What should you sell at the TotSwap Consignment Sale?
So many times consignors just think clothing...yes, clothing is great to sell at any of our events, but shoppers are looking for a lot more!
Here is a list of our top 10 hottest items:
10. Sports Equipment
9. Furniture - childrens sets, toddler beds, etc.
8. Higher end brand name clothing (Gymboree, Ralph Lauren, Hannah Anderson, Lilly Pulitzer, etc.)
7. Books - for ALL ages, not just childrens anymore!
6. Educational Games/Toys/Books
5. Video Games & DVDs
4. Baby Equipment - strollers, pack n plays, high chairs, etc.]
3. Games & Puzzles (with ALL pieces)
2. Outdoor toys - bikes, play equipment, etc.
1. Toys of all size, but particularly large toys and outdoor toys
Start by tagging these items first, this will ensure that they get tagged in time for the sale. Leave your smaller and less profitable items for last!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Tipsy Tuesday - Why Consign
It's Tipsy Tuesday! Most of the kids are back in school and I hope everyone had an amazing holiday break! Now it's time for many of us to get into the swing of things and register to consign at one of our Spring Sales!
Consignors sell their items for a number of different reasons...here are a few of them and if you were on the fence, maybe one of them will convince you to give it a try if you haven't done it before:
1. Earn some spending money - My guess would be that the number one reason why families consigns is to make $$. We spend a lot on our kids including school, activities, clothing, toys, food, etc. So why not try to get a little of that money back on items that are in great shape? Consignor checks vary from as small as $10 to as high as $1500!!
2. Clean out their basements, closets, etc. - Kids toys and clothing takes up a TON of space...doesn't it always feel so great when you can purge and clean out your house of items you no longer use? Consigning is a great way to get paid for cleaning!! :)
3. Recycling - So many of the kid toys on the market are made of plastic and it would feel so strange to just throw a toy away...what a waste!! Consigning is an excellent way to recycle your unwanted toys, clothing, equipment and more!
Why do you consign? Please share your reasons with other moms!
Consignors sell their items for a number of different reasons...here are a few of them and if you were on the fence, maybe one of them will convince you to give it a try if you haven't done it before:
1. Earn some spending money - My guess would be that the number one reason why families consigns is to make $$. We spend a lot on our kids including school, activities, clothing, toys, food, etc. So why not try to get a little of that money back on items that are in great shape? Consignor checks vary from as small as $10 to as high as $1500!!
2. Clean out their basements, closets, etc. - Kids toys and clothing takes up a TON of space...doesn't it always feel so great when you can purge and clean out your house of items you no longer use? Consigning is a great way to get paid for cleaning!! :)
3. Recycling - So many of the kid toys on the market are made of plastic and it would feel so strange to just throw a toy away...what a waste!! Consigning is an excellent way to recycle your unwanted toys, clothing, equipment and more!
Why do you consign? Please share your reasons with other moms!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Tipsy Tuesday - Getting Your Kids Involved!
It's Tipsy Tuesday! For most of us, the kids are off between Christmas and New Years so it can be a hard time to get your items organized and tagged for the sale season. Here is a tip I learned from Laura L., a great consignor, volunteer & shopper...get your kids involved!!
Kids are getting new clothes and toys at this time of year so have them help you clean out what they currently have to make room for the new. Put your old things away in bins or bags by season and size. If clothing or toys have missing pieces, tears, stains, etc. put them in the recycle bin now! They should only be sold or donated to organizations that can recycle them in a useful way.
Have your kids help you by going through their toys/clothes and pulling out what they no longer use or want. Can you encourage them to help you by earning a few dollars on these things? What a great lesson to teach your kids at a young age!
I have three kids so I find my kids to be super helpful when it comes to sorting through their books. From the oldest to the youngest, what my oldest no longer wants he passes down to his 2 siblings and eventually my youngest has this HUGE pile of books!! I know that I can go through his books each season (he's too little to do it on his own) and pull out a bunch for resale!
Having your kids help you can be tricky because often time they discover a new found LOVE for a toy that haven't played with in ages! This can be good because it brings life to an old toy, but usually by the next day they have forgotten about it and then it "somehow" ends up in the sell pile! :)
Kids are getting new clothes and toys at this time of year so have them help you clean out what they currently have to make room for the new. Put your old things away in bins or bags by season and size. If clothing or toys have missing pieces, tears, stains, etc. put them in the recycle bin now! They should only be sold or donated to organizations that can recycle them in a useful way.
Have your kids help you by going through their toys/clothes and pulling out what they no longer use or want. Can you encourage them to help you by earning a few dollars on these things? What a great lesson to teach your kids at a young age!
I have three kids so I find my kids to be super helpful when it comes to sorting through their books. From the oldest to the youngest, what my oldest no longer wants he passes down to his 2 siblings and eventually my youngest has this HUGE pile of books!! I know that I can go through his books each season (he's too little to do it on his own) and pull out a bunch for resale!
