Which Is the Best Consignment Option?

Updated on March 01, 2010
A.P. asks from Overland Park, KS
25 answers

I've read about Just Between Friends in OP, Here We Grow Again in Olathe, and Kids Closet Connection in OP. I have baby clothes size 12 months to age 4 inclsuing many brand names like Lelli Kelly, Kelly Kids, Baby Lulu, Gymboree etc. I also have custom made baby bedding, baby gear including a bed, swing, pack and play, high chair and so on. I'd like to get the most for my money, and am thinking of consigning over holding a garage sale.
Has anyone attended any of these shows? Consigned at them? Which was the best in your opinion? Would you recommend I do consignment?

6 moms found this helpful

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So What Happened?

Thank you for all the responses! I decided to consign with Kids Connection!
I'm ridding myself of ALL my baby gear and clothing! Pretty much everything I had saved wasGymboree, Gap, Baby Lulu,Nordstrom etc. I have size 12 months-4 so this seemed like the best way to hit all the items I have at once & get a little more than a store or garage sale.
Seriously, I've hung 300 things already! Where did it all come from!?!??

I also have a pack n play, Maclaren double stroller, picnic table, swing, new backpack carrier etc on Craigslist to see if I can sell it first before I consign it! What doesn't sell, will happily goto the consignment sale. Hopefully I won't have to bring too much home!

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T.H.

answers from Kansas City on

Hi A.,

My first experience with consignment events was this past fall. I attended one of the Kids Closet Connection events and it was absolutely the best children consignment shopping I have ever experienced.

I would highly recommend consigning with Kid's Closet Connection. They have a HUGE selection which attest to all of the consignors they have. They accept only top quality children's items and consignors set their own price so both parties walk away happy. Plus one of the benefits to cosigning or volunteering is that you get to shop 1st before the rest of the public.

I have found ebay and craigslist to be a bit of a hassle with mailing and prefer to view in person what I am buying.

Hope this helps and good luck!

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C.L.

answers from St. Louis on

Ebay! Thats where I sell all my boutique, and brand name like Chez Ami, Kelly Kids, Baby Lulu and such. You should get some pretty good money on those if you sell them in season especially! My baby lulu's I always get at least $20-25 for an outfit.

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S.S.

answers from Kansas City on

I would highly recommend consigning with Kid's Closet Connection. I am the owner and started this business 6 years ago. We were the first consignment sale in Kansas City and have a large database of thousands of satisfied shoppers and consigners. Our sale in Lenexa/Overland Park has been so successful that we now have 11 sales in Kansas and Missouri. Kid's Closet Connection prides itself on accepting only top quality children's items and providing exceptional customer service to our consignors and shoppers. We would love to have you consign at one or several of our sales, as you can use the same consignor number at all of our sales (no retagging involved)Consignors receive 70% of the selling price with a $12.50 consignor fee that is deducted from your proceeds after the sale. We would love for your to try us out to see what you think. If you are interested check out our website at www.kidscloset.biz or email ____@____.com. Thank you and hope to hear from you.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.S.

answers from Kansas City on

You've gotten a lot of great responses so far (which I will be keeping in mind myself!) In my experience, I took a stroller, high chair, and clothes to Children's Orchard (not the one in Olathe), and was disappointed in how many of the clothes they took. Many of them were brand new or had only been worn a couple times, but because they were not specific brands, they would not take them. I would only go with a place like this if you plan on spending the money you get at that store--because unless you get the store credit (they give you more), it's probably not a good return for your money.

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J.C.

answers from St. Louis on

Hi A.! I am a habitual garage sale and consignment person. I have had many garage sales. They are a ton of work, and in this day and age I have to say "NOT WORTH IT". It seems no one will buy quality stuff, or pay a decent price at my garage sales. I haven't had one for severeal years due to this fact. However, I have been taking my "Children's Re-Sale" items to Kids Closet Connection as a Consignor for 7 to 8 years. I get more money than at a garage sale (people pay more and don't try to offer less), and I don't have to set up and manage my own sale (takes days). I love Sharon who owns Kids Closet Connection. Her sale is quality, organized, and draws huge crowds. I bring home very few items for the many I take to her sales. I always get my check really quick after the sale, and now love it that whatever doesn't sell at her sale, I can take to one of the many other area sales. See www.kidscloset.biz

Hope that helps!

J.

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L.A.

answers from Lawrence on

I've been a consignor at Kid's Closet in Lawrence and Topeka! and I love it! I made a lot of money back & really felt like it was worth it for the work I put into it! I tried Just between friends years ago & thought it was disorginized & messy!
I really liked Tammy & her husband who run those sales & it was orginized, clean & they knew what they were doing! I think it all depends on the owner of each individual sale! And I think Kids Closet has a lot of perks to stay with that company! Good Luck!

