consigning Archives ~ 50 Plusses

Clear your clutter and cash in with consignment shops

If you’re 50-plus, you may be among the many empty nesters who are thinking of down-sizing. Or you want to refresh and update your space. You probably have accumulated a variety of mementos, decorative and seasonal items. And, maybe you have a collection of some kind.

You may want to try to cash in before donating or disposing of your unwanted items. Consignment is an option if you don’t want to have a yard sale, or have people come to your home, or sell them one at a time online or through Craig’s List or similar platforms.

What is selling on consignment?

Essentially a person or shop sells goods on a commission basis. They evaluate, price, and sell your items for an agreed upon percentage of the selling price. You are getting their expertise and a selling venue and access to buyers that you may not find on your own.

How does consignment work?

Usually the owner of the goods brings them to the shop. If there’s a large quantity and/or larger desirable items, arrangements may be made for pickup. That’s not common, in my experience.

The shops’ personnel will go over the consignment policy and rules, list and price each article that is accepted. Items are usually kept 60-90 days. They may make periodic markdowns. You are expected to pick up any unsold items by a determined deadline. If you don’t, per their rules, they may donate or otherwise dispose of them.

Once you drop off your items and do the paperwork you do nothing except collect a check or pick up leftovers.

NOTE: ALWAYS call first to find out what and when consignments are accepted. Many shops are by appointment only and don’t accept certain items. Don’t go to the bother of loading up your car only to get turned away.

My favorite consignment shop, Classic Consignments in Sudbury, Mass., accepts consignments by appointment only. The exception is furniture, but they still ask you to send an email with photos. If they approve your furniture, you can bring it when they are open, no appointment necessary.

Click here to see the consignment policies for Classic Consignments, which are pretty standard in my experience.

Cash in on your clutter with a Tag Sale by Consignment or Commission

Another method is to hire someone to run a tag sale for you, on a commission basis. Some people are in business to do just that. They keep mailing lists to notify their following and use their expertise to set prices that will sell the goods in your home without undervaluing them. They do all the tagging, set-up, advertising, and selling for you.

What happens if things don’t sell?

You can pick them up and move them to another shop, donate them or let the shop dispose of them. For best results, deal with several shops. Some stores do better with certain items, others have better commission rates. If an item doesn’t sell at one, it may, and for more at another.

For example, a vintage Christmas book of mine priced $10 didn’t sell at one shop, but sold at another for $100.

Tips to cash in with consignment shops

Always read the shop’s rules or consignment policy carefully. People who have had a bad experience with consignment often didn’t understand the procedures.
Check the length of the consignment period, the payment schedule and commission, fees, who sets prices, and any automatic discounts. In some cases, you may be able to set a firm price. Each item you consign should be listed and you should receive a copy of the list.
Note how and when you will be paid. While some shops mail out payments, others require you to come in for pick up. Unclaimed property may be considered abandoned and ownership may revert to the shop. The shop owners may have this in the rules so they can be free to dispose of the merchandise. Unsold pieces take up valuable space and are effectively worthless because the shop’s clientele just isn’t interested in them. I’ve seen funky, but originally expensive dining sets marked down to $100 just to move them out.

The two sides to a consignment agreement

There are two sides to a consignment agreement. The consignor is responsible for checking in at the end of the consignment period for payment and for retrieving unsold merchandise promptly.

On the other side, the shop owner is responsible for keeping accurate records of consignors’ goods. He or she should take responsible care of the goods, pay promptly and honestly, and rearrange and turn over stock regularly.

The best shops adhere to their rules, allowing for some flexibility. They may give extensions to consignors who just can’t make it in when their time is up. The worst keep minimal records and open ended time periods. A good rule of thumb is that the majority of items that are going to sell, sell within the first 30 days. If they hang around too long they may get buried, lost, or shopworn.

Setting prices and making money with consignment shops

Many shop owners reserve the right to set the prices. Others discuss them and come to an agreement with the consignor. Still others may ask what the consignor wants to get for an item, then add onto that amount. Some will list, price, and tag an item as it’s brought in. Some will ask you to call or come back for the listing, or to look it up via a password on their website.

If you have a collection of items in a certain niche, like sports memorabilia, pottery, dolls, etc., you may have more of an idea of pricing. But if you haven’t been keeping up, collecting tastes and values change. Take Beanie Babies, for example.

If you don’t agree with a shop owner’s price, remember these two things: First, the owner knows the clientele. Second, an item isn’t worth anything until you sell it. Also, you may make less on one item, yet make it up on another.

Each shop has its own audience and way of displaying stock. It pays to understand what kinds of things go well in one shop and not another.

To summarize: selling on consignment can be fun and profitable. As you drop things off, you may spy something that you can use in your de-cluttered, or revamped home. You usually can have a say in a selling price and little overhead or investment beyond your time. Best of all, while you are de-cluttering, you are recycling and being rewarded by cashing in with consignment shops.

Have you sold things through consignment? Do you have some tips? Please comment below.

Also visit my other blog posts about collectibles and consignment shops:

7 Reasons why I love consignments shops and not just for saving money

The British Royal Family: Memorabilia feeds collectibles mania

Check out our Etsy shop, GrandmotherstrunkUS

Want to learn how to start a blog?

Here’s some courses to get you started: Start A Travel Blog

or Start A Blogging Business.

Want or need help with your blog or website? I’ve found inexpensive help on Fiverr.

Why I love consignment shops

There are so many reasons to love consignment shops and shopping, but here I am narrowing them down.

