Consignor Guidelines | Arlington Kids' Stuff Sale
Thank you for consigning at one of Arlington's largest and best consignment sales! Over the nearly 20 years that we've been organizing this sale, we've developed some guidelines and procedures that hopefully will make the sale an easy and successful experience for you and the shoppers.In return for 80% of sales attributed to each consignor plus access to a special Friday presale, consigners commit to:
- Consign at least 20 quality items of children's clothing
- Work one shift during set-up, on sale day or during clean-up
- Advertise the sale to friends and family via email, online lists or posting flyers.
General Guidelines for Consignors
Other Topics of Interest
Advertising
Registration
Item Preparation
Clothing Labeling Guidelines (Including Hanger Guidelines)
Additional information on items we accept for consignment
Item Drop-Off
Consignor Work Shifts
Unsold Items
Consignor Pre-Sale
Payment
Thank You
General Guidelines for Consignors
- Registration for ALL consigners begins at 8:00 a.m. on the day of registration. We use online registration via the registration form on our website.
- Every form received between 8:00 am and 1:00 pm on registration day will be processed in random order. We will fill any remaining shifts with registrations received after 1:00 pm. Please remember that more than 2/3 of the work shifts are on the Saturday of the sale and that we can't accommodate everyone's first preference.
- You must have a consigner number before participating in the sale. If you are interested in becoming a new consigner, please contact Jennifer Bell at jbell@omb.eop.gov.
- Please review the labeling/item preparation instructions each year to ensure that you are following the current standard.
Advertising
- We advertise in the calendar and weekend events sections of the local papers, in the free papers, in community newsletters and in school newsletters. We rely heavily on word of mouth and flyer distribution.
- If you are a member of a community bulletin board or email list, please post information about our sale- these are a great way to get the word out!
- Flyers in English and Spanish can be printed out from the Kids Stuff Sale website. Post the flyer at local parks, playgrounds, libraries, churches, preschools, elementary schools, community centers, gyms and area businesses frequented by parents and families.
- Our banner will be on the church lawn for the week before the sale (weather permitting).
Registration
The ONLY way to register is via the website form.If you have problems with the form, you can email Ruth Gordon at ruthmgordon at gmail.com. Ruth will prepare a schedule and post the link to the website within 3 days of registering.
Due to space constraints at the church, the sale is limited to the first 100 people who register to consign for that particular sale.
If we do not hear from you for two sales, we will assume that you are no longer interested in consigning and remove your name/number from the consigner list. You're welcome to sit out a sale or two-just let us know to keep you on the list.
Item Preparation
Label each item with a standard color masking tape label no larger than 2" by 2". Use a dark colored marker or Sharpie when writing labels. Put the label on the outside of the garment in plain sight, unless it will ruin the material. On toys or equipment, place one label in an obvious location. If the buyer has to hunt for the label, they may put it back instead. Use only ONE price label on each item.Price each item in $.25 increments. All items priced over $25 should be registered at drop-off with a member of the committee. Despite our best efforts, on occasion, high-priced items have been reported stolen from our sale. If you are uncomfortable accepting this risk, please do not consign expensive items.
Labels must be legible! Do not cross out mistakes- make a new label. Cross your 7s if you use European numerals. If we can't read it, it will not be sold.
There's a lot of items to choose from at our sale-price items to sell! Over-priced items, when compared to more reasonable choices, may be left behind.
Clothing Labeling Guidelines (Including Hanger Guidelines)
Each label must list the following information in this order (see example to right):
-
Consignor Number
Size
Description of Item (optional)
Price
Use the following sizes only:
- 0—6 months
- 6—12 months
- 12 - 18 months
- 18 - 24 months
- 2T, 3T, 4T, 5T
- 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 12+
Tips for successful selling:
- Safety pin clothing sets together (e.g. 2-piece pajamas).
- Clothing on hangers generally sell better than those on the tables. We recommend you put ALL dresses, jumpers, coats/jackets, dress-up clothes, and costumes on HANGERS. Only shirts, skirts, pants, shorts, pajamas, socks and accessories -- in other words, "separates" should be FOLDED and put on the tables.
- Please wash all shoes before tagging them. Clean shoes sell faster and command higher prices than dirty ones.
- Label shoes/gloves/hats and other accessories with the clothing size you wish them to be displayed near. For example: Boy 8 Shoe/2T
- Velvet or suede items should not have tape price tags on the outside of the garments as when the tape is removed, so are bits of the suede or velvet. Instead, place labels inside the garment.
Hang clothes facing left with tag on front right side. When you bring in hanging items, poke a hole in the bottom of a trashbag and place the hook of the hanger in the hole with the clothes protected in the bag. Then, label the bag. Or, reuse the bags from the dry cleaners and staple a paper label to that.
Please do not bring clothing with stains or significant tearing. If an item has a loose hem or missing button, note it on the tag and price the item for less than $1.00. (i.e. $.25, $.50, or $.75)
Place labeled clothing in bags/boxes by size, with one size of one gender in each bag/box (e.g., Boy Size 8 in one bag, Girl Size 2T in another bag, etc). You can put individually labeled bags inside a single box for ease of transport.
Put toys and other items in labeled bags/boxes too, unless they're too big.
Tape together toys with multiple pieces or put them in plastic bags. Wrap puzzles securely in clear plastic wrap or place them in a sealed bag. Please be sure puzzles contain ALL pieces before putting them in the sale. Additionally, loose puzzles will not be put out at the sale.
