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First-rate Shopping at Second-hand Stores
Giving Previously Used Items a New Lease on Life
By Deborah Ng
Years ago, a mother would flush with embarrassment if word got around that one of her children might be wearing hand-me-downs. Fortunately, times have changed. Not only is it perfectly acceptable for a child to be seen in good-quality, used clothing, but more and more moms are paying to purchase second-hand clothes.
And they're not shopping at garage sales or thrift shops – today's cost-conscious consumers are frequenting consignment stores, and they're not just buying. Rather than clutter up attics with used baby clothes, cribs, play yards and other items geared toward infants, parents are choosing to consign them instead, giving hardly used staples a second go-round.
The consignment process is simple. In most cases, a consignor will bring her items to the consignment store. The items are then put up for sale, usually for a period of three months, after which if they are not sold, they're donated to charity. Once an item sells, the store and consignor share the earnings, usually a 50-50 split.
For many smart shoppers, it takes only one visit to a consignment store before becoming hooked. Donna Favilla, of Meford, N.J., learned about consignment stores while shopping for baby clothes with her mother-in-law. "I found a snowsuit for $5 and knew there were good deals to be had," she says. Soon she began selling her used baby items, as well. Favilla made as much as $80 in one season by consigning her daughter's old clothes, play yard and baby carrier.
What items are good candidates for the consignment store? According to Carol O'Shea of On the Road Again, a consignment store in Maspeth, N.Y., it's anything new and in good condition, especially bouncy chairs, cribs and car seats. Clothes that are in pristine condition with no frays, tears, pills or stains sell, especially if they have a well-known brand name attached to them. Current models and trendy items are the most desirable.
There is one item that most stores will not consider. The diaper disposal unit, "because they stink," says O'Shea. Barbara Ropka, the owner of Sweet Children, a consignment store in Haddon Heights, N.J., also won't take diaper disposal units, but recently had an exception to the rule. "One of my consignors had one that I wouldn't take," she says. "I received a call from the parents of a special needs child who was looking for one, and naturally I put the two together." Most shops also won't take potty seats, bathtubs, underwear or pajamas unless they were never used.
