On HowToConsign.com learn to Turn Your Cluttered Closets into Cash, explore our #1-ranked Resale Shop Directory & Zoomable Map of consignment, resale, & thrift shops. There’s even more inspiration on HTC’s Facebook and Twitter and Pinterest!
85% should have been tossed.
Just got word that one thrift chain, with four stores, has to throw away 85% of the clothing contributions it receives.
Eighty-five percent. That’s 8 and a half out of every 10 items that are donated which are not saleable. That’s very distressing.
Why? Because receiving, processing, and disposing of clothing and accessories that cannot be marketed eats up a lot of the money that these charities make.
Think about it.
Now this chain, they aren’t overly picky. Nor are their customers. They sell stuff for a dollar… a lot of stuff. Belts for 25 cents, things like that. So what is wrong with the 85% that makes these goods unsaleable?
Boots with wear right through so toes would hang out. Rips that appear to have been made by denizens of Jurassic Park. Smells and soil and stains.
Not only are these things not pass-on-able, but they are sometimes dangerous. Every thrift shop staffer can tell you of the hidden razor blade, the corpse of something small and squishy, the stiff-with-sweat prom dress. What were these donors thinking? Endangering (or at least disgusting) workers, many of whom are volunteer and none of whom earn enough to deal with that. Not helping the nonprofit’s shop, but costing them trash fees, wasted energies and payroll expense.
So next time you’re deciding that “well, SOMEone can use it”, think twice. Is that actually true, or is what you’re shoving in that bag something which should, realistically, go in the trash?
If it’s not good enough for you to run it through the wash and smooth out the wrinkles
before you fold it neatly as a donation… it’s simply not saleable. You’re doing no one any favor by filling up the donation box with unsaleable clothing.
Graphic from yourdictionary.com
The kids got everything they need for camp?
Clean, cute… and if they lose them, no big deal.
Comfortable clothing and shoes are more important than having everything new for camp. Many items return damaged, or not at all!
There’s no better place to outfit your children for camp, sleep-over or day, than a resale shop. Who cares if they get paint all over a shirt you bought for a few dollars? Or lose the hoodie?
Visit not only consignment and resale shops, but thrift stores too, checking off your camp’s clothing list as you go. Every dollar you don’t spend on new clothing for messing around in, is a dollar more for those tae kwon do lessons next fall.
And who knows? Those cargo pants you bought just for the woods, will probably turn out to be his “favorite pants ever!”
Read great tips on what to pack when you pack the kids off to camp.
Motherhood, consignment shopkeeping, and more: One woman’s mix
This is not Sharon. SHE has MORE balls in the air!
One of our most forward-thinking HowToConsign.com Sponsors, Little Green Beans, was founded not even three years ago in Austin TX by Sharon Munroe, mother of three.
In addition to her family and shop, Sharon is involved in Link Coworking, a modern space where entrepreneurs can establish connections and collaborate with other professionals and founded the Advanced Maternal Age Project, a blog of collected stories by women who decided at age 35 or older to start a family… so I thought her story would be
inspiring to all mothers, today on Mother’s Day!
Working full time in marketing for more than 20 years, Munroe was a busy and driven career woman with no specific timeline for starting a family. It wasn’t until she was 39 that Munroe finally found herself ready to start down the path of motherhood. She was confident, financially stable and had recently married a supportive man. So at age 40, she gave birth to her first son. She later became a foster parent to a baby girl (eventually adopting her) and gave birth to another son just before her 44th birthday.
See Sharon featured on the HowToConsign.com Facebook page
Read the full article in Austin Woman Magazine.
Read about Link Coworking here.
Happy Mother’s Day, Sharon, and all the other mothers who are exhausted just reading about Sharon’s life!
I couldn’t find the original credit for this graphic. If it’s yours, let me know!Making your stuff worth more
Whether you’re looking forward to consigning some underloved possessions,
or selling them to a resale shop,
or gracing your favorite charity’s thrift shop with them, there are easy, quick, inexpensive
ways to make your stuff worth more.
