I think I might be a hoarder.
So when I retired, there was at least one closet's worth of clothes I would probably never wear again.
What to do?
I talked about how to have a successful garage sale back in June of 2014, but you can read between the lines and tell that I will never, ever do one again.
I can't stand to see people going through my stuff, especially my clothes, and asking with disdain if I will take a quarter for my leather moto jacket instead of the $1.00 I am asking (that I paid $300 for)!
When I was working I tried to be trendy, but I mostly wore suits. Since I was the manager, I wanted to have an air of authority. Now that I am retired, the only ones I have any authority over are Hubby and the dogs, and I don't need a suit to tackle that task.
So with a yard sale out of the question, what to do?
I have discovered consignment shops.
What better incentive is there than money to get you to go through your closets and weed out those size 2 short shorts, the white poet's blouse that makes you look like a mime and those gi-normous hoop earrings that are probably not a good look for a 60-something?
I have to admit I got sweaty the first few times I took my clothes in.
Well, OK, I still do. But I can't help it. Those items were selected especially for me by me and they are my babies, every single one of those 72 jackets I own. What if they don't want my St. John suit? OK, I didn't have a St. John suit, but I had nice ones. What if my clothes are rejected? What if she doesn't want my fringed Betsy Johnson purse or my purple Steve Madden boots?
I have to say my first experience was quite good. The consignment shop owner did not sniff disapprovingly at anything and took almost all of my items. It's been a good relationship.
I have been doing this for almost a year now and have some tips for you first time consignors:
***Tips for Happy Consigning***
The hardest part is going through all of your clothes and accessories.
I know, it's hard, sweaty work and it can be very emotional. But like I said, you might make some money. Let that be your incentive.
But you must be ruthless. You might say to yourself, if I just lose 40 pounds I can fit into those size 4 capris, again, right? NO! You will probably NOT lose that 40 pounds so put those capris in the pile to go to the consignment shop! That tulle evening dress you wore to your 40th birthday party? That was 20 years ago! Out!
What about those stripper shoes with the nautical theme? (Thanks, Hubby).
You should probably just chuck those.
And the bikini? Don't even think about it.
Off to the consignment store!
I don't mean to be harsh but that is how you need to talk to yourself if you are ever going to part with anything.
You need to have a good eye for what people will want.
I hate to tell you this but people shop consignment stores as if they were at Neiman Marcus. They are fussy. They are almost as bad as garage sale shoppers, but at least you don't need to be there to see them reject your stuff. This isn't vintage shopping, though there are usually some very high end vintage items at consignment stores.
You must look at your own stuff with a buyer's eye.
Is it in season? Is it in good shape? Is it in style? Would I buy this again? Would only a stripper by those shoes? All good questions to ask yourself as you select your items to consign.
Choose a shop where you don't have to bring in dry cleaned clothes.
I mean, by the time you do that, you will owe THEM money.
Certainly you want to take in items that are clean and in good shape, but the first place I tried, that was the deal. It was run by a couple of old ladies and though I am an old lady myself, my clothes are decidedly NOT. Many of my items sold, but the shop was not very busy so...
Choose a shop with a good location as in lots of foot traffic.
Thrifting and shopping consignment shops depends quite a bit on browsing and that needs foot traffic. My favorite consignment shop is in a shopping center so people can shop for groceries and then buy my stuff!
Choose a shop that uses a website that keeps track of your items so you will remember what you have consigned and how you are doing.
Otherwise, it would certainly be easy for you to get cheated. The shop I go to uses a website called MyResaleWeb. It has drop down menus for your State, then your store. The store gives you an ID number and when you add that and your last name you can see everything you have left there, what is sold and how much they owe you. You can also see when it's time to pick up the items that did not sell. If the store you use, doesn't have something like that you might want to tell them about that website.
Speaking of which, when you first sign up at the consignment store, you usually have the option of getting your items back after the selling period (usually two months).
I opted to get my items back, but be aware that when you pick up the items that didn't sell, it can be emotional.
Try not to brood over why someone didn't want your Keep Calm and Get Over It t-shirt or your Union Jack top from Forever 21.... or better yet, maybe just tell them you don't want to see the stuff again and to give it all to Goodwill.
Now march yourself into your closet right now and start pulling out all of those clothes and shoes you will never wear again!
I'm sorry. I don't mean to be harsh but you and I both know it needs to be done. And you will thank me when those consignment checks start rolling in.
Then you can go shopping for more clothes!
Happy consigning!
Thanks for Reading!
See you Friday
for my review of the new movie
"Ricki and the Flash"
and
and
The Week in Reviews
(What to See or Read and What to Avoid)
and the latest on
My 1001 Movies I Must See Before
My 1001 Movies I Must See Before
I Die Project."
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