If you have ever tried cashing in on your castoffs, it can be a serious lesson in humility if not done properly. For most of us, getting organized and making extra money during this time of economic woes seems like a great idea – we just have to find a way to do it. So we turn to our closets; after all, that’s where most of the money we have spent is hanging.
The majority of us have never consigned clothing before, so it’s a new experience. It can either be fruitful or it can be downright humiliating.
If you have a hard time with rejection, then consignment selling isn’t the route you should take. Most of the time, the clothing we just “know” will fly off the racks is turned down by the store so toughen up your skin before you head in to sell that pair of ripped jeans or parachute pants.
In previous articles we have discussed what resale/consignment is, why consignment shopping is the way to go and questions to ask when taking your clothing in to sell or donate. Now let’s discuss the nuances of actually getting the consignment store to take and sell your clothing:
Make an appointment: Don’t just drop in with a garbage bag full of clothing.
Grow a thick hide: Like we said previously; just because you think your clothing is top of the line, doesn’t mean that people will actually buy them. You have to trust the store owners because they know what is selling and what isn’t.
Patience is definitely a virtue: Keep trying different places if you really want to be successful at consignment selling. You never know what the next store will want to buy from you.
Develop a strategy: The current season is what most consignment stores are searching for so don’t bring in your wooly sweaters when people are pulling out their favorite pair of shorts. Remember that consignment stores often cater to their clientele and that can be different from neighborhood to neighborhood so keep that in mind. The chances of you selling a designer suit at a lower end consignment store is pretty futile than if you take them to a high end consignment store.
Let’s talk presentation: If you take in a garbage bag full of wrinkled clothing, chances are the store will turn you down. Place all items (if possible) on hangers and iron the pieces that are pressable. This saves the stores time and clothing is always more appealing to flip through on hangers.
Payouts: Remember that you aren’t going to walk into one store and have them gush over everything you have to sell and offer you cash up front. You will also find that one store who you will offer the right of first refusal. The payout also varies from place to place and you will begin to understand the fine nuances of that as well. Some people take their left over pieces to these pay-up-front stores because they figure that even a few dollars is better than nothing.
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