The DEADLINE to enter items
for the 2024 Mid-Winter Online Sale
guaranteed to be seen the presale

is Monday, February 5 at 11:59pm.


Please note: Drop Off is not on a weekend!
Drop Off is Thursday, Feb 15 and Friday, Feb 16.
Select a Drop Off appointment in your login account.

Most of this page applies to in person sales.
Notes specific to online sales appear in RED.

There are a few differences to be aware of:

  1. When entering items online, you will need to upload a PHOTO of each item.
  2. You will also need to check a box to show an item is READY for the online sale.
  3. You do NOT need to print tags until AFTER the online sale is over, then you will only print tags for items that SOLD.
  4. You can choose to REDUCE an item, we are having a 50% off sale on the last day.
  5. But do NOT choose DONATE as you are only dropping off SOLD items so nothing will donate and if you have items marked to donate they will be removed from your inventory after this sale, so don't click the box to donate anything this time.
  6. Description will be VERY important for the ONLINE SALE since shoppers can't physically hold your item before they buy. "Pants" is not enough! Make absolutely sure you choose the correct size for clothes because a buyer can reject an item that is not the size in the description which will hurt your profits by 5% on all items. 
  7. Use NAME BRANDS because shoppers will be able to search on any word and if they want NIKE, make sure your NIKE items show up in their search.
  8. If you have 2 identical items exactly the same, enter quantity 2 and it's ok to upload the same photo for each.
  9. Suggested minimum price for online items is $5, but the system will allow items as low as $2. 
  10. Make sure all of your items are in good condition. We will be inspecting at drop off, but don't want to have to reject anything because at that point, all the items have been SOLD and we don't really want to give refunds. Plus, you will get a 5% bonus on your earnings check for a perfect inspection and no buyer rejects.

Step by Step Guide to Entering Items

Consignors must enter all of your items into our online inventory system and creates tags to attach to each item. Please follow the instructions to ensure a well organized sale for all.

Do NOT punch a hole at the black dot! This dot tells us you are willing to donate that item if it doesn't sell and makes it easy for our Sort Team to pull donated items at the end of the sale.

tag17

My Sale Manager allows you to manage the items you are selling and make changes as necessary. You can change your price, category, description, and whether or not you are discounting or donating, up until you print a tag. Once you print a tag, if you make changes to an item online, you MUST print a new tag as the bar code will be different.


Choose the appropriate Category

Please choose the accurate category for each item you enter. This helps us put your item in the correct place on the floor and also helps us plan the amount of rack space or floor space we need to dedicate to each category (by looking at how many items are entered in each category in a report). Our merchandisers make visual judgements to put like items together and may place your item into another similar category on a table, but if our volunteer isn't familiar with what your item is, and you enter the wrong category, it could get placed in the wrong area and make it harder for shoppers to find.

Try to find the best category match for the items you have. If you enter a large item like a crib, make sure you change the category for your next item or you might end up with 10 clothing items under the Cribs category. PLEASE correct this before you drop off your items or we may think we have 12 cribs coming and plan space on the sales floor then end up with empty space with only 2 show up.

Toys are divided into sub categories by age. If your toy is meant for a wide range of ages, please choose the most appropriate age group. Consider when your child enjoyed it the most.

Using the correct category really helps us plan our sales floor needs in the beginning, match up items with lost tags during the sale, and evaluate sell thru rates at the end.

For online sales, choosing the correct category will really help sell your item. Buyers can click on albums by category and view all of the same type of items at once and even narrow down clothes and shoes by size by using filters. If your baby carrier is not in the Baby Wearing category, it won't be seen or bought. 


For Clothing, choose the correct size

Please choose the accurate size for clothes and shoes. This helps us put your clothes and shoes in the right place. Infant clothing is broken down by Preemie, Newborn, 3mos, 6mos, 9mos, 12mos, 18mos, 24mos. If your item tag says 3-6 mos, you can choose 3-6mos in the inventory system. Our runners and merchandisers will put it where it goes (between 3 and 6mo signs) and shoppers can see the item's actual size without hunting for the garment tag.

