How to Sell Clothes on Consignment

A good way to save money on clothing is to sell the items you no longer want, then use the earnings to buy some of your new items. Instead of dealing with garage sales that are minimally successful or listing each piece one at a time on an online auction site, consider selling your clothes on consignment. Here are tips on how to sell clothes on consignment.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Choose a store with great traffic and that is not overcrowded with items. You want your items to be discovered and purchased. Visit the stores in person and check the prices of what is sold in the store. Decide if you are willing to accept that amount for your items. If you feel that items are being sold for too little or that the clothes you have are different from the ones in the consignment shop, check other shops until you find a match.

2. Prepare your clothing for sale. Gather the clothes you no longer want and sort them by seasons, such as spring/summer and fall/winter. Store away the clothes that are not in season since consignment shops are only interested in clothes that will sell now, not in 6 months. Examine each piece of clothing for stains and damage. Even if the clothes only have minor problems, such as since consignment stores want only clothes in like-new condition.

3. Find out what your favorite consignment shops are looking to sell. They may specialize in particular sizes, price points or brands of clothing. They may cater to only men, women or children.

4. Make an appointment with your consignment shop to present your items for sale. Don’t just walk in because they may be busy and will not give you the attention you need. Find out in advance if they want you to price you clothes yourself or if they want to assign prices. At this appointment, they will examine your clothes and have you sign a contract for the terms of the sale.

5. Keep a record of the items that you leave in the store for sale, as well as the sale prices. It will help if you already have the items inventoried when you arrive in the store.

6. Check in at least once a week during your sales period to see what has sold and what has not. Check the missing items against your inventory list and check with the clerk or owner for sales records. Take note of any items that the price has been marked down on. Pick up your items and your money when the consignment period ends or when your items have sold.

Tips & Warnings

• If stores insist that salable items be sent to a thrift store, you should be wary. Many people have found that very valuable items were not salable and were donated. There is no way to know whether or not this actually happened.