How to tag things

In my last post I mentioned how I'm planning on wrapping my peg puzzles for sale which made me thing that I should offer my "tricks" for tagging things that will make everyone's life a lot easier. Keep in mind that when people buy an item, at the cash stand we remove the tag from the item. We have to be able to get the tag off the item so please do not attach it to be able to survive a nuclear bombing. Any of you who have worked detagging know what I mean.

So, here are some suggestions:

Books/Games/Videos (or anything with a paper-like cover that can tear) - Use painter's tape (1st choice) or masking tape to adhere the tag on two sides. Painter's tape is the least likely to tear the cover so it is what I use all the time. Don't use packing tape, or even scotch tape, as it will almost surely tear the cover. Oh, and if you are selling VHS tapes, you might want to use a piece of painter's tape across the bottom of the cover so the tape can't fall out.

Toys - Don't have any loose parts! Use ziploc bags for anything that could be a loose part. Depending on the toy, use a zip-tie or tape to attach the ziploc to the main part of the toy. Again, see the note above about books and games -- remember, don't use packing tape on paper and this includes labels on toys. That Cozy Coupe sure would have been cute if the packing tape didn't pull the stickers off the headlights... Just be wise about where you attach your tag and whether it will do any damage when it is being removed.

Shoes - Again, ziploc bags. Put the pairs in the ziplocs so people can see the shoes. Affix the tag to the outside of the ziploc with packing tape BUT be sure there is an edge that we can get a hold of -- don't cover it completely with tape because we'll end up having to cut through the bag to get the tag off. I usually tape my bags shut and if it is oversized for the shoes, I will usually roll up one side so the shoes fit the bag a little tighter.

Clothes - Do not use straight pins (the ones you would use for sewing). Use either safety pins or a tagging gun to put your tags onto the clothes. Tagging guns work really well and you can buy them through TotSwap or at a fabric/crafts store. Look at the instructions on the TotSwap site to see where to affix the tags and how to hang your items.

I have an old diaper box with all of my TotSwap supplies in it -- ziploc bags of various sizes, safety pins, tagging gun, scissors, painter's tape, packing tape, zip ties and plastic wrap. The box will be in our living room for the next three weeks or so because I usually will enter items one night and then spend the next night tagging things while I watch TV after the kids go to bed :-)

A bit off course...

Ah, high hopes! Well, I had a great plan but I let my life take me a bit off course. Time to hunker down and get to work now because I still have time before the Gaithersburg sale. I'm looking at my 1500 items goal as a bit overambitious, but we'll see... The more I get tagged for Gaithersburg, the better chance I have of it selling this spring because I'm planning on consigning at all three of the spring sales. Afterall, once I have everything tagged, why not? It won't earn me any money if I just bring it home and put it all back up in the attic!

I definitely need to take advantage of today being a holiday but the babysitter is open -- BTW, did I mention in my last blog that I work full time? :-)

So, I'm almost done transferring items over from previous sales -- I have just one storage tub left! Then it is on to entering new items. I planned ahead for this though, and sorted things into spring/summer and fall/winter when I took them out of my daughters' closets and dressers so I am somewhat organized. LOL

My goals for this week are: transfer over the items in the last bin, enter the spring/summer things that came out of my daughters' closets over the last year, sign up for my volunteer hours (I definitely want to get in on the 8 hour volunteer presale), and prepare our peg puzzles for sale.

I've found that peg puzzles seem to sell really well at the sales and since my girls have outgrown them, it is time to pass them on! The best way to package them for sale is by wraping them in plastic wrap (Saran Wrap or the like) so they can be seen full assembled. Be sure to tape the edges of the wrap down so pieces can't fall out. People don't buy puzzles as quickly when the pieces are in a bag (probably because they don't want to take the time to figure out if all the pieces are there). I can sit one night and wrap puzzles while I watch TV :-)

Next week I'm on to books and the playroom so I really have to keep on task this week!