I think I've mentioned here before how much I love a good consignment sale and/or shop.
As a seller, it's a great way to make money. Clean out all your closets and look at what you are not using. Someone else may be able to use it. What I have learned is that it's best to take your better brands & labels, as far as clothing goes. You can ask a higher price at a consignment sale compared to what you can ask for at a yard sale. This spring, during The Great Purge 2010, I took all the Gymboree and "better" brands of clothes that Abbie has grown out of to sell at the consignment sale. I knew I couldn't ask too much because those items wouldn't sell. For those items, and most being in great condition, the price range was $5-$8. The church that hosted the sell got 30% and I got 70% of the cost. I still made more money this way, because at yard sales, people don't care so much about the brand. They see a shirt or a pair of shorts and want to pay you $1, period.
I also took one of our old Boppy pillows, a play yard gate and the highchair that is no longer being used, plus clothing to total about 40 or so items. All but 4 sold. I was so excited!
As a consignor and volunteer, I was able to shop early. I've also learned that if you are able to shop early, you need to get there early to be one of the first people in. This time, it really paid off! I scored a head board, foot board and bed frame for Abbie, because she is ready to move from the crib to a "big girl" bed. Yes, we have to buy the mattress and box springs, but we are one step closer to getting that taken care of, and I am so happy that I was able to find something she really needed at a great price ($60).
Hannah really needed play clothes for the summer, as well as a few outfits to get her through the end of school, so I picked up some stuff for her, too. My rule of thumb is that I never pay more than $2 for a t-shirt or more than $5 an outfit for play clothes. I saw a few things that would work for Abbie and at those prices, I went ahead and got them.
I knew how much I would make if everything sold, but you usually don't get that lucky, so I figured that I'd make just under that, which I did. Basically, with the bed and clothes, I pretty much broke even. Though I would have preferred to have made money, being able to get Abbie's bed--a one time expense--is worth it.
If you have things you'd like to get rid of and would like to make some extra money, I highly suggest trying consigning.
The Weekly Ramble – July 31, 2026
5 hours ago
