Consignment Sale

Consignment Sale Sales (on eBay)

October 25, 2015 by Kari @ She Thrifts 9 Comments

October was the round two for consignment sale season around here (round one being in April). There are two big consignment sales that operate in my area. I shop the JBF sale, and both consign and shop at a the second (local) sale. Below are some of the items I purchased for resale that have already sold.

NWT Classic Pooh Piglet Plush
Paid: $1.00, Sold: $14.95 (5 days after listed)

Okie Dokie Giraffe Lovey
Paid: $2.00, Sold: $19.95 (2 days after listed)

NWT Baby Gear Silly Monkey Lovey
Paid: $2.00, Sold: $29.95 (4 days after listed)

6 Little Einsteins PVC/Cake Toppers
Paid: $6.00, Sold: $39.95 (2 days after listed)

Old Navy Maternity Puffer Coat
Paid: $7.50, Sold: $44.95 (6 days after listed)

Old Navy Maternity Dressy Coat
Paid: $7.50, Sold: $44.95 (18 days after listed)

And a consignment sale mystery item. I picked up the crab below for $1. It says Mattel Disney 2010 on the bottom, but darned if I can figure out what it is from. The only Disney crab I am familiar with is Sebastian from The Little Mermaid, but I don’t think he looks quite right. Anybody recognize it as something else?

2000! and other updates

May 19, 2015 by Kari @ She Thrifts 5 Comments

I reached my 2000th feedback over the weekend! Kinda fun. ( 2000)

I am nowhere near reaching my listing goal for the month, but I’ve picked up a BUNCH of treasures over the last couple weeks at two consignment sales and a MOPS rummage sale. I’m hoping to get them all listed by the end of the month.

Last week was the JBF sale. I didn’t consign, but I did shop both the first day of the sale and the half off day. I found a decent number of items, including a bunch of loveys to flip, and a balance bike for my youngest.

Last week was the sale I did consign at. I took a bunch of my own kids’ old clothes, and some eBay rejects. I priced everything super cheap, and marked them to be reduced as the sale went on. I sold 2/3 of what I took, which is pretty good around here. Consignment sales are still a new-ish thing in this area, and aren’t the crazy feeding frenzy they are other places.

I shopped the presale BUT – horror of horrors – forgot my phone at home. Ugh! I had taken it downstairs with me to take a picture of this HUGE monkey that I had sold.

Paid: $3 @ ys, Sold: $44.95 (27 days after listed)

I have a friend who sells Arbonne and she brings me boxes for shipping. I thought she would get a kick out of what I had shipped in one of her boxes. And she did. But, unfortunately I left my phone downstairs, and because it wasn’t sitting on the counter by my keys I didn’t realize I had left home without it until it was too late. So, I was much more cautious with my purchases than I would have been had I been able to look things up. Biggest disappointment was that I left behind this Cranky set. It was $15 for a used set. Coulda shoulda woulda.

I also had an interesting CL sale this week. I had picked up these used Buzz Lightyear wearable wings at Value Village a couple months ago. (Check out Amazon’s current listing!)

Push a button on your chest and the wings are *supposed* to pop out!

I had intended to sell them on eBay, but I could only get them to work sporadically. I changed the batteries which didn’t fix the problem, and that was about the extent of my DIY fixing abilities. So, rather than sell it on eBay and risk an unhappy buyer, I listed them on CL in hopes of recooping my initial investment. And I did have a guy contact me to buy them, and when I met with him he explained to me that he wasn’t really worried about whether or not they worked consistently. Because . . . he and his two grown sons are trying to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records for having the largest collection of Buzz Lightyear toys. He was happy to add this one to his collection.

You never know what you’ll hear in the reselling biz.

Costumes !!!

October 25, 2014 by Kari @ She Thrifts 6 Comments

I was going to save this post for closer to Halloween, but I got it done early, and the Halloween costume selling window is coming to a close. Below are *some* of my costume sales for this Halloween season, excluding accessories, Halloween themed clothing, décor, etc.

Costumes are one of my very favorite things to sell!

