Eight Easy Steps to the Consignment Process
If you’re new to the consignment process you’re more than likely slightly overwhelmed with getting started. Consigning your kids’ items successfully can be daunting — but with a little planning and organization, the payout can be awesome. If you’re ready to tackle consigning for the first time, here’s a general overview of what your process should look like.
Step 1 — Choose, and register for your sale.
Before you register for a sale, do a little bit of research of different consignment sales in your area and compare the process and benefits of each. Consider which offers a better payout, what types of items you’re allowed to consign, and what their volunteering benefits are. Pick the sale that’s going to work for you, and your items/schedule the best. Divine Consign has always been my go-to consignment sale for selling my kids’ gently-used items for many of the reasons listed above.
Step 2 — Gather your items.
If you’re a pro, you’ve been squirreling away items to consign for a while so you know exactly what needs to be sold. If you haven’t, now is a good time to go through your kids’ closets, their toy boxes, and the garage to decide what you’d like to get rid of. Remember, Divine Consigns’ sales are seasonal, so make sure you’re only picking out items that are allowed.
Step 3 — Check your items for quality.
Quality of your items is key — especially at Divine Consign where shoppers know they’re going to find high-quality, gently-used items. Quality determines how well they’ll sell, and whether the items will be pulled before the sale even starts (because if your items aren’t up to standards, they won’t allow them on the sales floor). Check Divine Consign’s quality guidelines here, but a good rule of thumb is, “would you buy this item?” If not, you might need to consider donating or tossing it instead.
Step 4 — Prep your items.
Clothes should be washed, ironed, and free from any random pet hairs. Toys should be disinfected and fitted with new batteries. Strollers should be wiped down and have clean wheels. Basically, make sure all your items are in a condition in which YOU would want to bring them home as a new owner.
Step 5 — Enter your items.
Once you have everything ready, get them entered into Divine Consign’s online registration program. This involves picking the category they best fit into, describing them, and pricing them. Pricing can be tricky, but a good rule of thumb is listing items at 70 – 75% off their original price. Obviously, you can always take age, condition, or rarity into consideration when deciding on a price.
Step 6 — Tag your items
Now that all your items have been entered into the system, print out the tags and match them up with the appropriate item — you can print them at home, or have them printed and cut at an office supply store as well. Make sure they’re all attached securely to your items; if they fall off there’s a good chance your item won’t sell.
Step 7 — Drop your items off at the sale.
There’s an art to an efficient drop off, but the biggest rule is: keep your items clean when you transport them! Wrap clothing in clean sheets or plastic bags, and keep toys separated in boxes or tubs. If everything is organized in your vehicle, it will make sorting them into the sale much easier at drop off. Divine Consign also helps out by making rolling clothes racks and dollies available to their sellers who are dropping off carloads of great items!
Step 8 — Pick up any unsold merchandise.
If you did not opt to donate your unsold items, make sure you pick up your items at the designated time, or they might get donated anyway! Any items that didn’t sell and are not marked to be donated will be returned to you if you come to pick-up. Everything not picked up at the designated time is donated to charity.
That’s it — you’re done! Now all that you need to do is sit back, and wait for your check to arrive in the mail. It can be a lot of work getting everything done on time for your sale, but it’s always worth it in the end — your gently used items get a new home by those who need them, you get a lot of clutter out of your house, and you get paid for it! It’s a “win” for everyone, especially when you have a good game plan going into the process.
–Stephanie Totty is a content strategist by day, and blogger/Netflix aficionado by night. You can find her hanging out on her site Tottums.com, where she writes about being a working mom, travel, and general “adultiness”, and also on Instagram and Facebook. She enjoys coffee, baseball, iPhoneography, and coffee. And more coffee.
