I Want To Maximize My Consignor Paycheck!  Tell Me How!

You may be a seasoned consignor with several sales under your belt, or this may be your first time consigning with a children’s consignment sale, but your goals all align with the stars spelling out “let’s make more money” in the sky! I’ve been consigning and selling at a consignment sale for thirteen years now, take my advice and you will increase that paycheck at the end of the sale.

 Did you bring this item home after the last sale? 

Items don’t sell because

1. They’re overpriced.
2. They are out of style.
3. They were a little worn out.
4. There was a lot of inventory in this size/category.
5. A combination of the above. 

Evaluate the item and generally think about whether this item still has good use/life left.  If it doesn’t, just add to your donation bin at home.  Still in good shape?  I will always tell you to lower the price by at least $1 and retag it.

This may actually be the hardest one to accomplish for a number of reasons. The main reason is usually sentimental value of an item to you. Really look at an item as if you are looking to purchase it – what would you be willing to pay? That’s a good start.

Then, think about your competition! I can’t stress this one enough. In infant clothing, for example – sales get in hundreds of outfits that were maybe worn one time before it was grown out of. These outfits all look new and there are a lot of them – you have to price reasonably in order to get chosen. Maybe you are selling in toddler/little boys sizes. Here is one section where the quality in your item can stand out. Little boys are constantly on their knees and many of their jeans/pants can’t be sold because of wear or tears in them. So there is less to choose from in this category. Here, you can get an extra dollar or two simply because there is less inventory, and people need more of them.

Price as if you want people to buy the item the first time they see it. Don’t even consider the discount days. (more about that later) The average shopper only comes through the sale one time – you want them to choose your item as soon as they see it based on quality and price. If they say “this is a good deal” – it will go in their bag to purchase.

Remember your brands and where you bought the item. There are stores who constantly offer coupons and discounts. You know – you get the emails in your inbox daily. So if you know you stacked your discounts, savings, and “store cash”, to get a great deal on several outfits, then you have to pass on those same discounts to your buyer. They know the brand names sold at these stores – and they know you didn’t pay full price for that item…… In the same manner, maybe you’ve got a great boutique item to sell. This is where you can ask a little more money for those expensive brands that are an otherwise unattainable item for people on a budget, but it’s worth a little splurge to get it at consignment sale prices.

Someone is not going to pay $3 for a single undershirt or onesie. But they will pay $3 for 2 of them! It’s always good to bundle accessory items like onesies, t-shirts or socks to get the most bang for your buck. Likewise you can do this with books, wooden and cardboard type puzzles, infant bath towels or blankets, bottles, sippy cups, training forks and spoons, and even DVD’s. Make sure you are bundling items that are the SAME SIZE, TYPE, or category! Bundles will always sell better than singles in these categories!

You have done the work, you have cleaned and sorted and tagged and dropped off and whew – you do not want to bring these things back home! When your sale has discount days or half-price days or bargain days – you want to take advantage of every bit of selling time on the sales floor that you can! From experience I can tell you that on sale days, discount days, bargain days – if an item is not discounted it WILL BE PASSED OVER routinely – 99% of the time – not kidding here. On sale days, the shoppers are mainly there for one reason – they want the deals. This is what the cashiers hear all the time on sale days “If it’s not on sale – I don’t want it” – they are perfectly willing to put back your lovely items merely because they have specifically come to shop for bargains and if your item is not a bargain – it’s not going home with them. Remember this and use it to your advantage. You would rather get a smaller percentage on an item that to get zero percentage on that item – and bring it home – and have to store it – and have to pull it out again a few months later – only to lower the price and start all over again.

I’ve been doing this a long time, and I can count on one hand the number of items that I don’t discount each sale – and each one would have a very specific reason for that non-discount.

You want to have great selling success at the sale, the sale owners want you to have great success, it all adds up to a great win-win-win for the consignor, shopper and overall sale experience. Put in the work and maximize your profits – everyone will be smiling in the end!