Alligator Costume
Paid: $0.50, Sold: $17.95

Policeman Baby Costume
Paid: $2ish @ OUAC, Sold: $19.95

Old Navy Dragon Costume
Paid: $1 @ ys, Sold: $17.95

Old Navy Lion Costume
Paid: $7 @ consignment sale, Sold: $34.95

Old Navy Pirate Costume
Paid: $12 @ consignment store, Sold: $39.95

Old Navy Baby Cheeseburger Costume
Paid: $5 @ OUAC, Sold: $49.95

Carter’s Fireman Costume
Paid: $2 @ ys, Sold: $24.95

Baby Gap Black Cat Costume
Paid: $2ish @ ys, Sold: $24.95

Tom Arma Beaver Costume
Paid: $5 @ ys, Best Offer Accepted: $40

Thomas the Tank Engine costume lot
Paid: approx. $5 @ ys/VV, Best Offer Accepted: $44

Minnie Mouse Costume
Paid: $5ish Halloween clearance last year, Best Offer Accepted: $22

Mike Wazowski Candy Catcher Costume
Paid: $3 @ ys, Sold: $29.95

Wall-E Candy Catcher Costume
Paid: $2 @ consignment sale, Sold: $34.95

Eeyore Disney Store Costume
Paid: $7 @ consignment sale, Sold: $39.95

Dopey Dwarf Baby Costume
Paid: $6.50 @ consignment store, Sold: $49.95

Rex Adult Costume
Paid: $5 @ ys, Best Offer Accepted: $80

Adult Tigger Costume
Paid: $9 @ consignment sale, Sold: $79.95

Adult Talking Winnie the Pooh Costume
Paid: $15 @ ys, Sold: $97.95

Consignment Sale Purchases + A Self Imposed Challenge

October 16, 2014 by Kari @ She Thrifts 1 Comment

The consignment sale has started, and I have to say that my first day’s sales were NOT stellar. The sale runs through Saturday, so here’s hoping things pick up over the next few days.

I did, however, have some good luck sourcing items for resale, including more costumes, several loveys, a few NWT items, and quite a bit more:

Adult Tigger Costume above
Old Navy toddler costumes below

NWT pea-in-the-pod sleepers (found 2)

NWT blankets

I also picked up several loveys.

So, the truth is that I really didn’t *need* to buy more inventory, but it sure can help in the motivation department to get listing again when you’ve been in a slump. I still haven’t completely shaken off being sick and the momentum that I lost over the last week. But, since shopping this morning it’s coming back. My plan is to get everything I purchased this morning listed by Friday evening when I can go back for the 50% sale. (The 50% off sale officially starts on Saturday, but consignors can shop a “pre-sale” the last couple hours on Friday night.) There were a number of things I left behind today that I remember thinking I would be interested in buying if they were still around at 50% off. But before I can worry about that, I’ve got some work to do!

Sick, Consignment Sale, and a Disney Par-tay!

October 14, 2014 by Kari @ She Thrifts 6 Comments

Siiiick. That’s been me for the better part of a week. Not terrible sick, just a whopper of a cold that left me feeling tired, cranky, achy, and unmotivated. I haven’t listed anything new in days. And my sales are starting to show it. (AND I am way, way, way, waaaaay behind on my listing goal for the month.)

I started feeling better last night, just in time to get some work done with my consignment inventory. Thank goodness I had already gotten a bunch of it done a couple weeks ago! I finished getting things organized today, and will drop off tomorrow. Pretty much everything I take is non-eBay-worthy-just-wanna-get-rid-of-it. I price it dirt cheap because I don’t want to see it again. I’ll be happy to clear a couple hundred dollars, which I plan to use to pay for my oldest’s birthday party that I just booked for next month.

Yay, Halloween! So many of the sales I have had are Halloween-related. I think I may sell more Halloween related items in September/October than I do Christmas-related in November/December. They’re just flying out the door. Here’s one of my favorites, because of where it’s going:

I just ordered the Disney Rex costume , I just needed to be at my address hopefully by Wednesday October 15 because we are going to Disney world on Friday October 17 for Mickey’s Halloween party!! Sorry for the inconvenience , but if you can mail it as soon as possible I would really appreciate it!!!