Label videos without boxes with the title on the spine, like a book.
Any items sold in plastic bags, as well as all videos and books, should be labeled using two layers of tape: bottom layer = blank, top layer = price label. This speeds up sticker-pulling.
Only four stuffed animals per consignor per sale -- each must be in near perfect condition with no rips, tears or stains.
If you're selling small items of value, such as breast pumps, etc., give them to the Committee member in charge at drop-off. We'll secure the items, put them out for the pre-sale and then secure them again until Saturday morning. This is the only way to ensure the security of your items.
If you want the proceeds from the sale of any of your items to go to the church, please label them with consignor number 001.
Additional information on items we accept for consignment:
SPRING SALE ACCEPTABLE
Warm weather clothing up to teen sizes, children's dress-up clothes/costumes, maternity clothes, baby/child equipment, toys, books, videos, kids bikes, backpacks, pools, bathing suits, jellies/flip-flops, sleeveless shirts or dresses, halter tops, Easter items, sandbox toys, other SPRING/SUMMER items.FALL SALE ACCEPTABLE
Cold weather clothing up to teen sizes, maternity clothes, baby/child equipment, toys, books, videos, kids bikes, backpacks, Halloween costumes, ice skates, sleds, corduroy shorts/pants, heavy coats or heavy sweaters, other FALL/WINTER items.ALWAYS UNACCEPTABLE
- Out of season items, adult bikes, adult clothing, anything dirty, musty, moldy or with rips or tears, games/toys with pieces missing, crib or other mattresses.
- Car seats that are more than 5 years old (manufactured before 3/05). We will check date labels and ask you to take home any items that do not have a label or were manufactured before the cutoff date.
- Free or un-tagged items
- Any items known to be affected by a recall or that knowingly violate the CPSC guidance listed here: http://cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09086.html
Item Drop Off
Do not leave your things unattended at drop-off. If no committee members or workers are there to accept your items, they cannot be left at the church.Items can be dropped off Wednesday and Thursday 9:30 am - 12:30 pm and 7pm-9pm.
You may not put out your own items, even if you are scheduled to work. If you bring your items on the day/night you work, plan to arrive with enough time so that you are there, READY TO WORK at 9:00 am or 7:00 pm (otherwise, plan to drop-off your items at another time)
If you have more than 8 bags/boxes of items you must bring them in the morning or by 8:00 pm.
We will not accept ANY items for the sale after Thursday evening.
Consignor Work Shifts
| Tuesday | 7:00 pm-10:00 pm | Set up tables and signs, assemble clothing racks. (This is HARD WORK and you MUST be physically able to perform these duties) |
| Wednesday | 9:30 am-12:30 pm | Set out items for sale |
| Wednesday | 7:00 pm-10:00 pm | Set out items for sale |
| Thursday | 9:30 am-12:30 pm | Set out items for sale |
| Thursday | 7:00 pm-10:00 pm | Set out items for sale |
| Saturday | 7:45 am-10:45 am | Work sale (various jobs) |
| Saturday | 9:30 am-12:30 pm | Work sale (various jobs) |
| Saturday | 10:30 am-1:30 pm | Work sale (various jobs) |
| Saturday | 11:30 am-2:30 pm | Cashier/Sticker puller/Clean-up |
| Saturday* | 1:00 pm-3:00 pm | Clean up after sale, put away tables and racks, etc. |
| After the Sale | Data Entry |
*NOTE that the Saturday clean-up shift has been divided into two 2-hour time shifts due to the physical demands of the work and the difficulty of staffing these positions.
You are welcome to ask your spouse to work in your place for any shift.
ABSOLUTELY DO NOT bring children under 12 with you when you work. Children 12 and up who are there to WORK WITH YOU must have permission from the KSS Director, Jill Rabach, prior to coming.
If for any reason you cannot work your shift, please contact us ASAP at kidsstuffarlington@gmail.com. If you do not work your shift this sale, you will be asked to work 2 shifts at the next sale.
Unsold Items
Unsold items are donated to worthy organizations chosen by the committee. If you do not wish to have us donate your items, please plan to pick them up before 1pm on the day of the sale. Please also check the "rejected items" and "tag-less" items boxes for items that belong to you. The boxes are usually located at the exit.It is an honor system-pick up only YOUR unsold items.
Consignor Pre-Sale
Consignors shop times are 6:50 PM, 7:00 PM and 7:10 PM on Friday evening before the sale. Shop times will be randomly assigned among registered consignors. All consignors are welcome to arrive and shop after 7:10 PM. We suggest that you do not bring children when you shop; if you must, please keep them under your control at all times. We also discourage strollers as the spacing is narrow and there are multiple sets of stairs in the church.Pre-sale shopping is a benefit of being a consignor and is ONLY for consignors and their spouses. You may NOT bring friends to shop with you. Pre-sale privileges are also not transferrable to friends. Exceptions will only be granted for really pregnant women who bring their mothers to help. Remember to check for rejected items at the presale that may have a missing tag, missing piece, unseasonal item, etc. so that you may fix this item and set back out if appropriate.
Payment
Sellers receive 80% of their total sales. All new consignors after Fall 2009 must use PayPal to receive their payout, which is available with no fees or charges. It saves us money, time and administrative work. Current consignors may choose this option at registration.Please allow at least one month for your check to arrive. If your check hasn't arrived by April 30, you may contact Jill Rabach at kidsstuffarlington@gmail.com.