How be successful at a consignment sale – Making the most of your quarantine time (part 4)
Hi friends! I’m back! I have happily been asked to update the semi-annual posting of our Memphis Mom Collective Mid-South Consignment Sale Directory. We’ve all had lots of time held up at home much more than we’ve preferred and I’m sure those closets and toy bins are overflowing with outgrown and under used toys. Thanks to stupid Covid and the dang pandemic, we have had to forego several seasons of local consignment sales but some are coming back. Slowly.
If you missed my previous Spring and Fall posts about getting in on the fun and navigating the Children’s Consignment Sale commotion, you can check them out here on the Memphis Mom Collective site: Spring 2017, Fall 2017 and Spring 2018.
In my first few posts on local consigning, I focused on how to get started, supplies needed, tagging tips, and seasonal considerations of selling your items. Then I shared how to make the most of your items and time. This post, I’m going to focus on some of those items you maybe haven’t thought of. Here are some suggestions:
Check your garage – Bikes, scooters, helmets, playground balls, ride on toys, protective gear…. Take a look around your garage and storage sheds for that unused stuff lying around.
Changing Décor – is your kid transitioning to a new room or bed? Are you planning a re-do from a nursery to a big girl room? All those wall hangings, décor items, nick-nacks, and furniture are great items to unload at a sale. Bedding (comforters, sheets, drapery panels) is included at some sales so check with the specific sale about what they take.
Sports gear – regulations change from one grade to another. Kids grow out of cleats from one sport to the next. Does your daughter “think” she wants to play softball then changed her mind? Check the gym bags and closets for helmets, pads, rackets, cleats, rollerblades to clean out so you can upgrade that bat for the new season.
Books, DVDs, Homeschooling – I know that you have baskets and bins of these items that have gone untouched for several months. I love cleaning out the movie drawer to thin out the “baby’ movies and books. Package books in bundles to make them more attractive to buyers.
Big ticket items - What have I seen at sales? Furniture, swing sets, those indoor toddler rollercoasters, ride-on-toys, go-karts, even a FULL SIZE PRINCESS CARRIAGE.
Consignment is a great way to purge a large quantity of items at one time without haggling with people over price, opening your home to strangers, or driving to a “meet” location. The process is fairly easy once you get the hang of online item entry, the various tagging processes, and item limits from sale to sale. My advice is to choose one sale and try it out. Pick a smaller church sale and enter 30 or so items to sell. Rule of thumb, 40-60 of your nicer quality items will do better than 100 average quality ones. I promise you will be pleased with the results.
Here is what you need to know about Spring consigning:
- Holiday outfits. Easter outfits and vacation outfits (a ’la Disney/ destination trips) are very popular. Think seersucker, bubbles, appliquéd and smocked.
- Bathing suits/ cover-ups/ sandals
- Sports equipment and gear. Licensed team gear and outdoor sports equipment are big sellers.
- Outdoor equipment. Bikes, water tables, playhouses, scooters.
- Homeschooling supplies and educational videos/cd’s. Consignment sales are a great place to pick-up supplementary workbooks and learning materials.
Here are the supplies you need to get started:
- Merchandise tagging gun. I promise, you will thank me.
- Hangers ($ store plastic kid sized hangers are perfect)/Some sales specify wire only!
- Large safety pins (NOT the $ store kind)
- Rubber bands / zip-ties
- Masking tape and clear packing tape
- Sharpie pens
- Ziplock bags – in assorted sizes
- Heavy cardstock or hanging tags like these: Merchandise Tags
- Mailing labels 30 per sheet 1 x 2 ¾ used for tagging at certain sales.
* Writers Note: It’s still early in the season for dates to be firmed up. Below are the ones that typically set dates well in advance. Typical Spring sale season is from late Feb – early April.
