Inventory Preparations
Preparing to tag usually takes more time than actually tagging! But it's so nice to see your house uncluttered once you have those boxes ready to go to the sale. You can do it!
STEP 1: Gather Your Items
Go through your house and gather your items. Collect everything you want to get rid of then sit down and decide what is sellable and what should be thrown out, donated, or recycled.
STEP 2: Prep Items for the Sale
All items must be clean and without stains. Do laundry. Wash all clothing, bedding, cloth toys, equipment covers, pads, and inserts. Sew if needed (or pass it on to the donate pile). Wipe down and clean all toys and equipment. Make sure you have all the parts and pieces for each of your items, including things you will need to build at the sale.
If you have items with tags from another consignment sale, you will need to remove those tags because we do not allow tags from other sales. It causes confusion for the shoppers, cashiers, and sorters. If you have been unsuccessful at selling in other sales, while you are entering your inventory for our sale, take a moment to evaluate your prices. It might be worth lowering a bit to make sure it sells.
CLOTHING
Clothing should be priced at $3 minimum. If a clothing item is not worth $3, it may not be worth your time to tag it. Don't pair things up to make mismatched outfits just to avoid the 25 item limit (the limit is per size in newborn to 12 mos only), people won't buy those and we will reject them at drop off. Please be sensible. Or just put it on your donate pile.
Please inspect your items carefully before you tag them. We will also inspect everything at drop off. We will not allow any clothes that have stains, holes, broken or missing parts, or odd smells to be placed on our sales floor. We will reject those items at drop off and you can take them home. If we find unacceptable items on the racks during the sale, we'll pull them and mark the tags RTC (Return to Consignor) with a reason listed and they will be on your pick up pile at the end of the sale along with anything that does not sell. Wash all of your clothes so they smell fresh (and not like they’ve been in a box in your garage for 5 years). Try to remove obvious stains when you launder. All year long as your kids outgrow clothes, you can wash, hang, and even tag and be ready for our next sale! Sew loose hems, loose buttons, and loose pockets if you sew. Make sure zippers and snaps work. Spending a little extra time getting your things prepped means more money in your pocket!
Clothes need to be on appropriately sized hangers with the hook facing left like a question mark (?) and the tag pinned on the right. Tagging guns are best, but pins are fine. See the illustration below for the best places to attach tags (button holes are also great). Aim for a seam so you don't put holes in your clothes and ruin things before they can sell.
Child sized hangers may be used only for size 4T and under. Use adult hangers for clothing size 5T and up. Adult hangers can sometimes work with smaller sizes too. Stock up on hangers before you sit down to tag items. If you are using wire hangers, you can bend to fit smaller sizes. Adult wire hangers can fit infant sleepers if you bend the middle of the bottom bar up towards the center where the hook is. Unzip the sleeper and bend the hanger into the sleeves.
Pants are best hung on the hangers made for pants (with the clips), but if you cannot get enough of those you can pin pants to any hanger. Binder clips are also a good substitute if you don't have clip pant hangers. If you pin, make sure the pins are on the TOP bars of the hanger and not on the bottom, you want the pants to hang flat and present well, not slide to one side. Use belt loops when possible to avoid making holes. See second illustration below.
Matching outfits are appreciated. Sets should be pinned securely together with pants backed up to the shirt facing the shopper for easy viewing (flipping the outfit around vs having to lift up the top to see the pants). Pants on a separate hanger could become separated from their top and not sold. You can clip pants underneath a shirt if you have that type of hanger, just make sure the shirt hangs on top. Most people will inspect what they are buying, so make it easy for them to see all of the items.
Onesies must be on hangers. Zip tie several hangers together or use a hanger made for multiples. Please do NOT put onesies in a bag. They don't sell. Everyone cruises the racks, not many will dig in bins or buy clothes they can't see. We want your stuff to sell!
Items you can't hang... small loose items like socks, underwear, bibs, bows, etc. can be placed in sets in a clear Ziploc bag with the tag taped to the inside. Tights can be loose, we'll hang these on a rack with our own clips.
SHOES
Attach shoes together. Tie shoes together by the laces or through the lace holes with ribbon, zip ties, or loop hooks. Many styles have a loop on the heel ends that can be used to slip a zip tie through and pair them up. Use a large rubber band to hold shoes that have no other option.
Baby crib shoes, booties, Robeez, slippers, or other small shoes can be placed in Ziploc bags with the tag taped or pinned to the inside. We always have an abundance of these sizes so price to sell. Do not seal bags until inspected.
TOYS
All toys must be in working order and clean. The better it looks, the faster it will sell. Any toy that needs batteries must include batteries so shoppers can be assured it works. Small accessory parts should be placed in a clear Ziploc bag and attached very well to the biggest piece. You may tag each piece with tags that say "1 of 2" and "2 of 2" in case they get separated, with only bar code on the first tag, or hand write on a piece of masking tape consignor # and item #. (If you print the tag twice, cut the bar code off 1 of them.)