The message makes it sound like it was a rush, but it really wasn’t. It should have gotten there with several days to spare.

On a related note, a week or so before I sold this costume I actually noticed that if you have tickets to the Oct 31st “Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party” that you can flip them on eBay. Check out completeds HERE. The tickets for the 31st are sold out, so I can’t tell how much they were originally selling for, but other nights are still available and are selling for around $75 per ticket (+ park admission is my understanding). Not a cheap night for the family, but it sure sounds like tons of fun! And I guess buying directly from Disney is a bargain compared to the eBay prices on tickets for the 31st!

I’ll do a Halloween-related post at the end of the month that includes more of those sales. I love selling costumes! Anybody have a fun Halloween-related sale to share?

Awful April

May 1, 2014 by Kari @ She Thrifts 11 Comments

Uggghh. I try not to complain *too much*, but geez, April was awful. My worst sales month since January 2013. I had about 2/3 of the sales that I had last month. I know eBay can be a bit of a mystery at times, but my listings are at an all-time high, and I listed pretty consistently all month long. I have a bit of everything in my store, at a range of prices. Why the crummy sales? Okay, okay, pity party is over.

It was rainy here last weekend so I didn’t get in any yard saling in, and the weekend before I went to four sales. All four had a plethora of clothing for 25-50 cents, so I picked up quite a bit, and I’ve been listing it for two weeks now. I’ve liked branching out into selling clothes, they sell pretty consistently, easy to store, ship, etc, but they really are a grind to list. Not much fun at all. Thankfully, a few have sold pretty quickly.

Nike Women’s Athletic Pants
Paid: $0.25 @ ys, Sold: $17.95 (1 day later)

Lynyrd Skynyrd Women’s Shirt
Paid: $0.25, Sold: $19.95 (5 days later)

Columbia Men’s Convertible Pants/Shorts
Paid: $2 @ rummage sale, Sold: $24.95 (7 days later)

Silver Walkstar FitFlops, Size 6
Paid: $2.80 @ VV, Sold: $39.95 + shipping to Canada (4 days later)

I bought another pair of FitFlops at VV at the same time I bought the above pair, got them home, and realized even though they appear identical, they are actually two different sizes. Darn it. I’ve heard of people listing shoes as replacements or for amputees, so I went ahead and did that. No bites yet, though.

And a couple kid-related quick flips:

BABW Aladdin Lamp
Paid: $2.10 for bag of accessories @ VV, Sold (just lamp): $9.95 (2 days later)

5 I Spy Hardcover Books
Paid: $1.25 total at rummage sale, Sold: $19.95 (3 days later)

I fell 22 listings short of my listing goal for April. I really thought I was going to make it, and then last weekend I came down with a miserable although short-lived flu bug. And then my youngest got it. Sometimes life just happens, huh? I am going to shoot for 150 new listings again in May.

In a couple weeks the consignment sale I like best that I usually participate in is happening. I still haven’t registered. I keep waffling on whether or not to consign. It’s kind of a time suck without a big payoff.

And, confession time, although I did quite a bit of Amazon related reading, I didn’t send anything in to FBA. Fail. There’s always this month though, right?

Well, that’s embarrassing.

October 17, 2013 by Kari @ She Thrifts 2 Comments

Half way through the month. Thought I should have a reality-check/check-in. I am sooo far behind on this month’s goal of listing 200 new items.

Yup. I’ve only listed 38 items in the last 16 days. In part because I was getting ready for the last fall consignment sale (dropped items off on Monday evening), in part because for about a week at the beginning of the month I was dragging, on the brink of getting sick and going to bed at 10 p.m. every night instead of staying up until midnight or 1 a.m. getting things listed. The good news is, I never got full-blown-sick. The bad news is, my listings really suffered. Ah, priorities.

But, on to the really embarrassing part of my day.

