What is consignment?

If you are new to the world of consignment, you have no clue as to what I am talking about. So, what is consignment anyway? Consignment means sending your property to an agent for sale. The 'agent' that I will be referring to throughout my posts are local area churches, since that's the focus of my blog. Your 'property' can be any gently used childhood item (e.g., clothing, pack n plays, crib, toys) that you would like to sell. Since the church is the one who will be sorting, organizing, staffing and promoting the sale, they will take a percentage of the profit. In most cases, you will make 60% and the church makes 40%. You make money, the church makes money, and everyone else finds much needed and wanted items for their children and grandchildren at extremely low prices. It's a win/win/win situation for everyone!

But that's not all! Those of you with a little experience can attest to the fact that the earlier you attend the sale,the more items there are available. As a consignor, not only do you make money, but you also have the benefit of shopping the sale early! The typical sale runs Friday and Saturday. Consignors generally get to shop on Thursday night. I will explain more on how to become a consignor in a later post.

Not planning on selling anything, but would still like to get in on the sale early? Well, the church needs staffing in order to make it all happen. To maximize their profits, churches rely almost entirely on volunteers. The volunteer opportunities and positions vary from church to church, so you will need to contact each church in order to find out the details. The typical shift is 3-4 hours, and the church organizers really try to work around your schedule, offering morning or evening shifts. The benefits of volunteering are the best! Not only do you get to shop early, you get to peruse the items as they come in, and you get to shop before the consignors and the general public!