Toys with missing parts will not sell and we don't want to sell them (people don't like getting home to find they bought an incomplete game or toy without all the parts!) so PLEASE make sure you have ALL the parts. Games and puzzle boxes should be tied, taped, or rubber banded and in their original package. Be thoughtful and put cards and game pieces in Ziploc bags inside the box.
The best way to secure a tag on a doll or stuffed animal is to punch a hole in your tag and tie it around the neck of the animal or pin directly to its body or clothes. Feel free to combine several small items (such as rattles, teethers, little dolls, or small toys) in a Ziploc bag for one price. Bags MUST contain like items (all dolls, all cars, all same theme). NO grab bags of misc items. Again, DO NOT seal bags with tape until after inspected.
BOOKS, MOVIES, PUZZLES, GAMES
When tagging these items, please be careful as as some tape is hard to remove and can rip covers. Tape tags to cover or box with clear scotch tape or painter's tape. You could also bag them or rubber band several together (in both directions) or tie it like a package with the tag through the string. Make sure the knots are TIGHT so it cannot come undone.
Books should be in good shape with no torn or missing pages. No workbooks with completed pages.
Peg style puzzles should be wrapped in plastic wrap or press n seal. While it seems like a good idea to tape the pieces of a wooden puzzle to the base, removing the tape can remove the pictures and ruin the puzzle! Please be careful.
BEDDING AND DECOR
Please create bedding SETS as best you can. Put 2 bassinet or play yard sheets together. Even 2 crib sheets (same size, brand, color, or theme) will sell better than 1 alone. We can no longer accept single odd pieces like a dust ruffle by itself. The exception is crib bumpers, these are OK to bring by themselves. Roll these up and tie or rubber band.
Bedding sets with many pieces and decor items should be packaged together in a giant Ziploc bag, (or bedding bag, the kind with a zipper), so shoppers can see everything. Better yet, take a picture of the set showing and listing all the pieces before you pack it up and tape it to the inside of the bag facing out. Do not seal bags as we remove and inspect each item.
Receiving blankets must be in sets of 2 or more. Match up the same style and brand. The best presentation for larger blankets is folded and clipped to a pants hanger. Small blankets should be rolled and held with a rubber band or ribbon, or may be folded and placed in a bag.
INFANT EQUIPMENT
Please clean all parts of your equipment. Spit up and food can get stuck in cracks and make stains on fabric. Some baby equipment has inserts that need to be laundered before bringing to sell.
Wipe plastic parts clean, get in the cracks and really clean everything. Don't be one of those embarrassed parents at drop off who get asked to clean food crumbs out of your swing or high chair!
Remember, if your equipment uses batteries, they must be included. We need to make sure it works. It doesn't matter if you only used the swing plugged in, if it has a battery compartment, put working batteries in, or you won't pass inspection.
Reminder: we do NOT accept car seats, bases, or boosters.
FURNITURE
Make sure your furniture is in good working condition and all parts are included. Replace a broken knob or shelf. Sand or putty over knicks and bite marks in wood. Put an extra coat of paint on if necessary to make that item sell. Please plan extra time to assemble any items you bring in pieces so people can see what it looks like and how to use it (must include all the pieces).
LARGE OUTDOOR EQUIPMENT
Large toys and outdoor play equipment must be reasonably clean, free of dirt and internal water. You must include all pieces. Clean as best you can. Magic erasers work wonders on indoor toys and for big outdoor structures, use a power washer.
PASS IT ON FOR PARENTS!
Since Spring 2018 we've been stocking an adult clothing section. Note the limit of 25 items per consignor. Bring only your BEST items as we don't have a ton of rack space for this and shoppers are mostly there for their kids but will peruse the adult stuff as long as it's not too overwhelming and the items are worth looking at. Adult shoes are also accepted, same concept, bring your best.
We accept books and DVDs for all ages (nothing X rated), bedding, small kitchen appliances, sporting and camping equipment, instruments, tools, crafts, office, home décor, holiday decorations, and household furniture (for larger items, please email a picture to make sure we can accept what you have). New in package items are also welcome. All items must be clean, in working order, and fit into one of those categories. No random knick-knacks. Beware that breakable things may get broken before being bought, so please package appropriately.
The same instructions as for kid stuff. Clothing on hangers with hook facing left. Shoes in top shape and clean. DVD case has correct movie inside and it plays. Be sensible with your packaging, put tiny things in bigger boxes with a window. Keep pieces together. Bring only stuff you would buy and we'll have a great sale!
Next Step...
Now it's time to organize your supplies and get ready to tag.