Having your kids help you can be tricky because often time they discover a new found LOVE for a toy that haven't played with in ages! This can be good because it brings life to an old toy, but usually by the next day they have forgotten about it and then it "somehow" ends up in the sell pile! :)
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Tipsy Tuesday - Where to Start
It's Tipsy Tuesday! Since a lot of consignors are just getting started with tagging for the new sale season I wanted to catch you early on with these great tips when entering your items into the online system.
1. Organize your items - In my opinion, this is half the battle! Once you can organize your items by category (clothing, toys, shoes, etc) entering and tagging is a piece of cake! When organizing your clothing in particular, make sure you seperate them by gender and size. If you do this, you will breeze through the entering process online!
2. To Discount or Not to Discount? - By clicking the little box next the word "Discount" on the tag screen, you are agreeing to sell that item for 50% off on our Discount day. I strongly recommend taking advantage of this option. You would be amazed at the number of times shoppers come back to the sale over the weekend particularly on our first & last sale days! By discounting your are getting that last push to sell your item - you don't want to bring it home do you? If you are planning on donating, then it would silly NOT to discount! I see so many items being donated on Monday that would probably have sold if they had been discounted on Sunday. You aren't planning on picking your item up anyway, so you might as well try to sell it on Sunday.
3. Gather your tools - I have that includes packaging tape, tagging gun, barbs & blue painters tape. This along with cardstock is pretty much all I need to get my items tagged! I keep it in the same place so I know where to find it each season. I might end up grabbing a few other things, but this is mostly all I need.
I find that the most efficient way to enter items is a little bit at a time. Most of my items are pre-organized b/c I do that as I am cleaning out the kids closet. When I start tagging I usually grab a bin/bag of clothing and bring it to my computer. My favorite time to tag is after the kids are in bed in front of the television. I enter the bag/bin, print the tags, and then attach them to the items! That's it! I am done! This way I can tackle as much or as little as I want at a time without getting confused on where the tags belong.
I could go on and on with more entering tips, but will save some additional suggestions for the next Tipsy Tuesday!
1. Organize your items - In my opinion, this is half the battle! Once you can organize your items by category (clothing, toys, shoes, etc) entering and tagging is a piece of cake! When organizing your clothing in particular, make sure you seperate them by gender and size. If you do this, you will breeze through the entering process online!
2. To Discount or Not to Discount? - By clicking the little box next the word "Discount" on the tag screen, you are agreeing to sell that item for 50% off on our Discount day. I strongly recommend taking advantage of this option. You would be amazed at the number of times shoppers come back to the sale over the weekend particularly on our first & last sale days! By discounting your are getting that last push to sell your item - you don't want to bring it home do you? If you are planning on donating, then it would silly NOT to discount! I see so many items being donated on Monday that would probably have sold if they had been discounted on Sunday. You aren't planning on picking your item up anyway, so you might as well try to sell it on Sunday.
3. Gather your tools - I have that includes packaging tape, tagging gun, barbs & blue painters tape. This along with cardstock is pretty much all I need to get my items tagged! I keep it in the same place so I know where to find it each season. I might end up grabbing a few other things, but this is mostly all I need.
I find that the most efficient way to enter items is a little bit at a time. Most of my items are pre-organized b/c I do that as I am cleaning out the kids closet. When I start tagging I usually grab a bin/bag of clothing and bring it to my computer. My favorite time to tag is after the kids are in bed in front of the television. I enter the bag/bin, print the tags, and then attach them to the items! That's it! I am done! This way I can tackle as much or as little as I want at a time without getting confused on where the tags belong.
I could go on and on with more entering tips, but will save some additional suggestions for the next Tipsy Tuesday!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Tipsy Tuesday - Identifying your Tags
Now that consignors are starting to register & tag I thought it would be a great time to start...Tipsy Tuesday!! I will share a tip with you and feel free to share your tips here as well...
Why not use a unique color for your tag? Or identify them in some way to make them unique? It is harder on your eyes to look for your blue striped shirt, white polke dot shirt, plaid pants, etc. If your eyes are just looking for a particular tag it will help you to find your clothing items more quickly!
1. Tags don't all have to be white...our scanners can read most tag colors EXCEPT DARK COLOR, stay away from neons & dark shades. Pastels are a great choice or if you are a scrapbooker, you might know where to find unique cardstock colors (AC Moore, Micheals, etc.).2. Scissors - why not try to cut your tags using a pair of scissors with a different kind of an edge! There are a lot of inexpensive scissors you can get that will cut your tags with some sort of rickrack or wavy edge!3. Sticker or Stamp your tags -After you have printed your tags, stamp or stick them with a character, initial or design that is unique. I prefer the stamp b/c you can use it over and over and it never really needs to be replaced.
