioned above, which takes only midprice to high-end stuff, and a lesser one, which takes cheaper stuff (including F21). When I get my stuff together, I take my stuff to the high-end shop first, and then what they reject I take to the second shop. Whatever is left then goes to Goodwill. It takes an entire afternoon, but if I can make a couple of hundred dollars off of what I sell, it is worth the time investment. And I consign only once or twice a year, so the hassle is minimal even if the appointment times are inconvenient.

What I like about the second shop is that they even take out-of-season clothing and store it. So I can still get rid of what I don't want and don't have to hang on to it for another six months.

8 years ago

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