Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Consignment Sale finds

I already spoke about selling my items at the consignment sale. I found a few great items for resale too! Some items I look for include security blankets, Halloween costumes, retired children's toys, shoes and high end clothing. I was lucky enough at this last sale to find the following:

Fisher Price Cookie Puzzle - this was my son's favorite puzzle and I found out how expensive they were when I wanted to buy one for a friend's child

Babystyle Octopus Costume - Obviously a very seasonal item, but always a favorite

Bear-Headed Tiddliwinks Lovey - I buy any lovey in this style that I find for less than $3

Halo Sleepsacks - I find these sell best in lots of two or more.

I also found a few clothing items that I will be taking to our local high end consignment store. My time is in short supply right now so I'm taking advantage of the easier way out!

Most of these sales have 1/2 price during the second day so don't forget to come back for that!

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Kid's Consignment Sales

I participated in a childrens consignment sale this past weekend. I both consigned and shopped. These sales are often hosted by a group of women, some are franchised so the names are similar across the country. They are often held in the fall and spring and attract hundreds of people to the sale. Most people sell their childrens' clothing, toys, books, crib bedding, blankets, strollers, high chairs ~ you name iit, they are selling it. I didn't sell anything that belonged to either of my children. I sold items that I had purchased previously at thrift stores and garage sales. As a consigner, you often receive 70-75% of the cost of your item.

An example from last weekend's sale:

Pooh Plush Deluxe Costume similar to this one.


This costume retails for $39.99 online. I bought one for $4 at a local thrift store. I sold it for $10 at the sale this weekend. Now, this is a small profit item - I netted $3. However, I didn't have to invest a lot of time in selling this costume. I could have made more by selling it on eBay, but it was bulky and would have been hard to ship. Plus, the photographs of the costume without the child look a little strange and not horribly appealing.

Multiply this small profit - I sold shoes, costumes and clothing - by 100 items and I've earned $300 for some shopping (that I love to do!), an evening of prep work and an hour of drop-off /pick-up at the sale.

Stay tuned for my next post about buying at a consignment sales for resale.

Introduction

I'm starting this blog as a way to share tips and tricks I've learned over the last few years. I love to shop - ok, I really love to shop. My family and friends that helped us move into our new home last year would agree! When I was on maternity leave with my son, I discovered an online community of eBay sellers. I was hooked immediately. I get to shop, sell and earn money!

So, stick around and feel free to post your ideas too!