9 Tips For Consigning Your Clothes (For $)
Today I bring you tips for consigning your clothes! If you’re into frugal living or you’re looking for a new side hustle, read this!
Hi there, I’m Chantal! I’m a mom, the owner of this blog, and a “frugalista” to the core!
I love to learn about side hustles and diversifying my income. I am a stay-at-home mom, after all! The need is definitely there.
Why Tips For Consigning Your Clothes?
My last job before becoming a SAHM was as a consignment shop manager.
So today I want to share my tips for consigning YOUR clothes to make a few extra bucks. (Or, if you’re like me, to pay for your kids’ clothes!)
Almost every city has consignment stores. They are often small businesses looking for clothing, kids’ items, furniture, or electronics.
Wondering how to consign clothes? If you’ve never consigned before, the concept is simple: you provide a store with inventory in the form of your used goods, and they sell them for you.
You then receive a portion of the proceeds, and the store takes a commission for handling the process for you.
Most often, you can use your profit as in-store credit and receive a greater percentage of the proceeds, or take cash for a fee.
This is a good way to earn money on things you have already used and are done with, like outgrown kid’s clothes. You can often make more money consigning than you would if you hosted a garage/yard sale.
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I consign my daughter’s clothes, then usually spend the “profit” on buying the next size of clothes for her if that store has what she needs.
As a SAHM, consigning is valuable because I can meet basic needs (like clothing for my family) if I consign regularly.
If finances are a concern, you can see why consignment is a great side hustle.
I used to work at a children’s consignment boutique, and I’ve learned some great tips that I’d like to share with you. You can make the most out of your consigning efforts by paying attention to these details.
9 Tips For Consigning Your Clothes (For $!)
1. Pay attention to the store’s style.
Take a look around and get a feeling for the brands and decor in the store.
Some stores have unwritten rules about quality and brands, and if you have an idea for what they are looking for by what’s on their racks, it can help you be more successful in your own selling.
2. Know the drop-off requirements.
Each store is a little different, and it matters! At the consignment store I worked at, we asked for things to come folded instead of on hangers. They liked to have uniform hangers for presentation purposes.
When consignors would bring things on hangers, we either had to ask them to take them all off, or had to take them off on our own.
This created a huge time crunch when there were other people
doing drop-offs. Be prepared!
3. Read the fine print.
Most consignment stores ask you to sign a contract before you can start selling with them. Consignment stores vary in what percentage they will give you, time frames for selling, drop-off-hours, etc.
I can not tell you how many times consignors are “surprised” when their unsold items were donated to charity after the designated selling time had passed.
Small details can get you turned away when you go to drop off, too. Pay attention to the store’s policies so that you aren’t disappointed.
4. No smell is better than good smells.
You’d think that consignment stores would appreciate clean, good smelling clothes. Well, the clean part is certainly a must, but if your clothes smell too strongly of anything, they could be rejected.
This is because if every piece of clothing comes in smelling different (and strong), pretty soon the whole store smells like every person’s different detergent and it can start to smell bad. It is better to use a mild smelling or unscented detergent.
5. Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.
I have found that my children’s clothing gets accepted at a higher rate when I sell them at a family consignment store instead of a children-specific store.
This is because there is a lot more competition at the children’s consignment store and a higher demand for children’s items at the other store.
Also, some stores have drop-off and payment thresholds. If you have more than one consignment store in your area, experiment with several to see what works better for you.
6. Keep a consignment box going.
Still wondering how to consign clothes for money?
To make the most of your trips to the consignment store, designate an old box or laundry basket for the sole purpose of consigning.
This way you can put things in it as you are cleaning or doing laundry over time, instead of scrambling to find things to consign when you need money.
7. Pay attention to when the store you are consigning with changes seasons.
In my experience, the sooner you get your things to the consignment store when they switch seasons (i.e. “now taking SUMMER items”, which usually happens in the SPRING), the better chance your items have of being accepted.
This is because other consignors will all flock in to drop their things off when the seasons change (especially if they were keeping a consignment box!) and the stores can be more choosy when so many items are coming in.
Be one of the first to show up when a change happens (when the need for new items is highest) and you will also have a better chance of your things being seen by shoppers looking for seasonal items.
8. Don’t consign too close to the end of a season.
(For example, shoppers stop looking to buy summer items and start to think about back to school while it’s still summer.)
If you do this, your items will be less likely to be put out on the racks in time for shoppers to buy. It takes any where from three days to two weeks for your items to hit the racks if you’re using a busy consignment store.
Also, depending on your store’s policy, items may be put on clearance even if they are “new” to the store if there is a change in seasons.
9. Sign up for shop’s the email newsletter!
If you want to make the most of your side hustle, you’ll want to be “in-the-know” about coupons, season changes, and other promos.
Signing up for your local consignment shop’s marketing newsletter will help you know when the best time to take your items in, and it will give you access to the best deals.
Most often, the best deals go out to the most loyal customers — those that are on the email list.
To get the best bang-for-your-buck, you can sometimes combine a great coupon with your store credit.
That’s it, friends!
Do you have any more tips for consigning your clothes for money? Have you learned anything else about how to consign clothes for cash?
Share your ideas with me below!
-Chantal