Shopping at consignment stores is more than about saving money. It’s also a fun and entertaining hobby. Each consignment shop has its own personality, partly from the owners, the policies and pricing, the ambience, the consignors, and the shoppers. Shopping at consignment shops is a hobby for people of all ages, incomes, and lifestyles.

I’ve listed the reasons I love shopping at consignment shops. They are in no particular order.

Reason 1 why I love consignment shops: Free entertainment

Not only do consignment shops save you money, but they also offer free and fun entertainment. I may not buy anything during a visit, but I am usually entertained, one way or another.

Most of the shops I go to have a great play list of background music, which, for me, is mostly classic rock music.

Sometimes the people, either in front or behind the counter, are the entertainment. As you are browsing, you may hear the most intriguing stories, or gossip. Then there are times I feel sorry for the owner or employee. They get trapped by a customer who pours out their health, marital, or other woes.

Once at my favorite shop, Classic Consignments, a long-time fixture in Sudbury, Mass. I overheard a a particularly annoying browser. She let everyone within hearing know, that she had been living in Asia for years. She kept insisting that the hand-painted Japanese china was priced too low for the work that was put into it, not knowing the going rate. She treated the employees as if they were volunteers in a charity thrift shop who didn’t know what they were doing. She was the ignorant one.

Sometimes I meet someone I haven’t seen in years. A few times I discovered someone who remembers the same shops I used to go to when I was growing up. We have several pleasant moments mentally traveling down memory lane.

Then there’s the times when there are items that stun you, amuse you, or educate you. You may not want to take them home, but they make for an interesting visit.

Reason 2 why I love consignment shops: Education

This relates to Reason #1: Consignment shops can be educational, as your world is expanded by the eclectic nature of the items on display. You may get glimpses into high end tastes and designs you might never otherwise experience. The closest I chose to get to new high-end merchandise is through the windows in the mall. At some consignment shops I can handle lots of items up close.

The sheer variety of items I never knew existed and can study up close is incredible. Some shops which lean towards antiques and collectibles, can resemble mini-museums.

Reason 3 why I love consignment shops: Adding to your collection at reasonable prices

At some shops, you have a chance to add to your collection at a significant savings, rather than buying at an antique mall or shop, or on eBay. The owner of the consignment shop doesn’t wait for the top dollar and most shops have an automatic markdown system, so you may find some great items at reasonable prices. I buy vintage photos and ephemera and many times I have picked they up after their final markdown.

Reason 4 why I love consignment shops: Finding old favorites and repurposing

If a shop has a blend of eras, you may find items of character and design that are better made of better materials that suit your taste and living space. And, you can find items to repaint, refinish, and repurpose. You might also find a replacement for something that you loved and wore out. I am searching for some kitchenware that were my favorites. I don’t like the design or feel of some of the utensils available today.

Reason 5 why I love consignment shops: Better goods at lower prices

I touched on this before, but it’s not just saving money, it’s also having opportunities to buy higher quality gently used items for the same or less than those of much lower quality. We recently bought a piece of furniture at a well-known online retailer as a requested gift. We assembled it in the recipient’s home. Some components didn’t line up as well as they should have. And it was smaller than expected. It was definitely not designed for long term use. I would have rather put the money into a slightly used solid wood, better constructed item with some character.

I pick up charming English porcelain plates and pressed and lead glass dishes and serving ware for use when we have company. I also use vintage damask cloth napkins and tablecloths when entertaining.

Reason 6 why I love consignment shops: Learning the value of heirlooms

Consignment shops can also give you an idea of the value, or not, of your family heirlooms, or your household goods. You might think, or hear “Oh, my grandmother had one of these!”

But, as a sign that I have seen in some vintage and collectible shops says: “The only one who’s interested in what your grandmother had, was your grandfather.”

While a lot of “yesterdays” items are interesting or durable, or usable, like old Federal bureaus, only a fraction have any significant value. I owned an antique and collectibles consignment shop for 12 years. A memorable consignor insisted on discussing each item he consigned often saying “Now, this is really old,” expecting a high price just because it was old.

Well, it is true that sadirons like the one he had are old. But, unless the example is unusual in some way, and even then, they are common and not particularly sought-after.

Every winter I see vintage wooden sleds like Flexible Flyers, at consignment shops like Classic Consignments, but I also notice that they either don’t sell, or are coming to the end of their consignment period without any takers. They just give the shop a seasonal ambience.

So, either I see something my mother or grandmother had, and get a sense of the going prices, or if I try to sell something they owned, the market tells me what is valuable, and what isn’t.

Reason 7 why I love consignment shops: Make money

While it may not be, buy low, sell high somewhere else, sometimes I have made money doing just that. Either I bought an item at a consignment shop and sold it at another place, or online on eBay or Etsy, or bought an item at a yard sale and sold it on consignment.

Sometimes, it’s just easier to have someone else do the pricing and selling for you. I bought a group of vintage Easter postcards at a thrift shop. I scanned them and created a digital product and sell the images for download on Etsy. I also created a book for scrapbooking, junk journaling, and crafting that you can buy here on Amazon. Then, I consigned them in groups four to eight and most of them sold. I made back my investment and more just from consigning them. However, I do have a lot of sweat equity invested in the scanning, layout, and design of the digital and physical products sold on Etsy and Amazon.

Above are the main reasons I love consignment shops. They offer so much, as far as entertainment and education and they don’t cost you anything until you buy something.

Why do you love consignment shops? Leave your comments below.