questions about consigning

kkards

i usually hold on to clothing until it's so out of style, that i end up just donating to goodwill. but for the last year, i have been trying to be more of a one in, one out person, so i have more current items that are ready for another home.
for more mainstream mall brands, i have been taking my stuff to a for profit used clothing store. but i have some higher end designer stuff that is really not their target customer. there is a designer thrift store (run by a charity) near me that i think would be a better fit, but i have some questions about their policies. can anyone tell me if these policies are the norm?
~there is a $20 fee per year for consigning with them
~pricing is set at 75% of retail value, with retail value meaning original retail, not current selling retails of similar items on ebay.

i should add that i live in a small city, so there aren't a lot of choices, but should l look for another consignment shop, or is does this seem to be "normal"

13 years ago

General

6 replies

Latest reply was from kkards

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I am not an expert on this by any means. I also live in a small city with few options. But my sense is that different consigning merchants can and do set their own unique policies in terms of what they buy and offer for sale and how the whole process works.

My local consigner takes all kinds of stuff (including GAP, Rickis, etc.) . She will also take some higher end stuff, but sometimes rejects better or new unworn pieces simply because she doesn't think they will fit her clientele. The policy is "nothing older than 2 years" but in practice I have seen lots of stuff that appears more dated than that, to me. Sometimes it seems to depend on the owner's whim; if she is in a certain mood she will take, if in another mood, she won't!

Consigners receive 40% of proceeds. Prices are set by the owner, again, pretty much at whim -- and prices are quite low -- lower than 75% of original retail, for sure. At least on most items. Occasionally I will see something in the store that seems (to me) quite overpriced.

Things go on sale after a certain period of time, and then on further reduction. Finally, if they don't sell during the season they are donated to two women's shelters (unless the consigner wants them back).

There is no fee for consigning.

13 years ago

Thistle

Veteran

There are few adult consignment stores where I live, and the few there are cater to the teens and twenties market. They state that clearly on their site and in the store.

Because of that, most people just donate to Goodwill. M sister loves the thrifts stores here when she comes not town (I rarely have the patience to thrift as finding items that fit me a regular store are so hard!)

13 years ago

Thistle

Veteran

Have you considered ebaying it? Rae might be able to give some pointers as she seems really good at eBay.

13 years ago

Mochi

Veteran

I lived in the metro Boston area at the time I was doing (a very minimal amount of) consigning. There were two high-end places I could go to. Second Time Around (which I've had trying experiences with as a customer) was okay for consigning when I went to their Wellesley store. You have to know how much of the proceeds you're going to get--I think half or more sounds reasonable-- and when and how they pay you, which could be quarterly or in any case, not so quickly, and you may have to pick the check up or wait longer to have it mailed, for example. My experience consigning a leather jacket was alright with them, but much later I read on yelp about people's experiences consigning downtown--apparently a lot of high-end items were "lost" and the store bore no responsibility for them. Yikes.

The other place I brought things to I wouldn't go back to simply because they made it so user-unfriendly--I was expected to follow up to see if things had been sold or not, and they never notified me. After a certain point unsold items would be donated, but I don't think they even wrote out a slip I could use for taxes, or at least I would have to come by and get it. So that was a one-time experience.

eBay has its own hassles, but in some ways you'd be much more in control, so it boils down to taking some risks (for consigning) and how much work you're willing to put into packing, shipping, etc. If it's going to be an ongoing thing you may want to get past the learning curve and try eBay.

13 years ago

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Interesting. I don't get any report or slip from my consigning place, either. And it doesn't really bother me. I figure these are clothes I no longer want. If I can make a tiny bit on them and either trade for something I DO want, or walk away with a bit of cash, and have them donate the rest to a good cause -- I am happy. I don't expect to get a whole lot. I guess my expectations are very low, period -- maybe too low -- but on the other hand, this is my only option!

13 years ago

kkards

Veteran

Thanks for the replies.
I had thought about eBay, but to be honest, i wasn't really sure I wanted to put that much time or effort into this. I do have a friend who sells her kids stuff on eBay all the time, and I may ask her to sell my stuff, and split the money with her.

13 years ago

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