Children's sizes must list a NUMBER: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20. Do NOT use a letter like S, M, L as a size for Children's clothing. Letters are ONLY in the system to be used for Maternity and Juniors.

Juniors clothing is typically for teens and we want you to choose a LETTER size like this:
Junior Girls: XS=0-1, S=3-5, M=7-9, L=11-13, XL=15-17
Junior Boys shirts are usually marked S, M, L, XL. Pants are S=28-31, M=32-34, L=36-38, XL=40+

If your child sized item only has a letter size, hold it up to the other clothes you have and guess the closest number size. Our volunteers won't know where to put children's clothes marked M because sizing varies so much between brands. M could be 5, 6, 7, 8, or 10! Help us put your stuff in the right place so it can be SOLD.

For clothes with European sizing, please reference a conversion chart and use the equivalent American size. European clothing is sized by height (in cm) but we all need to be on the same page here, so please convert.

If you choose a different size than what is listed on your tag, please make a note of the reason (such as "runs small" or "shrunk") in the description. If a tag is missing, use your best guess, compare with other clothes.

Maternity, Nursing, as well as Adult clothing should be sized with a letter (XS, S, M, L, XL). Please do not use a number like 8 for any of these or we will ask you write in a letter at check in.

For shoes, our size list does have half size increments, so you should find what you need.

For non-hanging clothing and accessories such as tights, underwear, belts, and hats, please choose the most accurate size from the list.

It's really important to list the correct size in an online sale. The shopper cannot look at the neck tag or hold an item up to compare size to other similarly marked items. They'll have to trust your listing. If your holiday dress is a size 2 but you listed it as a 3, and we don't see anything wrong with it so it passes our inspection, but the buyer points out to us it was listed as a size 3, we will grant the buyer a full refund if they request it. A child in a size 3 won't fit in a 2. So be very meticulous with your listings.


For Non-Clothing, Leave Blank

There is a size option that says Leave Blank. This is the best option at this point for most non-clothing items. Hit L on the keyboard to get to that "size" quickly.


Enter a GOOD Description

There are 2 lines on the tag for description. Each line is limited to 25 characters, so be brief, but you can say a lot with a little. Use LS for long sleeve, SS for short sleeve, NWT for an item that is New With Tags, or shorten colors like B&W for black and white.

A good description can help SELL your item! Especially if you tell your buyer something that isn't obvious by looking at your item (helpful when original packaging isn't included).

You might also say things like Never Worn, Paid $89 Retail, or whatever else you want a potential buyer to know. If there is not enough room in 2 lines for the description you feel your item needs, feel free to write more on a separate card, make a list of everything that is included in a set, or take a photo and attach it to the outside of the item. Do what you can to sell it!

 

Baby Gap (barely worn)
LS polo onesie w/red dog

NWT GAP jeans
flower embroidery on leg

PANTS

 

A good description will also help in case an item gets separated from a tag. Which of the 3 tags above do you think will get matched with its item? Sometimes tags fall off or get pulled off. We do our best to pair them back together, but lost tags marked “pants” or “shirt” are impossible to match to an item. At least describe the color, brand, or any features it has.

Good descriptions are nice to see on your seller report so you can tell which items sold when looking at your inventory online each night or at the end.

Graco Pack n Play jungle
brown w/bassinet & mobile

play pen

Entering a good description can help us SELL an item for you if the tag has fallen off and can't be found. We have the ability to look things up in the system by description! But if your Brown Jungle print Pack 'n Play with bassinet and mobile is listed in your inventory as "play pen," we can't be 100% sure it is the one we have (if we could only locate it in the system and print a new tag!) and it just might be sitting there at pickup, with the other items that lost their tags, which is a shame when we could have sold it.

