Do consignment stores (or Once Upon a Child) pay well?

[lilymaid]

I've never consigned anything before, so I'm a little curious as to how the pay is. I know Once Upon a Child buys outright, and I've read mixed reviews on them. I went to a OUAC for the first time yesterday, and I did notice that they were pricey on most things, and some things were priced inconsistently. For example, I found a cute little brag photo book, NIB for $1.00. Then I spotted the exact same book without a box. So I grabbed it, and turned it over, thinking it'd be priced even cheaper - wrong. $2.50. Weird, right? Needless to say, I bought the dollar one. I also bought a bag of hangers.

Surely some of you here have brought things to OUAC or consigned at a local shop! I want to hear your experiences selling. Is it 50/50, 60/40, or..?

Also, what things sell the best?

I'm asking because of this: I go thrift-store shopping quite a bit, and have a pretty good eye at deals (like most of us on this board!). I've purchased a blue Little Tikes piano for .50 & cleaned it up - saw one with a $4 price tag at a garage sale that wasn't as nice as mine. I've also purchased a Haba Moby wooden fish toy for .25 that sells for $14 new. Those are just a couple that come to mind ... So since I go thrift-store / garage sale shopping for my family anyway, I'm wondering if I should actively be looking for good deals to turn around and consign. Does anyone do this? Is it worth the effort?

Thanks!

Jill
lilymaid

[Tiffany]

IMO, they do not pay well. I'm sure it varies from area to area though.

[MrsPinecone]

Consignment pays better than OUAC. Both are very picky about brand and condition. I had a friend take BINS of stuff to OUAC and they picked out maybe 1/10th of it and offered her $12.

You'd probably do better on ebay or Craigslist.

[CheyFaith]

OUAC does not really pay well. They are very picky and really want just good name brand clothes and they don't give you much at all. If you are trying to resell, I agree you might do better on Craigslist or at a consignment shop or eBay.

[missdaisy118]

I took 2 giant rubbermaid bins there, full of NAME BRAND, NEARLY NEW stuff. They chose 26 items, and gave me $17. I am talking they took all the PERFECT stuff. Things that still had the retail tags on them! Now, not too long ago, I sold a lot of clothes on Craigslist, 36 pieces, for $40. Some of them were newer, some of them were "play" clothes, as they had a little wear. Point being, you will get more $$$ on Craigslist or the like than OUAC. Oh, and food for thought, newborn and 3-6 months will not sell nearly as well as say, 2t-3t. I guess because there is more supply of nearly new items for the wee ones, since they grow out of it so fast.

[frugalstafar]

the consignment I use is a 60/40 split with a $5 a year fee. I don't have a whole lot to sell anymore because my kids are bigger and don't have as much growing going on anymore. When they were younger and going through clothes at a faster rate I sold on ebay for more money. I have been considering finding stuff at thrift stores to sell but it has to be good enough to make money with getting just 40%. I did buy a vera bradley purse at another consignment for $14 and my dd hated it, I took it the consignment I sell at and she sold it in a couple days at $30. So I didn't make any money from it, I should have listed it on ebay.

[Words of Praise]

I just recently consigned for the first time and I was THRILLED with the outcome! However, I used a local, seasonal consignment sale - not consignment stores. Do you have any consignment sales during the spring and fall where you live? I took hardly anything in and make $87!! Now, I don't pick up things for the sole purpose of selling them, so I don't know how you'd do with that, but I just took in some of my son's items (which I'm now kicking myself for giving away for the last two years to my SIL, but some family things you just have to do...)

They gave me 2/3 of the sales, minus an $8 fee. I had to wash/press/cleanup and price the items myself - but since you are pricing them yourself, you get to set the prices and usually get more for them, way more, than at yard/garage sales. They have 25 and 50 percent off days, but you have the option of only selling your item/items at full price with no discounts or not. It is work to get everything ready, and to tag everything properly, but definately worth it in my book!! I can't wait to see how much I make in the fall sale!! HTH!

[NIGHTB1022]

Kids clothes do really well on ebay. Craigslist is kinda freaky 'cos you never know who is buying them and they are coming to your house.

Check out bonanzle.com, it's a new auctionhouse online and they are really doing well, and they are also dirt cheap on their fees.

[missdaisy118]

Originally Posted by NIGHTB1022 Craigslist is kinda freaky 'cos you never know who is buying them and they are coming to your house.

I have NEVER, nor would I, have someone come to my house.....I have sold many things on Craigslist, and I always arrange to meet in a public place. No One has ever had a problem with it, and in fact one woman was glad, because she had never bought anything from craigslist and was skeptical about meeting at a home. I would NEVER have a random person from the internet showing up at my house, knowing where I live, no way, Jose!

[cundiff2001]

ouac is very picky and doesn't offer too much for what they get. i used them a couple of times when we really needed money a few years back, but other than that, a yardsale is even a better deal, eps. if you can combine with a stockpile sale at the same time. i have even done private yardsales, inviting only friends and family and having it in my basement. i just set everything up like a store and put like sizes/seasoned clothes together. good luck!