February
Kids Town
Sale Dates: February 10 – 12, 2022 (This was postponed from last weekend due to power outages)
Location: Agricenter International, 7777 Walnut Grove Road, Memphis, TN
Contact: info@consignkidstown.com
Consignor Percentage: $10 fee and receive 65% - 70% (volunteers)
Item Limit: 150 hanging clothing items
Tagging Service: No
March
901 Clothing Exchange
Sale Dates: March 2-6, 2022
Location: 5835 Poplar Avenue @1-240 (in the Best Buy parking lot)
Contact: michele@ccexsale.com
Consignor Percentage: receive 65%
Item Limit: 100
Tagging Service: Yes. They will tag if you bring in the items and printed tags.
Sycamore View Consignment Sale *proceeds benefiting missions
Limited number of registration spots. Lottery style.
Sale Dates: March 4-5, 2022
Location: 1910 Sycamore View Road, Memphis, TN 38134
Contact: svccsale@gmail.com
Consignor Percentage: 70% – 80%
Item Limit: 50 at no discount / 200 items max per consigner
Tagging Service: No
Germantown UMC Children’s Clothing Sale *proceeds benefiting missions
Sale Dates: March 25 – March 26, 2022
Location: 2333 West Street, Germantown, TN 38138
Contact: info@gumwclothingsale.com
Consignor Percentage: 70%
Item Limit: 200 item limit
Tagging Service: No
Second Blessings Children’s Consignment Sale *Private residence
Sale Dates: March 31 – April 2, 2022
Location: 2052 Cranbrook Drive, Germantown, TN 38138
Contact: secondblessings@gmail.com
Consignor Percentage: $5 fee and 65%
Item Limit: 10 item minimum – no max
Tagging Service: Yes. You prepare tags and they will attach for you at the location.
April
Lil’ Blessings
Sale Dates: April 1- April 2, 2022
First Baptist Church – Olive Branch
Location: 9155 Highland Street, Olive Branch, MS
Contact: info@lilblessings.org
Consignor Percentage: $5 consignor fee and receive 70%
Item Limit: More than 300 items must reserve 2 drop off appointments
Tagging Service: No
Blue Door Exchange *Private residence
Sale Dates: April 3-7
Location: 4227 Amber Lane, Memphis, TN 38111
Contact: bluedoorexchange@comcast.net
Item Limit: No item minimum or maximum. Over 100 items please call first.
Tagging Service: Yes. They sort, inventory, and tag all your items for you.
No Date Set
Highland Children’s Clothing Sale *Proceeds benefiting missions
Sale Dates: Undecided still about Spring 2022
Location: 400 N. Houston Levee Road, Cordova, TN 38018
Contact: info@highlandclothingsale.com
Consignor Percentage: 75% – 85% (Highest return if you volunteer)
Item Limit: 75 hanging items – 50 other
Tagging Service: No
Just Boys Consignment Sale *Private residence
Sale Dates: Not announced yet
Location: 320 South Grove Park Road, Memphis, TN 38117
Contact: justboyssale@yahoo.com
Consignor Percentage:
Item Limit:
Tagging Service:
Too Good to Be Through Consignment (Brighton, TN)
Sale Dates: Not announced yet
Location:
Contact: michelepike1@aol.com
Consignor Percentage: $10 fee and receive 65%-80%. Higher percentage if you volunteer.
Item Limit:
Tagging Service: No
Rhea Lana’s – North Mississippi
Sale Dates: Not announced yet
Location:
Contact: valerieantici@rhealana.com
Consignor Percentage: $10 fee and receive 70% – 80%
Item Limit: Yes. Juniors 15 items, infants 25 items, maternity 15 items.
Tagging Service: Yes. VIP Consigning –they do it all and you earn 40% of sales.
Rhea Lana’s – Germantown / Collierville
Sale Dates: Not announced yet
Location:
Contact: carmen@rhealana.com
Consignor Percentage: $10 fee and receive 70% – 80%
Item Limit: Minimum of 15 up to 300 items
Tagging Service: VIP Consigning –they do it all and you earn 40% of sales