This morning I went to the consignor presale of the consignment sale (with my youngest, because it’s allowed at this sale!), and the incredibly nice gal who runs the sale came up to me with a pair of pants in her hand, and said something like, “I think this is yours. This tag isn’t from my sale.” And I look down, and it still has the JBF tag on it!!!! Face. Palm. And I said, “Well, that’s embarrassing!” Was it ever. (Caught! Cheating on her! Ack.) She waved it off with a smile. Could not be nicer.

I even knew that pair of pants had gone missing (new tag printed out but couldn’t find the pants to attach it to) – it never even crossed my mind that it was somehow already in the pile to be taken to the sale.

I like this sale so much better than JBF. JBF basically runs for a day and a half. This sale starts Tuesday evening for volunteers and runs all the way through Sunday. So much more time to get your items sold. A bunch of items that I had at the JBF sale that just sat (for the day and a half) have already sold. The folks at JBF are very nice too, but I don’t think I will be consigning there again. The time and effort isn’t worth the small payout.

I’ve set all of my consigned inventory to be marked down as the sale goes on. I am less concerned with how much money I make, and more concerned with how much of my stuff goes out the door. I took 175 items. I’d be sooo happy if 2/3 of it was sold, never to be seen again. We’ll see . . .

JBF Follow-Up

September 2, 2013 by Kari @ She Thrifts 3 Comments

The JBF consignment sale wrapped up a couple weeks ago, but it was in the midst of our moving craziness, and I didn’t make the time to share the results. Overall, I felt pretty good about it. The sales break-down went something like this:

Presale ~ 14 items sold
Full Day Sale ~ 20 items sold
Half Day, Half Price ~ 30 items sold

I sold 64 items in all, which was a little less than half of what I took. I didn’t mark much of anything down to half price the last day. Since this was a short sale, and there is another, longer sale coming up soon, I figured I would give things that didn’t sell at full-price a second run and mark them down at the next sale. The awesome thing was that after picking up the non-selling items, I brought them directly to our new house, and was able to hang them up in the closet of my new office. No piles, no storing in totes and having to re-hang them later. That alone will save me a ton of prep time for the next sale.

I wasn’t able to shop the presale, and didn’t go on Saturday (busy day full of moving), but I did go over first thing Sunday morning. CSG (consignment sale guy) approached me and said something along the lines of the following:

I’ve been thinking a lot about our conversation on Thursday, and wanted to take a minute to talk to you because I didn’t feel like I was able to explain myself very well. JBF is a franchise, and while I can make my own rules, one thing they really encourage is not to start doing things one way that you will eventually have to change. While our sales aren’t huge now, and having kids at the presale wouldn’t be a big deal, we are of course hoping they grow in the future. I want you to know that you are appreciated.

Something along those lines. I thought it was nice of him to go out of his way to talk to me, and good that he had given the situation some thought. I do understand where he is coming from, and certainly agree that it’s easier (and more fun, usually) to shop without kiddos in tow. But, being on the other side (and the only childcare my kids have while my husband is at work), it also stinks to be excluded from the sale for things out of my control. It is what it is though, and I’m not going to dwell on it.

Randomly, this sale was the first time (at least that I’ve noticed) where some of my items seem to have been stolen from the sale. I had a big bag of dinosaurs that went missing, as well as a big moving/roaring dinosaur. I asked the wife of CSG about a lost and found area, and when we walked over and they weren’t there I mentioned that a couple of my items seemed to have gone missing. I wasn’t expecting her to do anything about it. I am sure that we sign something at the beginning that says they aren’t responsible for items that are lost or stolen, and besides that I didn’t feel like it was their fault that they were gone. But, she went out of her way to take down my name and a description of the items in case they showed up, and she said if they didn’t show up that they would “make it right”. I didn’t give it any more thought until I got my check in the mail, which was about $10 more than I was expecting, so maybe they did credit me for the missing items. Above and beyond, nice.

JBF Sale ~ Drop Off

August 16, 2013 by Kari @ She Thrifts 5 Comments

Before I forget:

Another home run item for me at consignment sales? Carhartt clothing. I almost always pick it up when I find it at yard sales. It always seems to show enough wear that I don’t list it on eBay, but that doesn’t stop it from selling right away at consignment sales.

