Consignment Shops - "The How To"

Some of us have kids that trash their clothes and some of us have kids that are "gentle" on them. For those of us that have "gently used clothes", there is an option for all those too small left overs. Consignment is my new philosophy for organization. Now that may not make sense, but one of my recent issues is what to do with all of the clothes that are left over once my youngest reaches a new size.

I called around to 3 different consignment stores to get the low down on the in's and out's. After trial and error on my part, here are the questions to ask when first-time consigning:
1. What day/hours do you accept clothing?
2. How many items are they accepting at a time?
3. What season of clothing is being accepted now and until what date (example: shorts, sleeveless tops are taken in June).
4. Is the store a true consignment store or do they buy clothes? A consignment store is where you have a code and when your clothes sell then you receive a credit/cash. A store that buys clothes will buy the clothes from you on the spot.
5. Do you provide the clothes on hangers or do they only want you to use theirs? This is a time-saver knowing whether to bring them on hangers or hang them once you get there.

Once you have the answers to these questions, then the next step is selecting the clothes you would like to consign. Assuming they are clean, then the next step is to review them for buttons and make sure they are in working order. Lastly, take the time to press them. Pressing = Ironing. I had not used an iron in awhile and this is most daunting part of the process for me.

Now comes the fun part, the game of consigning. It is almost like gambling for me. I drop off my perfectly pressed and adorable clothes and then check back to see if I scored. Sometimes someone will bite and take home your child's favorite shirt and other times I am out of luck. But the fun never ends and even though the credit/cash that you receive is not gold it can still be turned around for "new" clothes for your family or other treasures you might come across.