4. Mark your hanger - Instead of looking for a particular tag, looking for a ribbon or piece of yarn that is attached to your hanger. I do want to warn you that it is not as fool proof as marking your tags! Items fall off of their hangers all of the time throughout the weekend. They are not always placed back on the same hanger. For that reason I don't recommend this option as highly, but it is a good way to grab a handful of your items quickly at pick-up!Once you have picked your "theme", stick with it! You can use the same supplies from sale to sale and then you won't have to remember what you used last season. You will always know to look for the pastel blue wavy edged tag with the "G" stamp on them! This little bit of extra work will make your pick up process go much quicker!
Why not use a unique color for your tag? Or identify them in some way to make them unique? It is harder on your eyes to look for your blue striped shirt, white polke dot shirt, plaid pants, etc. If your eyes are just looking for a particular tag it will help you to find your clothing items more quickly!
1. Tags don't all have to be white...our scanners can read most tag colors EXCEPT DARK COLOR, stay away from neons & dark shades. Pastels are a great choice or if you are a scrapbooker, you might know where to find unique cardstock colors (AC Moore, Micheals, etc.).2. Scissors - why not try to cut your tags using a pair of scissors with a different kind of an edge! There are a lot of inexpensive scissors you can get that will cut your tags with some sort of rickrack or wavy edge!3. Sticker or Stamp your tags -After you have printed your tags, stamp or stick them with a character, initial or design that is unique. I prefer the stamp b/c you can use it over and over and it never really needs to be replaced.
4. Mark your hanger - Instead of looking for a particular tag, looking for a ribbon or piece of yarn that is attached to your hanger. I do want to warn you that it is not as fool proof as marking your tags! Items fall off of their hangers all of the time throughout the weekend. They are not always placed back on the same hanger. For that reason I don't recommend this option as highly, but it is a good way to grab a handful of your items quickly at pick-up!Once you have picked your "theme", stick with it! You can use the same supplies from sale to sale and then you won't have to remember what you used last season. You will always know to look for the pastel blue wavy edged tag with the "G" stamp on them! This little bit of extra work will make your pick up process go much quicker!
Friday, September 25, 2009
The volunteers are AMAZING!
Wow! TotSwap was CRAZY yesterday!
As soon as the doors opened in the morning the consignors were coming in with vans and SUVs full of stuff and the Volunteers were putting things away almost as fast as they were getting unpacked. It was AMAZING! Denise has really got a great group of hard working folks for volunteers.
I haven't any idea how many shoppers there were last night but it certainly seemed like it was a lot! After some initial technical glitches, Robyn had 5 registers up and running for 6 hours straight!
A lot of items sold last night but there are certainly more good finds to be had today and through the weekend. I'm sure I'll see things on Sunday that I hadn't seen before just because there is SO much to look at that I can't see everything, even on multiple days.
I'm already thinking ahead to the next sale Columbus Day weekend. I have some books that I made tags for but didn't get time to put them on the books so I'll take care of that this weekend (in the evening when I'm not at TotSwap) and then I'll look around and see what else I can find to sell and find space in my house.
As soon as the doors opened in the morning the consignors were coming in with vans and SUVs full of stuff and the Volunteers were putting things away almost as fast as they were getting unpacked. It was AMAZING! Denise has really got a great group of hard working folks for volunteers.
I haven't any idea how many shoppers there were last night but it certainly seemed like it was a lot! After some initial technical glitches, Robyn had 5 registers up and running for 6 hours straight!
A lot of items sold last night but there are certainly more good finds to be had today and through the weekend. I'm sure I'll see things on Sunday that I hadn't seen before just because there is SO much to look at that I can't see everything, even on multiple days.
I'm already thinking ahead to the next sale Columbus Day weekend. I have some books that I made tags for but didn't get time to put them on the books so I'll take care of that this weekend (in the evening when I'm not at TotSwap) and then I'll look around and see what else I can find to sell and find space in my house.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Gaitherburg is Just Around the Corner!
Wow! Time has flown and the Gaithersburg sale is this week! I still have a few bins of things to get entered and tagged but I'm on course to get most of my things dropped off on Wednesday and do the "clean up" Wednesday night to take up with me on Thursday when I volunteer. I'll probably be up late tonight entering things so I can tag them all tomorrow night after work but a few nights of shortened sleep are well worth it in the end.
Did you see that Robyn increased the consignor split from the spring sales for folks who volunteer for 2 or more shifts? 60% is a pretty nice deal...and more than the local consignment stores offer!
I'm sure I'll come across more things to sell at the other sales to (I'm planning on selling and volunteering at all 4). Once I get everything up to Gaithersburg I'm going to start looking around for housewares to sell at the other sales.
See you all in a few days!
Did you see that Robyn increased the consignor split from the spring sales for folks who volunteer for 2 or more shifts? 60% is a pretty nice deal...and more than the local consignment stores offer!
I'm sure I'll come across more things to sell at the other sales to (I'm planning on selling and volunteering at all 4). Once I get everything up to Gaithersburg I'm going to start looking around for housewares to sell at the other sales.
See you all in a few days!
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