So, I just did my JBF drop-off. I am not exactly sure how many items I dropped off, but I’d guess around 175. I was really happy as I was hanging and tagging all of my items. I had purged everything that had been through the consignment sale cycle in the past (the duds), and everything I took is cute and in great condition. It should all sell! Of course, I think that every time, and it never works out that way.

All was well at drop-off until I was headed out the door, and the guy who operates the consignment sale asked me if I had received my presale pass. Nope, I hadn’t. He handed me one. On it, it says:

NO CHILDREN AT PRESALE, PLEASE.

Now, I remember this from when I consigned at this sale a year ago, and being annoyed about it then. I hadn’t seen it in any of the communication this year though, so I was hoping the rule had changed. I was planning to attend the sale with my kiddos, and if they said something when we showed up, plead ignorance. No such luck.

Consignment sale guy and I had the following (totally cordial) conversation:

Me: This is a consignment sale for moms, by moms. Why aren’t kids allowed at the presale? We all have kids.

Consignment Sale Guy: You know, I really don’t have a good answer for that.

Me: Being able to attend the presale is the best benefit we get as consignors, and I’m sure I am not the only one who won’t be able to attend because of our kids.

CSG: (Hedging) Well, if they are really little and nursing, they could come in a stroller.

Me: I could put my two-year-old in a stroller.

CSG: Do you have a backpack carrier you could put him in?

Me: No. He’s two. He’s heavy. I don’t have a carrier that big.

CSG: Could you come later? Like on Saturday?

Me: I guess I will just have to wait and see.

So here’s the thing. I’ve seen the photos online of the crazy busy consignment sales that seem to have hundreds of people waiting in line for the doors to open, everyone wielding their own cart, ready to dash in like it’s Black Friday shopping. But that is NOT my town. Consignment sales are new here. I’ve attended the presale right when it started in the past. There is no line. It’s a trickle, not a flood. And it’s a big venue. So when he said he didn’t have a good reason, he was right. There really isn’t one.

So, I won’t go to the presale, and I won’t bother going on Saturday either. Maybe I’ll go on Sunday and see if there are any half-price items worth picking up. But, maybe not. Sunday is my husband’s only day off this weekend, and we still have a lot of moving to do, which may end up taking priority.

After this sale is over I think I will write CSG a note and suggest that he rethink that particular rule. Also, the $2 admission fee that they charge on Saturday. The other consignment sale in town doesn’t charge any admission fees, and when the gal who runs the sale sees me coming to the presale with my son in his stroller, she opens the door for me and gives us both a welcoming smile. And it makes a big difference.

Consignment Sale Home Runs

August 13, 2013 by Kari @ She Thrifts 8 Comments

As if packing and moving to our new house wasn’t enough on my plate, I am also signed up to participate in a consignment sale this week. I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me, but I keep telling myself if I don’t get it all input and tagged – so what? I’ll do what I can do, and that will have to be good enough.

In a way I am wondering if I am wasting my time working on consignment sale items at all. This is the third time that there has been a JBF sale in my town. The first was pretty slow, but of course it takes time and word of mouth and momentum for these sales to become “a thing”. During the second JBF sale I was out of town for the entire week, so I didn’t consign or shop it. On to JBF sale number three! It will only be open one and a half days plus the presale. The other consignment sale I participate in runs for 5 days. I feel like I am doing a lot of work for a lot less sales potential. But, it’s not like anyone is forcing me to participate. So, I will choose to be happy with whatever outcome I get.

For those of you who participate in consignment sales – what are your home run items? Items that always sell well for you, that you specifically pick up at yard sales and the like knowing that they will be consignment sale gold? For me (in no way a consignment sale expert), I’ve had good luck with coats, shopping cart covers, DVDs and baby blankets. (The baby blankets were a surprise. Don’t most new moms get a bunch of those as gifts?! Maybe it was just me.)

Off I go – time for some tagging.