Six Consignment Shopping Tips to Score a Great Deal

 
Consignment shopping.
 
Sorry mall rats. See ya One Day Only Sales.  Black Friday, who needs ya? Mama has a new love!
 

There’s something fabulous about a Ralph Lauren cardigan paired with Gymboree skinny jeans…in a size 2…toddler. If  Tea Collection clothing had cheeks I would pinch them!
 
I love brands. There  I said it. Fashion is fun to me. Before tackling our debt, we used to buy our kids all the latest designer wear. That’s one of the things I missed most about going frugal, is not being able to buy name brand clothing for the kiddos. Little did I know brand names are accessible at a price cheaper than no name brands.
 
I went to my first big consignment sale over the weekend and I am hooked!
 

 
Buying a heaping pile of brand name clothing at 75%-90% off is a rush! The biggest myth about consignment shopping is that they are a bunch of used, worn out, no name clothing. Besides the almost brand new Gymboree jeans I got above for $1, here are some other cool finds to debunk that myth!
 

 
Barely used Keen sandals for $5! Keen typically retails for around $50 for kid’s shoes, so even used (lightly) for five bucks is a steal.
 

 
Gymboree prairie dress for $3. GAP winter hat for $1.
 

 
Talbots velvet dress for $4. Nordstrom Kids Polka Dot Sweater for $4.
 

 
A fish eye view of Itsy Bitsy Thrifty. The local consignment sale I went to in Massachusetts. It was held in the ballroom of a hotel. Consignment sales can be held in any large open space from hotels to community centers or churches.
 
I also bought a handful of boy’s clothing in size 7, but in true son character, he was not interested in trying them on for me.
 
Thanks to my readers I learned some tips for scoring a great deal.
 

1. TIMING

Get there as early as possible. Many sales will offer a VIP pre-sale before they open the doors to the public. Find a sale and join their mailing list, or like them on Facebook to find out details about becoming a VIP and scoring an early admission. I got to the sale 30 minutes before it opened to the public and I’m confident it made a big difference in the selection!
 

2. BYOB

Bring your own bag or basket! There are no bags at these sales and if you are going to buy clothes you definitely need something to carry all your goods in. I took a big blue IKEA bag and it worked great.
 

3. GO ALONE

This is a mission. You have a goal and it doesn’t involve entertaining the kids. There are rows and rows and deep racks filled with clothing. You need time, hands and both eyes to go through every piece to find the gem. The Talbots dress above was stuck between two thermal tshirts. I focused on going through every piece of girl’s clothing in the 2-4 year range and that’s how I found it!
 

4. GRAB BAG

Take first, think later. If you slightly pause at an item, it means you’re interested. Pop it in your bag and after you’ve gone through the clothing racks find a space to slowly go through each item and do the next tip!
 

5. ZIP IT

During the check phase, pull zippers up and down. Count buttons.. Check for holes and stains. Something I noticed is to check every item in a multiple item sale. For example if there is a three pack of shirts, check the two behind it even if the front one looks great.
 

6. HALF PRICE GAMBLE

Many sales will offer items at half price at certain times. For example, at the sale I went to, many items were going on sale for 50% off the next day. But, you also run the risk of there not being as much inventory. If you’re not as picky about brands and just want super cheap clothes, shop the 50% time!
 
Ready to shop consignment? Check out Consignment Mommies to find a sale near you. It’s a search engine listing all of the sales across the country.
 
Do you shop consignment sales?
Where do you go clothes shopping?