I had never even been
to a kids consignment sale,
and here I was selling items at one!
I did not know what to expect. I earned an 8 hour Presale pass and didn’t bother getting a babysitter so I could use it. In retrospect, I probably should have. It really is true that the best deals are found at the presale event NOT the clearance event.
It is probably worth it to you to buy something you need in great condition for $3.50 at the presale, wear it on your child and then resell it for $3.50 when you are done (at 60-70% commission you earn $2.45, so it really only cost you $.95).
New girls sneakers were $8, you could probably resell for $6 if they are worn reasonably.
Winter coats were $5-10 for boys, much cheaper than buying new.
I would also go to the presale to find things that sell quickly. Items that you will need to purchase in the next year or two anyway—like underwear, girls tights or socks.
I would still recommend going to the clearance event.
You never know what you might find, at half price, many things sale for $1-2. But many items are very picked over or simply not even available by this late in the sale. I looked for girls underwear, stockings, shoes and boys belts, and didn’t find anything worth it to me.
On Friday, I overheard customers saying all of the boys 2T clothing was pretty well picked over and the good stuff was completely gone—and this was even a day before the clearance sale, on Saturday!
Other Regrets—Including Pricing Regrets
I did have a few pricing regrets. I didn’t let them bother me too much though, because this was a learning experience for me. Here is what I learned.
Halloween costumes can be sold for $10 or more. I priced mine at $5.
Kids toys sell for a lot. I didn’t bring many kids toys, but I was excited that a toy vacuum sold for $5. That’s much better than a yardsale price! Baby Activity tables sell for $10-15 – you’re very lucky to get $5 for them at a yardsale. I dind’t even consider bringing bigger items, like play kitchens, but when I saw people buying them for over $50, I quickly changed my thinking for the next sale!
Books. I think overall you can get more for books than at yardsales. I brought only a few books, all in great condition, and sold them for $1 each. I think consignment sale customers will pay more like $2-3 each, if they are in great condition.
Videos. I was amazed that they sold for $3-5. Considering I never buy videos for over $1-2, I was intrigued. Even after a 30% commission, I’d still be earning $2.10 to $3.50 per video. Disney movies will earn you more, but even Benji movies will sell for $3.
Clothes that are in like-new condition will probably sell for more than I think. I wish I would have priced some of my newborn boys sweaters that were super cute and hard for me to get rid of, a dollar or two higher. I think the customers would have definitely paid it!
Some of my premium brand dresses did not sell for the $15-20 I was asking. I thought this might be high, but I also knew that they would probably sell for about that much on eBay. Watch for my post next week, on how much I earned on eBay for my items that did not sell!
I’ve had so much fun writing these posts that I think I’m going to be writing a few more next week too. I’m super excited to share with you about the item I had rejected at the Reading sale, but then sold for $25 at the Lancaster sale. A quick, simple fix that you can do too!
Other articles in this series that might interest you:
How I Prepared for My First Consignment Sale
How I Priced My Consignment Sale Items to Earn a Healthy Profit
What Sold and What Did Not Sell
How I Tagged My Clothes and Why I Decided to Buy a Tagging Gun
My #1 First-Time Consignor Regret
