Maryland - ALL CITIES
My best consignor tip: READ your consignor instructions. This is especially important if you are consigning for the first time or trying to sell at a new sale. The biggest section to note: ACCEPTED ITEMS. These standards can vary between sales and you certainly don’t want to waste time tagging & prepping an item that won’t make it to the sale floor! Below, our Chief Blogger Elizabeth shares the nitty gritty on a few items that some sales take and some sales don’t.
Car seats?
Car seats should only be sold if they are safely within their expiration period and they’ve never been in an accident. Many sales will require waivers to confirm the latter and other simply believe that a child’s life just isn’t worth the risk of selling a car seat where you can’t verify the history of the item.
Breast pumps?
Used breast pumps are a hot debate in the consignment world. For safety and hygiene reasons, many sales will limit the types of breast pumps accepted. Even with new tubing and accessories, there is still a small chance of contamination from old milk particles, so La Leche League recommends only sharing or reselling CLOSED pump systems. Here’s a great article from the La Leche League that addresses the concerns of using second-hand pumps: http://www.llli.org/llleaderweb/lv/lvjunjul04p54.html.
Maternity clothes?
Many sales no longer accept maternity clothes because they aren’t popular sale items. When rack space is a precious commodity, maternity clothes are sometimes the first things to go.
Stuffed Animals?
Stuffed animals take up a lot of space and can collect dust and other allergen triggers. Most families have more stuffed animals than they need and aren’t interested in adding to their collections. Some sales do take stuffed animals that are interactive, so read your sale’s guidelines to make sure you understand what’s acceptable.
Cribs?
It is illegal for anyone to sell a crib that was manufactured before June 28, 2011 or doesn’t meet the new crib safety standards. (Some companies started meeting the new safety standards before they went into effect.) For that reason, many cribs are rejected right now. How can you find out if your crib meets the new standards? You’ll have to contact the company with your model number and possibly even serial number to find out. They can email you a copy of the certification, if it didn’t come with your crib. You’ll need that information to consign your crib.
More than “X” number of items in a size range?
Many sales limit the number of items accepted in infant sizes because they are so plentiful at sales. Plus, babies grow so quickly that many outfits never get worn. Between shower gifts, hand-me-downs and purchased outfits, parents have an abundance of infant clothing. Therefore, the demand is lower than the supply. If your sale limits the number of items accepted for a size, pick your best to consign or bundle items and price low!
Each sale has its own guidelines for acceptable items. If you’re really concerned with why your sale won’t accept something, contact your sale owner for an explanation.
About the Author
Elizabeth Renfroe has a passion for all things consignment sale-related. She enjoys coordinating the Children’s Market Sale at First United Methodist Church, Jacksonville, Alabama.