Michigan - ALL CITIES
Guest Post by Sharon Schneider, Founder of MoxieJean.com
Careful and thoughtful quality control is a HUGE part of the consignment process. At Moxie Jean, we have a team that reviews our clothing – inspecting for stains, rips, tears and even the smallest blemishes. We’re happy to share the top tips our Moxie Mamas swear by, so that you can find some great outfits at your favorite local consignment sale—with no “buyer’s remorse” the next day:
1. Check the big stuff.
Obviously, you want it to be free of stains, holes, excessive wash wear and fading, pilling (when the fabric gets rubbed so much it develops little balls or “pills”) and other imperfections.
Pro Tip: if you’re not sure if the neck on baby clothing is a little off-color: compare the back of the sleeve or the legs to the fabric around the neck.
2. Inspect the edges.
Besides the neckline and the knees, check the seat of the pants—outside AND inside—as stains can come from either direction!
For big kid clothes, be sure to check the edge of long sleeves that get dipped into food, and the bottom cuff on pants as they often get dragged along the floor.
Pro Tip: On a tiered dress or skirt, check the seams at all the tiers, not just the bottom hem.
3. Look at it in good, natural light.
Sometimes you can swear that a white shirt is flawless but then stand by a window and a stain magically appears. We use plenty of bright, natural light that shines into our store to double check everything before purchasing.
Pro Tip: Inspect clothes before pulling them off the rack, but look again while standing next to a window or door to double check for spots or stains you might have missed.
4. On polo-style shirts, be wary of the collar.
So many times it’s the collar crease on a polo shirt that shows the wear. When the rest of the color looks good, the collar can be faded and worn out.
Pro Tip: Turn up the collar so you can compare the crease to the fabric around it and make sure it doesn’t look too worn.
5. Know what can be fixed.
A replacement for a plain white button is easy enough to find and resew. But a gold heart-shaped button? Not so much. A dress hem can be tacked back up in a few minutes but a frayed sweater hem is tougher.
Pro Tip: Invest a few bucks in an electric lint shaver. Sometimes, a quick pass of the lint shaver over a pilly fleece jacket or knit sweater can make it look brand new again!
We hope these tips help you buy, sell and swap like a pro at your local consignment sale, store or online consignment outlet like MoxieJean.com
About the Author
Sharon Schneider is co-founder & CEO of Moxie Jean, which was just voted by moms nationwide as the “Most Awesome Online Consign, Swap or Recycle Site.” She has 3 young kids and lives with her family in the Chicago area.