For online sales your description can really help sell your item. Shoppers can search key words like brand names or popular characters. Make sure yours is part of your listing and spelled correctly. A search for Lego will not find yours if you spelled it Leggos. You may get lucky as your item will be included in a TOY category search and seen that way, but increase your search odds by spelling well.


Tags print 10 per page

The bar code on each tag helps us run speedy checkouts, so your tags need to be printed clearly. The category helps us place your item in the right area so shoppers can find it, the black dot tells us if you are donating and helps us sort at the end of the sale, and a good description helps us if your tag falls off of an item (we can usually match up lost tags with items with no tag, but sometimes the description is too vague and we can't be sure we have a match).

Online tags are formatted differently and more fit on a page. These tags can be printed on regular paper if you wish.


Set your price.

A good rule of thumb is to start your price around 1/3 of the original retail price, going up or down based on the quality and condition of your item. Name brands (Gap, Old Navy, Children's Place, Zutano, and all boutique brands), will go for more than store brands (Cherokee, Carter's, Osh Kosh, and any discount store brands), but that is reflected when using the 1/3 rule since the retail price of name brand stuff starts out higher. You might mark something higher if it’s in really great shape and lower if you just want to get rid of it.

Think of yourself as a shopper, you love getting a great deal, so pass it on and give someone else a great deal! You can still make more money than a garage sale and sell more of your stuff in the end. And isn't the ultimate goal to get rid of it?

Clothing tends to sell for 20-35% of retail, while equipment can go for up to 50% of retail, depending on condition, brand and demand. (We've seen some barely used Bumbo seats, Ergo carriers, bike trailers, and other hot items in good conditon sell for around half of their retail value or even a little more.)

All prices must be in $1.00 or $.50 increments only, with a $2 minimum. No $.99 or other odd prices, the system won't allow it.

For online sales we recommend a minimum price of $5 but you can list items as low as $2.


There is a place to enter Quantity

Usually this is 1. Only enter a number higher than 1 if ALL INFO on the tag is the same. If you have 10 identical hair bows, enter 10. Choosing 10 for quantity will cause 10 identical items (and tags) to be generated. There is a limit of 25, but if you have 100 of the exact same hair bows, you could enter 4 sets of 25.

This can help parents of twins or more who have multiple items that are exactly the same; entering 2 will produce 2 identical tags (but each with a unique item number) so you can tag each shirt or pair of pants without having to reenter the info.

If you have 2 identical items exactly the same, enter quantity 2 and it's ok to upload the same photo for each. BUT to avoid being flagged as suspicious and having us contact you to make sure you have 2 or more of the same item, please change your listing or add numbers like 1, 2, 3, which will cause your items to not be completely identical thus not show up on a report so we won't contact you. And if it does show up on the duplicate items report when we see the 1, 2, 3, we will know that you consciously did that to show that you have more than 1 (even if using the same photo) and we will not waste our time or yours to verify. Thanks for your help. 


Decide if you want to Discount

Click this checkbox if you are willing to sell your item for half price on Sunday. This is wise if you are mainly trying to clear out your closet and do not want to take things back home at the end! Discounting gives you a chance to sell a few more things on Sunday when most items will be discounted and many shoppers return to supplement their stash and see what they can get for less. Let it go!

Discounting may not be for you. You may not want to discount furniture or large equipment (price to sell in the first place), or you may be willing to take home certain items if they don't sell. Perhaps you have a friend you could give things to or you may keep a few things in case you ever have more kids.

Each item can be different, they don't all have to be donate or no donate. Whatever your reason, you get to decide!


Decide if you want to Donate

There is no option to donate with online sales as all items brought to the building are SOLD. Hold onto your items that didn't sell and you've got a head start on the next in person sale because those items are in the system and you just need to print tags once the spring sale is open for item entry!


Next Step...

Once you've entered and tagged your items, now you're ready to drop it off! Find out what happens when you go to Drop Off, what is expected of you, and how to prepare for a smooth and quick delivery of your inventory.