What's the Big Deal About Consignment?

I confess, I did it. I became the consummate first-time parent. My firstborn arrived, and I felt the need to splurge on all things sweet, innocent, and feminine. She needed bunches of pink, and I was happy to provide it - until I realized how quickly she outgrew the darling things in which I'd invested.

When a friend invited me to go to a consignment sale with her, I was skeptical - until I came home with outfits from Gymboree, Kelly's Kids and Ralph Lauren for a fraction of their full retail. They were beautiful, they were in great condition and they were a bargain! I was instantly sold on the idea of consignment. My friends and I began to plan our girls' nights out around helping with and shopping early at our favorite seasonal consignment sale. We'd work, shop and recount all our deals to one another over dinner. Then we'd plan to do it again. A ritual was born as we relished the fun and rewards of consignment shopping.

Consignment venues are growing in popularity in Kansas City. Consignment sales are seasonal, occurring around town in the spring and in the fall, and last for a few days; consignment stores are open year-round.

Why Consign?

"But why consign when I have ebay, CraigsList, and garage sales for inexpensive children's items?" I thought about that, too, when I first encountered consignment. Once I experienced it, I came to prefer consignment venues as a place to shop and sell.

Shopping consignment provides an ever-changing, abundant landscape from which to choose. There are so many items right in front of me - clothing, toys, books, videos and even furniture - that I knew this was my economical one-stop shop for my kids. As a seller, consignment provides a plethora of potential buyers for my items.

What about ebay? Personally I've wasted many hours searching on ebay only to be outfoxed by someone in a bidding war, or forced to pay a pricey shipping fee. I've also bought items "worn only once" that look great in the pictures yet arrive in quite a different condition. I value the fact that with consignment, I inspect the item before I buy it, so I know exactly what I'm getting and how much I'll pay to use it immediately.

I prefer consignment to CraigsList for children's items as well. CraigsList involves meeting a stranger in a strange place, and sometimes haggling regarding items I've already fairly priced. With consignment, there's no schedule matching between me and my buyers. That allows me to be more focused with the responsibilities I'm juggling as a parent.

What about garage sales? They are fun, but I must go from house to house searching for quality items in the midst of so many things I don't want. Not to mention the fact that I could happen upon several great kids' sales and still not find the specific sizes I need. When I shop consignment, I find many quality items - including the things and sizes I really need - all in one place, saving time and money on gas.

The bottom line with consignment is, well, the bottom line. I have grown to appreciate and depend on consignment to outfit my growing family at a fraction of the retail cost. Whether at consignment sales or consignment retail stores, shopping this way is guaranteed to save you money.

What's Involved in Consigning?

Consignment sales are set up so that you prepare and price your own merchandise. You receive a consignor number and mark all your items with it. Each sale has its own tagging procedures. You schedule a check in time and leave your merchandise. You return when the sale is over to retrieve your unsold items or donate them to charity. Some sales provide you a tax receipt for your donations. You are paid for your sold items shortly after the sale. Consignment sales pay you 60%-75% of your price.

Consignment stores operate differently. Some stores buy your items from you outright; other stores try to sell your items for you for a set time, and then you have the option of picking up what doesn't sell. Several have a donation option and provide a tax receipt. You do want to call to make an appointment and clarify the procedures. Consignment stores set the prices of the items, whether they buy it from you or you leave it there to see if it sells. Consignment stores typically pay you 20%-40% of your items value.

Participating in consignment sales also offers the privilege of shopping first. Consignors as well as the volunteers who help out during the sale are the very first to shop, typically the day before the sale is open to the general public. My friends and I found this privilege was a great reward, and relished the thrill of the hunt.

What started off for me as a chance to shed outgrown children's items and acquire new and larger ones became for me a dependable and profitable way to outfit all my quickly growing children. I'm confident you'll say the same thing if you shop consignment, too.

Lauri Clapper is the wife of Mike, and the mother of two daughters and a son.  She enjoys fun, full days in the suburbs of Kansas City.