Preparing your items to SELL ONLINE!
We want you to be successful as one of our consignors. So please use this information to help you prep your items for our sale. Taking a few minutes to make sure you clean and organize your items will benefit you by making your items more desirable to purchase and bring in more money to you!
Tips for Preparing Items
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Everything MUST be CLEAN.
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Wash all clothing, bedding, and anything made of cloth - Check for damage, stains, rips, tears, missing buttons and snaps.
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Wipe down all toys. Sanitize with Lysol/Clorox wipes. The cleaner they are, the newer they look, and the better they will sell.
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Clean and like new items appeal to shoppers, and YOU will SELL MORE!
Got Clothes? - This is my personal strategy for organizing clothes to sell...
You have this huge pile of unsorted clothes. It seems overwhelming, and where do you start? We all know the feeling. These are the steps I use to get my clothing items ready for a sale.
Work in the evening after the kids go to bed and only work for an hour or two in a night. Doing a little bit at a time will make this less overwhelming.
If you have to stop before taking photos your items, use clean garbage bags to put each size into a different bag until you return to prepping for the sale another evening.
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First, wash all the clothes.
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Sort them by size and gender. Remember that you go with the smallest size on the tag. Example “6-9 month” items go into the 6 month pile. And if the item is gender neutral, put with the boy’s clothing pile. Do this in the room with the best lighting in your house.
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LOOK for stains, rips, worn knees, missing buttons and any other items that need to be set aside in the “Not For Sale” (NFS) pile.
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If they are wrinkled, now is the time iron. You can also use wrinkle release or put them in the dryer for a few minutes with a wet towel.
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Next, hang the clothing items or lay them out flat. Clothes look better hung and sell better. Button, snap and close zippers. Look for more stains, missing buttons, snaps, broken zippers and put to the side with the earlier NFS pile. Keep each size and gender pile separate as you are hanging.
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Take the NFS items from step 3 and 5. Try stain treatment methods on the stained clothing (see Item Prep page for more information on stains) and wash them again. If there is a button to be sewed on, do your sewing. Any items that cannot be fixed, should be disposed of.
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Put all the piles away hanging in an extra closet, in a box or storage bin. Only leave out the pile(s) you want to inventory and take photos of that evening.
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When entering tags, start with one pile of clothes. You know that everything in that pile is the same gender and size, so all you really change is item description and prices as you go through the pile. Log in and input items.
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As you finish entering the item, make a new pile of entered items face down. Adding the next entered item on top of the first item still face down. Continuing on through the whole pile keeping them in the order (this will make taking photos and attaching them to the correct item faster; items will be in same order as your pile).
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When you have finished entering everything in the pile, turn over the entered stack (the stack with everything face down). Now they are in order from first entered item on top to the last item entered on the bottom.
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Take photos. The items in your online inventory will be in the same order as your stack of clothes! NO need to hunt through the pile for were that one item went to.
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Keep that post-it note with the size and gender on the first hanger of each group. Put them back in an empty closet, storage bin, or box. This post-it note will assist you with drop-off.
How to Take Photos of Hanging Clothing Items
When hanging and taking photos clothing, it is important to make sure your lighting is good and nothing else is visible in the photo.
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Launder & press your clothes. The better it looks the more customers are willing to pay. Please note: Ironing is not required but extremely wrinkled clothing will not sell as fast as smooth, cared-for clothing.
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Clothing on hangers sells better as they look better. Your items do not NEED to be on hangers.
For non clothing items, please make sure there is little to no packaging in the photos. Socks should be laid out so both are visible. If you are selling a set of 3 pants, make sure all three are visible. You may have ONE photo per item. Make sure your photo sells your item!
Preparing Toys, Furniture, Bedding, Books and more
Make sure that all toys are clean. All parts need to be included, and toys must be in working order! If they require batteries, please replace with fresh batteries so toys can be tested by customers once purchased. If an item does not work, the customer will not take it home and it will be returned to you.
Small Toys
Make sure all parts are visible.
Multiple Piece Items
Group items together.
Large Items with Extra Pieces
Both equipment and furniture are very popular items and do well at consignment sales if they are presented & priced well. Be realistic with pricing, if a shopper can pay just a little more and get it brand new, the item probably will not sell.
Also, with these types of items the more information you can provide a buyer the better. If your item is a higher end brand or has special features, note these on the description.
Please note that you will be required to assemble anything that requires set-up. Examples include: bassinets, port-a-cribs, changing tables, swings, slides etc.
Outdoor Toys
Outdoor toys should be cleaned (and pressure washed when possible). You can take them to your local self-service car wash and use the pressure washing wand.
Puzzles
Assemble puzzles and count pieces to verify it is a complete set before taking a photo.
Games
Check games to make sure all pieces are included.
Books
DO NOT put them in plastic bags! DO NOT tape them together. This ruins the covers when the tape is removed. If you are grouping multiple books together please use a heavy twine or string. Tie the twine around your items as if you would tie a bow on a boxed present. This will catch the items on all sides and prevent them from separating. Make sure to take photos BEFORE tying them together.
Be sure to be detailed in your description (list all books to be sold together on the tag)! Write the titles of each book in your set.
If the book was previously owned by a library, it must be stamped "withdrawn" or "discarded". Otherwise it still belongs to that library and will be rejected during inspection. Unstamped lawfully purchased books can be stamped by contacting the library they were purchased from.
CDs & DVDs
Please make sure that the correct CD/DVD is in the correct case. Please check the back of your DVD's for scratches and cleanliness!
Bedding
It is best to include a picture of the set on a bed!
Blankets
Perfect for folding and laying flat for photos.
Toys, Furniture, Equipment
All must be clean and in working order (batteries included – the dollar store sells batteries for $1.00). The better they look, the faster they'll sell!
Car Seats
Car seats must be 4 years or newer, please check the expiration date printed on the seat. We can NOT accept car seats that have been in an accident, even minor ones. Please remove your cover & straps and WASH THEM! It might look clean to you, but once it's under our lights we'll see every spot!
Video Games/ Handheld Games
Please make sure that the correct game is in the correct case. Make sure your games are in working condition.
Other Toys
A dead battery on a Barbie Jeep may keep the item from selling. For the price of a $30.00 battery at a discount store, you can easily sell the item for $75.00 if in good to excellent condition. Keep in mind that most manufactures sell replacement parts via their website.
When in doubt about how to tag an item, please email us to ask!
Shoes
We ask that you sell only your best. Shoes must be clean and look like new. Shoes that are dirty or have scuff marks will not be accepted into the sale (they just do not sell).
Shoes are very desirable. These are one of our highest selling items. Make sure they are clean. The better they look, the faster they will sell.