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E.V.

answers from Kansas City on

I like childrens orchard in Olathe 119th and strang line, its in the AMC 30 parking lot.

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J.S.

answers from Memphis on

What about Craigslist? I've sold many items there and made decent money on most of them.

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L.B.

answers from St. Joseph on

If you are looking for the easiest way out then yes, best bang for your buck will be consignment. ONLY hold a garage sale on the lesser name brands...otherwise you will just end up giving it away for pennies on the dollar you paid for them. THE REAL MONEY to be made on the name brand stuff is to list it on ebay (ESPECIALLY the Gymboree stuff) If it's in excellent condition (i.e. no spots or tears) you'll get nearly what you paid for it.

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L.F.

answers from Kansas City on

I've participated in the Here We Grow Again in Olathe and it was marvelous. The gals who run the business are terrific. You can also mark your items for discount on the last day of the sale and let them know if you'd rather have them just take what doesn't sell & give it to a charity instead of having to bring all that stuff back into your house...unless you'd like to save it and try to sell it again at a later date. They were organized and that's the best part about these kinds of sales. I haven't volunteered yet, but I'm might try to during their next sell.

Tagging your items is easy on their website and I just bought card stock paper at Walmart. Good Luck!

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L.K.

answers from Kansas City on

A.,

I've done the Just Between Friends sales several times and have always had really good luck with them. I made alot more money than having a garage sale that's for sure.

L.

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J.H.

answers from St. Louis on

I haven't done anything with an actual consignment shop, but I was going to sell a brand new, never been used Graco double stroller (I paid $215 for it) to Once Upon a Child and they said they woudl give me $60.00 for it at the most. I'm not sure how consignment works, but I ended up selling it on Craigslist for much closer to what I paid for it.

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E.P.

answers from Kansas City on

I haven't tried it yet but I have heard that using Craigs list in conjuction with a garage sale (advertising what you are selling on Craigslist w/garage sale date) is a good option. I'm going to give it a shot this spring as we have a 3 year old girl and are expecting a boy in April...I'm done, hubby is getting fixed and I'm selling as much as I can!!!!!!! I'm so tired of having all this stuff cluttering up my house.

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B.C.

answers from Joplin on

A., I have sold thru several shops and I can tell you they all take a pretty good cut, if you actually have the time and want to make back some of the money...put it on ebay! It is so easy and you will get more money in the long run and it really is not that hard or that much more trouble than a consignment shop.
Lots of luck
B.
Heck even using a site like Craigs list you can make more than at the shops

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H.H.

answers from Kansas City on

consignment usually gives you 40 percent of the sale or that is what I have encountered in the past with consignment shops and then you have the problem of people breaking your items. I personally would list them on craigslist. Take pictures of each item and list it and the price you would like for it. I have bought really nice stuff on craigslist and have also sold things. It is free to use and don't have to deal with shipping. You don't have to babysit a garage sale all day and most of our stuff has been gone within a few hours of listing the item sometimes within minutes. Ebay is also another way to sell items but you have to pay them part of the sale which is not a lot and make sure you charge enough for shipping charges to have the item shipped.

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K.S.

answers from Kansas City on

hi A....i have sold clothes to consignment shops here in lee's summit and i also do the "just between friends" sale in overland park every year. i made more money at the "jbf" sale then i have selling to shops. i don't know which is better, but with the "jbf" sale you make your own prices and you make a certain percentage of whatever sells of your products. after the sale you can always take the stuff to the consignment shop to get money, but i just always figure that if i can price it myself and sell it for what i think it's worth, then i'm going to do that first. the "jbf" sale also has some great clothing, toys, etc to buy and it's fairly cheap. it's free to do it and definitely worth a shot. if you don't like it, then you don't have to do it next time. good luck to you!!! maybe i'll see ya at the op sale in march! :)

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A.S.

answers from Kansas City on

Hi A.. I too would strongly recommend Kids Closet Connection. I was a consignor in the Lenexa/OP area for five years and always made great money! The way it works is simple - you make your own tags online, you set your own prices, drop off your tagged items, and you earn back 70%. That ends up being a great return.

At garage sales I've always found that you can't price items at what they are worth. Even if you mark everything for a buck or two you still have to deal with haggling. I tried Ebay and hated having to take pictures of everything, post it all, pack and ship it at the close of the auction - and then still having to pay a bunch of fees for paypal and ebay. Craiglist I don't like either because I don't want a bunch of strangers coming to my house to look at everything. Finally, a typical consignment shop (like Children's Orchard or Once Upon a Child) will generally only take a small amount of what you try to drop off, and they will offer you very little for it.

