Last week, I shared 5 tips for a successful consignment sales and today I am piggybacking off the part one post to share the step-by-step process of prepping your inventory.
Take Inventory
Look through the items you wish to get rid of and take a look at the tips for choosing your items (in last weeks post). As a consignor, the very first step is checking with your consigning rules or policies so you are aware of what is and is not acceptable to sell.
Here are some of the popular kid items perfect for consignment events:
- Clothing
- Shoes
- Toys
- Books
- Games
- Movies
- Baby Gear – DockATot, strollers, jumpers, car seats, high chairs, baby carriers, etc.
- Maternity Wear
- House Decor Items – varies depending on consignment sales
Choose items that are in good, working condition and are likely to sell – remember, if you wouldn’t buy it don’t consign it.
Next you want to make sure to check the recall list on the Consumer Product Safety Commission website for any non-clothing items, just to ensure there are no health or safety problems associated with them. Additionally, if you plan to sell a car seat, always double-check the expiration date – which can be located on the manufacturer label. These items, if expired or recalled would not be acceptable. If in the end you still have items you want to get rid of, but won’t sell, this would be a good time to start a donation pile.
Gather Supplies
You will need quite a few supplies for prepping your inventory. Here are my suggestions:
- Child-sized Hangers – You can get these from Dollar Tree, Walmart for pretty cheap. As you continue to consign each season, you will be able to collect them as you go.
- Large Safety Pins
- Small Safety Pins
- Magic Erasers
- Stain Remover
- Zip-Ties
- ZipLoc Bags – Various sizes
- Cardstock – 65lb
- Clorox Wipes
- Clear Packing Tape
- Scissors
- Iron
- Bright Patterned Duck Tape – Optional
- Febreeze Fabric Refresher – Optional
Wash and Clean Items
Everything will need to be washed, wiped down and sanitized.
- Clothing and Bedding
- Treat spot stains before washing all items
- Wash and dry, preferably with baby laundry detergents to prevent irritation, if someone was to have a skin allergy or sensitive skin
- Iron all clothing for best presentation – wrinkled items will NOT sell
- Use scissors to cut loose garment thread
- Baby Bottles, Gear & Toys
- Bottle sets sell well at consignment sales. Wash and sanitize all pieces and do not include the nipples
- Wipe down all toys with Clorox wipes and get in between all the nooks and crannies
- If your toys can get wet, consider running them through the dishwasher or soaking them in the tub with white vinegar and leave to air dry
- Magic Erasers can do wonders. Wipe down baby gear with sanitizer and get all the scuffs and marks off using this magic scrubbing tool
- If toy is battery operated, replace all batteries for potential buyers to test out item
Magic Eraser is Your Friend
- Carseats, Strollers and Highchairs
- Wipe down and clean with magic eraser
- Thoroughly clean straps and seat covers
- Shoes
- Try to consign like-new shoes only
- Clean with soap and a toothbrush to get out any dirt, wipe all marks and scuffs with a Magic Eraser and wipe down with a Clorox wipe
Price Items
After you have decided how you want to sell your items – whether as separates, outfits, bundled, etc., you are ready to start entering your inventory into the consignment software and print out your tags onto card stock. Always be sure to be as detailed as possible on the tags and to price realistically. And if you are like me and just want to see the items gone, start off at a clearance price and then allow your items to be discounted so they have a better chance of being purchased (which results in less items to pick up at the end of the sale). See our last post here for the consignment pricing guide.
Tag Your Inventory
As mentioned in my previous post, presentation is everything! So even after washing, cleaning and replacing all parts, you still need to make sure your inventory is displayed nicely. Here are my top tips for tagging your items.
- Hang all clothing so that the hanger looks like a question mark when you look at the front
- When tagging two-piece items, hang them on the same hangers and have them display front of the shirt/pants/etc on each side
- Pin clothing with large safety pins on each end with the hanger in between for security and so they do not slip off
- Pin the tag onto the front of the item with a small safety pin
- If you are selling multiple outfit pairs together, zip-tie or tape the hangers together
Presentation is key, even when tagging your consignment sale inventory
- Shoes should be zip-tied together with the tag in between
- Packs of clothing (socks, hats, etc.), toys (Imaginex, Hot Wheels, etc.) or bundles of books should be packaged in a ziploc bag. Seal and secure the opening with clear packaging tape and tape the tag to the front
- If you don’t have original boxes, place baby bottles and accessories in ziploc bags and tape the tag on
- Purses, carriers and pumping bags can be secured and tagged using zip-ties
- Baby gear such as strollers, coloring easels, bouncers and more should have the tags taped to them
- Optional: Use bright or patterned duck tape to mark your hangers and other items. This is helpful if a buyer sees inventory of yours they want to purchase, they are likely to keep an eye out for more of your items by using this trick. This is also helpful during pick-up at the end of the event and will help you locate your items easier
Prep for Transport
To make things easier when dropping off your inventory to the sale, be sure to first sort your items into categories such as: home decor, toys, shoes, infant clothing (by size), maternity clothing. For storage, pack everything in large plastic bins to prevent wrinkling and disorganization along the way.
I hope these tips helped you as you prepared your items for your next kids consignment sale! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out and I would be honored to help.
Happy consigning and good luck!
