Before participating in a kids consignment sale event, I was bringing my items to a consignment store. After successfully selling my items at the kids consignment sale store, I was excited to bring more items to the consignment event! And get it sold fast to receive quick money! Naive enough to think one big load could be done in a short amount of time. I honestly did not realize how many things we have acquired since my children have been born.
I signed up for the consignment event late, one month before the consignment event. The only spots that were available were restocking slots.
What Does A Restocking Slot Mean?
Restocking slots are not regular consigner slots. Restocking is a separate section in the kids consignment sale event to transfer items to the sales floor to replenish inventory. The items from the restocking section are put on the sales floor on the second day of the sale. Also, restocking is usually a less expensive option.
What is the Restocking Fee at Consignment Events?
Since it was my first time registering with the kids consignment sale company, the charge for the restocking slot was $15.00. The $15.00 was refunded to me when when receiving my sales check. So I figured, why not? If it was too much of a hassle, I would still get my registration fee back and make some money.
Organizing the Baby Clothes for Consignment Events
With only one month to get as many things prepared for the sales as possible, we began taking those large plastic storage bins out of the garage and basement. Oh man, I cannot believe how many we had! There were probably 15 large plastic bins from newborn to 2T from two kids. After donating a small amount, we kept the majority because I thought we were going to have more children. Well, plans change, and it was time to declutter.
Inspecting for Flaws for Consignment
15 bins of clothes to clean and inspect for any holes, stains, rips, or tears. Each piece had to be in acceptable condition to sell for someone else’s small child to use. Starting at the newborn bins was a big mistake. Most of it was so hard to part with. We will not have another child, but it made me emotional to put the cute little baby stuff for sale.
What made it really easy to sell were the gifted baby clothes. The items still had the tags on because they were gifts. While always appreciate gifts, most of the time it was not something I would have picked out for my baby. Check out this separate post about gifts. Anyway, it was a good thing the restocking slot only accepted 100 girls outfits, and unlimited boys’ outfits. Having only a handful of girls clothing to bring, there were a couple hundred boys’ outfits to sell.
Rushing to Get It All Done
It was not easy to get all of the clothing prepared in a month. I thought I was going to have enough time to prepare toys and bedding, shoes and accessories, but I honestly only had time for the clothes. Watching my two toddlers all day and doing laundry, did not give me enough time to prepare everything. After my husband and I put the kids to bed, I would stay up late at night, usually on the weekends, to try to inspect and hang clothes, if not exhausted from the days activities.
Buying Kids Consignment Sale Supplies and Equipment
Also, I had to invest in consignment supplies and equipment like clothing racks and a printer. Both can be expensive. If you love clothes like I do, you need sturdy clothing racks. Do not buy anything that has black plastic holding the poles together! They will break so quickly. Check for stainless steel, and expect to spend at least $60.00 for one that will last a long time and hold a heavy load of clothes like this one.
Since we did not have a printer, I bought a very simple printer to print out black and white labels. Some consigners like to have the labels printed at a office supply store like Staples. Some of the consignment companies give discount codes to their consigners to print at office supply stores. However, the idea of having a printer and being able to make a last-minute change on a tag, or print out a new tag if when needed just makes more sense to me.
The consignment supplies I had to purchase were a tagging gun, which is maybe $10 on Amazon and comes with tagging needles. We had hangers, zip ties, safety pins, packaging tape and painter’s tape on hand already.
As a first-timer, safety pins were essential. I had a lot of pants without belt loops since it was clothing younger than 2T, which is also why it took a lot of time to hang. Attach the pants to safety pins, then to zip ties, then to the hanger (click on this post for a tutorial). Or you can buy toddler pant hangers, or try to find them free from friends, family or stores, reducing the amount of time it will take to prepare.
At the end of the month, I was exhausted. After staying up late so many nights trying to get it all done, we could not bring one big load as I wanted to. After realizing there was not enough time to prepare, and we did not have enough room in the car, I feared not making much money and the whole process would be a waste of time.
Arriving to Setup at the Kids Consignment Sale Event
However, when we got to the consignment event, it was so easy. I had a lot of anxiety about it….how do I know where to go…what if someone takes my things…what if I do something wrong and they do not let me participate…how was I going to explain it to my husband that I made one mistake that inconvenienced us and now we had to go home….??!?!?!?! Wow, the self-doubt…
It was simple. We pulled up to the stadium-like building and there were workers with large, flat, rolling carts like the ones you see at Costco, they put everything onto the cart and walked with me inside while my husband parked the car. Then I walked up to the desks and told them my name, and signed the consignment agreement. The worker told me where he was going to drop off all of my things. The person at the desk gave me a wristband to give me access to shop early, then I found my things, and started putting them in the restocking section.
Placing Items at the Kids Consignment Sale Venue
The restocking section is actually a very small part of the consignment floor and it makes putting your items out very easy. There are some racks set up for clothes, then bins labeled with accessories or shoes, toys, books, etc. Place things where they need to be and that’s it, out the door. I was so nervous, so I just did it as fast as I could and I was out of there in a half hour. It was great.
Receiving the First-Time Kids Consignment Sale Check
Since I signed up for a restocking slot, I did not think I was going to make any money, but I actually ended up making over $350. It was really eye-opening for me. It was just a bunch of clothes. I just made over $350 from a bunch of old children’s clothes, most of them being gifts. Wow. It made the hard work worth it. And I thought if I made $350 from just the amount of clothes I brought, how much more can I make from all the other unused children’s things in my house? The possibilities are endless (me twirling with my hands in the air).
A Community of Families Helping Each Other
There are so many consignment workers when you drop off your items! You do not have to be scared! The consignment workers are consigners, just like you and me, usually its the typical Mom. They are more than happy to help! And they are super friendly! Always smiling! Do not be afraid to ask for help! Especially if it is your first time at a consignment event, it can be intimidating to be new, but if you have as much self-doubt as I did, you will realize that it is so much easier than you thought and you will be a lifelong consigner like me!
What I have realized from consigning and consignment events is that it really is a community event because we all help each other. All of the families that participate in the consignment event are local, and all of the items get sold at a large discount. The money goes to a local family rather than a big box store.
Here are some of my other helpful blog posts:
What Supplies Do I Need for a Consignment Event?
How to Clean Fabric Baby Toys in the Easiest Way Possible
How to Prepare for a Consignment Event is 7 Super Easy Ways
Why Consignment Events are a Fast and Easy Way to Make Money
7 Motivational Tips to Get You to Declutter Before Moving