I know many people that have had a great expereince with Kids Closet, and the gal that runs the sale in OP, Sharon, is wonderful. I think you'll find that it is a wonderful option for you!

Best of luck!

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M.S.

answers from Kansas City on

I think eBay is your best bet to make the most money! Especially for selling the name brands you have. Good luck!

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J.M.

answers from Kansas City on

I've been a consignor with Kids Closet for 5 years now. I LOVE it. I always make about $500 per sale (even after the 30%). I like it better than other sales because they are faster at the checkout, always allow kids at their sales (sounds crazy but some of the sales dont), more organized, and do not charge to get in. You should really check it out: www.kidscloset.biz . I know that you might not make $20 an outfit for baby lulu, but you set your price and stick to it.... you don't have to deal with people on CL not showing up, strangers in your home, or people trying to get you to come down in prices. I tried CL and ebay... but the correspondence and mailing pieces was a LOT of work for me... just my two cents! PS Kids Closet in Lenexa is the one I consign at.. they have been around longer than any other sale and are much bigger... FYI. Check out the pics on their website!

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T.I.

answers from Kansas City on

A., if you know how to list on eBay, I'd go that route. Craig's List...I hate even the idea of strangers showing up at your house so I've never used it for that reason. Boutique brands (even used) sell really well on eBay. You'll just have to pay some fees to sell, but other than that, you are in control of price, listing time, shipping, etc. Good luck!

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P.K.

answers from St. Louis on

I've taken stuff to Once Upon a Child and returned very disappointed, as they took way more than they gave. After that, I've sold on Ebay, and have had GREAT results! Baby stuff goes like crazy on there. Also, for things that are hard to ship, I'd try Craigs List...another great site. Pros on Ebay is that people will bid high on things they really want. Pros for Craigs List, no fees and no shipping, they come pick it up and pay! :) Hope that helps and good luck! p.s If you have boys clothes in that age range, I'd bid on them on Ebay! :)

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T.M.

answers from Kansas City on

As a long time consignor and shopper at consignment sales, I believe these are the best options. A consignment shop gives almost nothing for your stuff and only takes a select few items. Garage sales are a pain b/c you have to sit in the garage for 3 days and haggle for every penny. Plus, my kids always fell in love with all their old toys again and it was all I could do to let them go. I recommend Just Between Friends, kc.jbfsale.com, for consigning and shopping. They have lots of space, their tagging system is easy and you can check how your items are selling at the end of each day. They also sort your unsold items at the end of the sale so you just have to stop by and pick them up if you choose. Or you can donate any unsold items to Kansas Foster and Adoptive Children. The items go straight to the families in need and not to a thrift shop to be sold somewhere else. They also have a presale for consignors, volunteers, first-time moms, teachers, and military families. It is well organized and a great experience!

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A.J.

answers from St. Louis on

I am always looking for resale items for my daughter, who currently wears size 12-18 months & will be in 18-24 months this summer. If you've got anything interesting (& not very old)in that size range, let me know. I'm willing to pay better than most resale shops. I like hard to find brands like Baby Lulu rather than Gymboree, but St Louis (where I live) consignments are very hit or miss. If you have the spare time, drop me a line. If you did Craigslist, you could sell to a larger audiance than just garage sale or local consignment shops.

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T.P.

answers from Lawrence on

Hi, A.,
Personally, I would like to take this opportunity to tell you a little more about Kids Closet! First, there is no entrance fee for shoppers. I would never pay anything to shop! And, you~ as the consignor get 70% of your own items! Which is the way it should be! I love it! I consigned with Kids Closet for 5 years and was always thrilled when I received my check in the mail in a very short time! I had tried all the others and Kids Closet was the best! And let's not forget Kids Closet is the original Consignment shop in Kansas City, so the following of Consignors and Shoppers is huge! But, I have to be honest, I am now an owner of Kids Closet in Lawrence & Topeka! (I Don't want to mislead you! :) That's how much I loved this business and company! My consignors have told me over and over that Kids Closet is much better than the others they have tried! I cater to my consignors & try to give them ownership of their own sale! We have so much fun and have even made some great friends! Give us a try, I know you won't regret it! Good Luck!

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S.B.

answers from Kansas City on

I know you probably want the money, but if you would ever consider a tax-decutible donation, the "Newborns in Need" program will take all of your baby things (except for car seats). Here is their web site for you or anyone else reading this who is interested: http://www.newbornsinneed.org/kc/html/what_is_needed.html

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