Consignment Sales - Tips for a First Time Seller

I'm a JBF girl myself. One thing I would suggest, is if at all possible, volunteer. When you volunteer you make a larger percentage on your sold items than you would if you didn't AND you get to shop the sale earlier than the general public.
Straight consignment = 65% of your total sales
Consign + Volunteer = 70% of your total sales
Consign + Volunteer + Refer 3 friends = 75% (at least at the FTW sale)
Consign + Volunteer + Refer 5 friends = 80% (at least at the FTW sale)
I have only volunteered at the Fort Worth sale (largest in the area: http://swfortworth.jbfsale.com/pages/home). The ladies who own it are P. and Joanie and are WONDERFUL! I typically only look to make enough on my sold items to purchase that season's wardrobe for my boys and it usually works out just perfect. Hope this was helpful.

Honestly, all of them are pretty picky anymore. They only thing I can suggest is wash and iron the clothes. When you Iron it makes them look newer. Also lay them in a box in sets. Dont just throw them in a garbage bag. I have found I get better deals when I do this. Once Upon A Child seems to be the worse at being picky. They wont take anything that more than a year old. I took a Ralph Lauren dress in there that still had the tags on it that someone bought my daughter. She out grew it before the season came around for her to wear it. They turned it down saying i was last years style.

There are plenty of JBF's in the Metroplex they varie in sizes. Check them out on Facebook for comments. I too am JBF girl and understand that there are others out there to select from. Do a little review and hopefully you will make some money this fall.
http://arlington.jbfsale.com/ will be in 25,000 square feet in Arlington.

I would check that you want the items back if they dont sell. I did ONE consignment sale and had lots of wonderful items I was sure would sell. From the check I got back, it seemed that very few sold. I had some very expensive boutique clothing that did not sell. I wish I had gotten it back, instead of leaving it with the consignment organizer.

I have done the JBF sales five times and am very happy with the results. I always do the ones in Arlington so don't know about the others.

I agree, Once Upon a Child is too picky. They have turned away brand new items with tags more than once. I won't go there anymore. I totally love Rhea Lana. They do 2 sales a year in Frisco, but there are others around...just find the website. It's a little bit of work to tag your items and log them into the computer, but once you get the hang of it it's super easy. You choose your own price and can choose which items you want to keep or donate if they don't sell. I even volunteered to help clean up for the last sale and everyone is SOOOO nice. I keep a laundry basket in a corner of the office to put stuff that will go to the next sale.

I think this link will solve some of your questions. http://consignmentmommies.com/ Here you will find a list of all consigments in your area. In my opinion Divine Consing and JBF are the most famous but not necesarily you will sell more. I have consign on 5 different consigments and I sell pretty much the same amount.

I love JBFMesquite sale. the next one is the fall sale in September, the first week I think. Only be accepting fall and winter clothes and shoes, so remember that when your preparing your items. Do volunteer and get more %, and be the first to shop. Check it out. JBFSale.com. Clothes will be inspected and so will shoes, don't bring anything torn or stained or they will not take it. Don't bring anything that you wouldn't buy if you were shopping is the best way to look at it. Happy Consigning!

I too am a JBF fan! I do the Fort Worth and Arlington sale and have had great experiences with both. I do suggest volunteering so you can earn more money and shop early. Also know that if you are unable to actually volunteer, there are barters you can do in lieu of volunteering. You'll still earn the extra money and the privilige to shop early. The key is to know the calendar and when the volunteer and barter opportunities open up because they go fast (especially Fort Worth because they are the largest in the metroplex).

Another tip to offer up is to start preparing your items now so that you feel less overwhelmed than by trying to prepare at the last minute. I'll be honest, your first time preparing might seem a little time-consuming and overwhelming BUT it gets easier, faster and definitely more rewarding.

Another tip ... people usually sell a ton of infant clothes so either price to sell (you have to let go of the sentimental value) or be prepared to be disappointed when infant clothes don't do as well as you expected. Spend your time preparing the name brand items (Children's Place, Gymboree, Osh Kosh, etc. vs. Carters, Jumpin Beans/Kohls, Okie Doke/JC Penney, etc.) because that is where you will get more bang for your buck.

There is so much more I can share (I'm pretty into this stuff) so please feel free to email me (____@____.com) if you'd like to hear more.