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Here are some tips from a consignment shopkeeper whose decades in the resale industry have taught her the best
tricks of the trade:
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* Clothes stay brighter if you add a cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle once in a while. The vinegar cuts residue that dulls color.
* Is there a spot which will need special attention before it goes in the washer? Remember it’s there with a clip clothes pin on the garment before tossing in the hamper.
* Ring around the collar is easily removed with shampoo. Keep a bottle of the cheap stuff with your laundry supplies.
For more tips, check out the HTC Pinterest Board.
Tip #1 for Keeping Control of Prom Expenses: Shop Consignment!
Prom Spending Climbs for a Second Straight Year, Nationwide Average $1,139
On Practical Money Skills, we found this advice. Notice that shopping consignment is Cost-Curb #1! :
To save on the cost of the prom, here are a few tips:
• Shop for formal wear at consignment stores or online. As with tuxedos, many outlets rent formal dresses and accessories for one-time use.
Source: practicalmoneyskills.com via HowToConsign.com Consignment on Pinterest
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And don’t forget: this year’s prom dress becomes a source for next year’s, when you consign or sell it!
To all the thrifty, savvy, chic, “earth” mothers: Happy Mother’s Day
Eavesdropping on real-life resale shopkeepers.
In case you ever wondered just why your friends love to resale shop (what, the monetary savings and the ecological benefits aren’t enough? The shopping local aspects of helping your community? The thrill of the hunt?), I’m going to let you eavesdrop on some consignment and resale shop owners as they answer a question from a peer in Ohio. She asked:
What do you like the best about being a resale shop owner?
Here are the answers she got on a private discussion board online:
That’s easy. It’s the friends I’ve made that I wouldn’t have made otherwise.
Love the variety of work. There’s never the same day twice.
I like how it’s made me more creative, patient and wiser.
I have made amazing friends I would never have met otherwise.
Oh, and there’s the treasure hunting every day, too.
Every day is like Christmas seeing all the great things coming in.
Love meeting people and helping them dress their children adorably but affordable!!
I love being my own boss…
… love the relationships we’ve built with both our consignors and customers
My staff and customers, that it still feels giddy when I get a really fabulous consignment, that our donations are helping a really great charity, and I’m not gonna lie… my WARDROBE!
I love the challenge. I do things today that I never even dreamed about.
Dressing mannequins and changing the decor in the store. Sort of like playing barbies and playing house all at once.
The best part of owning a resale shop is the way you can run your own show, make a reasonable living and be a positive influence in your store and community that you serve.
The best part is loving my job (even after all these years).
Thanks to so many shopkeepers, including these Sponsors at HowToConsign.com, the proprietors of Upscale Fashions in GA, Remarkable Resale in IL, Wandering Wardrobe in Utah, Repeat Street in IL and many other shops across the continent!
What’s your consignment question? Your resale interest? Your thrift suggestion?
Take a glimpse inside the resale world Continue reading
Mother’s Day Reasons to Shop Consignment, Resale & Thrift.
You know your mother’s done a lot for you. Even some things that, truth be told, she wasn’t wild about doing at the time.
We know ’cause all of us have mothers, and most of us are mothers. So herein, we resale shopkeepers present
some Continue reading
9 Tips to Avoid Consignment Hassles with your Fashion Apparel
When it’s time to sort through your closet, consigning or selling those fashions that just didn’t cut it in your life can make your budget and your conscience very happy.
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Maybe it didn’t really fit well, or the color wasn’t one that made you happy. Maybe it was a “bargain” that you never wore. Perfectly-wonderful (just not on YOU) clothing and accessories can find a new home, and your wallet can find replenishment, when a consignment or resale store finds them a new home.
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But that doesn’t mean that these shops can sell just anything for you. Heed these 9 tips to avoid consignment hassles for a smoother and more profitable experience:
1. Is it the right type of shop for your underloved items? Visit beforehand (find a Professional Resaler on our Resale Directory & Zoomable Map) and see if they carry the type of items you have to bring in and take note of the shop’s general pricing.
2. Get a copy of Continue reading
