Swap Meets And Consignment Stores

Vancouverites love Craigslist. I’ve done some searching and no other Canadian city comes close to the number of listings posted here. Why? Is it the green nature of it? Is it the insane cost of living/real estate that pushes us to find ways to save?

I like the green factor and I like the savings. I also like meeting the owners. It’s fun to meet the couple and baby that are excited to take home your cloth diaper covers or baby activity mat, to think of a next life for these items and that they will be used instead of sitting in my storage closet for two years (maybe more).

On the weekend I went to a swap meet in a wealthy neighborhood. I wanted to check it out both as a curiosity and because I have a small list of in search of winter items for Henry. I figured anyone living in that neighborhood probably had good stuff to sell so I might find a few gems.

I guess wealthy people don’t sell their items at swap meets. With a few exceptions all of the tables were ‘career swap meet-ers’. People without children that collect baby and kid items and then rent a swap meet table to sell them. Not sure if they collect it all from the back of the Goodwill or by other means.

My one purchase was a pair of $20 Stonz boots. They retail for $47 and I had seen a few pairs listed for $35 on Craigslist. Score.

Otherwise… while I love having less stuff, maybe am I meant to be a minimalist, not a frugaltarian. There was a serious crush of humanity in the gymnasium and while the neighborhood was not out selling their wares they sure were buying. I was navigating around a lot of Bugaboo strollers. There was an intensity in the air and I was cautious to avoid the more aggressive women. No reason to get in a cat fight over a pair of Robeez.

This was not a pleasant shopping experience. Not like when I go get my coffee pods at the Nespresso store and they invite me to have a cappuccino at the bar. This left me feeling a bit dirty and worn down and overwhelmed, like when I shop at Winners.

I’m not done with swap meets but I think I’ll pace myself on them. And bring a friend with me next time so I have someone to cover me if I get in a fight over a Leap Frog table.

So where are the wealthy sending their used baby items? I’m sure a lot goes to Goodwill and I have visited million dollar (very common here) homes to pick up a Craigslist item before. But a lot of the better baby stuff goes to consignment.

If you’re not familiar with consignment it works like this. You bring your stuff in, they check it over and select what they would like to sell and you enter into a contract for a set period of time for them to sell it. Usually you get anywhere from 30-50% of the sale price. If the sale price is 50%-60% of retail you do the math on what you are getting back from your original purchase price. Most consignment stores call you at the end of your 60-90 day contract to come and pick up what hasn’t sold and receive either a check for your sales or store credit.

Consignment is a good way to offload baby and kids clothing. It’s time consuming to list on eBay and unless the value is really high, not always worth it. I’m having a tough time selling a lot of boys clothes on Craigslist right now. It is all excellent quality but I missed the fall clothing consignment window (August/September).

Below are some consignment tips:

Bev from Paron’s Closet in Seattle says, “the most important thing to remember is that quality clothing consigns best.  It stands up to the test of time and has a better resale value”. Brands like Gymboree, Tea, Patagonia, The Children’s Place and Hanna Andersson are of good quality and popular at Paron’s Closet. If I were to do things over again I would have connected with my local consignment shops while I was pregnant. Not only to buy baby clothes but to also know what the resale value is of items.

Many consignment stores will not take clothing lines by big box stores like Target, Walmart and that you find at Costco. They are so widely available and not of great quality that it is not worth accepting them on consignment.

• consignment runs in seasons so check with your local shop on when they are accepting items and what they are looking for.
• no rips, stains or holes in garments
• don’t take it personally. Shop owners know what will sell and while you loved that tulle blue dress on your five month old it may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
• If you’re going to invest in new items find out the resale price before you buy. You may be surprised to find out that if you spend just a bit more you will get a lot more back for resale.

Any consignment, swap meet or Craigslist tips for me? Leave them in the comments.