Why I Love Consigning Clutter

Pay day!

Who says Stay at Home Moms can't make a little extra income?

This is a check from my local consignment store. I receive one of these every few months, most of them over $100. Each month I go through each room of my house and box up things that I do not need or use, and things that are taking up valuable space in our house. I am not a fan of clutter so if it doesn't serve a purpose, it goes. I have to live this way as a military wife--we pick up and move often.

How do I consign my items?

My consignment store accepts almost everything. I call them when I know I need to "lose a little weight" with the clutter and make an appointment. I box my items up into categories: seasonal clothes, shoes, accessories, and housewares. Then I take them on my appointment day and time and they take the boxes from me.

They do the rest.

That's right...no pricing, no garage/yard sales, no dealing with money and change...I just sit and wait for my check to arrive in the mail. The consignment store I go to prices items very fairly. Most of the time I earn more than I would if I were selling the item at a yard sale. They earn 60% of my sale, I earn 40%. They send me a nice little statement on which items I have sold and for how much. Then I get to deposit my check!

Do you have extra clutter around your house that you could do away with? Try consigning them by following these steps below.

1. Look in the phonebook or search your city for consignment stores that will give you the most for your items.

2. Call ahead and see which items they are currently accepting and ask if you need to schedule an appointment or if you can walk-in with items ready.

3. Ask about their packing policy. How will they accept items? Do they need to be in boxes/on hangers/in bags? Do they need to be cleaned?

4. Ask about their payment policy. How much you will earn on items? How often will you get paid? When can you expect to receive checks? Is there a consigning fee for each item that may be taken out of your check?

5. Ask about their expiration policy. What happens to items that have been out for a while that are not selling? Do you pick these up, donate to charity, or do they belong then to the store?

6. Try consigning at several different consignment stores. One store may take items that another store will not.  

Consigning may or may not be for you. Some of you may prefer having garage/yard sales. You could try it out and see if you like it and get a little bit of extra cash in your pockets!