Shopping Consignment Sales

Nothing groundbreaking here, but since we're talking about saving money on kid stuff this month, I thought it would be appropriate: The way I've saved the most money on clothes for Luke is by shopping consignment sales. Have you ever been to one? They're kind of like a thrift store, except the stuff is cleaner and in much better condition and higher-quality in the first place and cheaper.

Here's my St. Louis example: Every 6 months there's an ENORMOUS consignment sale called The Stork Lady Sale. They have it at empty buildings they rent out (like an empty department store, etc.) for a week. The sellers price and tag their own items with personalized barcodes, bring them in the weekend before, and then get a check mailed to them with the money they made after the sale is over (they make 60% of the price tag; the sale organizers keep the other 40%). The sale is staffed almost exclusively by volunteers, because the more shifts you volunteer, the earlier you can shop (so the better the stuff you find and the better the deals you get). The sale will only accept baby & kids stuff (clothes, toys, etc.) in new or like-new condition (so no stains, stretching, holes, visible wear, missing buttons, etc.), and they basically only take brand-name stuff (or high-quality store brands like Walmart or Target if they're in excellent condition). The last day of the sale, almost everything left is 50% off. Most of the stuff not bought by the end is donated to women's & children's charities.

I love the Stork Lady Sale, seriously. Last fall I went and spent $63 and here's what I got: Almost all of Luke's 9 & 12 month and some 18 month clothes (everything except the gifts we'd gotten at his shower and three sets of Carter's onesies) including a coat, a pair of darling baby Nike shoes, about a bajillion onesies/pants/shirts, pajamas, etc. etc. etc.; an adorable jungle-themed crib bumper set for $5; two church outfits; Christmas morning jammies; some random board books; a Halloween pumpkin hoodie costume; and a few other random things like bibs. For $63! It was crazy--especially since almost all of the clothes are super adorable sets from good-quality brands like Children's Place and Baby Gap, and even expensive boutique brands like Piper and Posie. Luke scoots around looking like a little model. I could never have afforded to dress him like that new...or would never have chosen to, anyway. Because the clothes are sturdy and made from good-quality fabrics and manufacturing, I'll be able to hand them down through more kids, too. The next sale is the third week in March and I'm actually signed up as a seller this year. I don't have much to sell since we're obviously planning on having more kids, but I did find some gifts we'd been given that we really don't need (extra stuffed animals, double copies of some used kid's books, an extra diaper bag, etc.). The advantage to selling stuff is that you get an early pass to shop before the general public--not as early as the volunteers for the regular sale days, but just as early for the 50% off day. I'm planning on buying the rest of Luke's 18 month clothes (summer clothes this time) and as many 24 month & 2T things as I think we'll need until this fall.

There are consignment sales in every state, but sometimes they're hard to find. Consignment Mommies is a good place to start looking, and KCS is another (not as current, but more detailed). I heard about the Stork Lady Sale just by word-of-mouth, so it helps to ask around, too.

If it's not the season for a consignment sale near you and you're looking for something specific, even consignment stores like Once Upon a Child or Kid to Kid can be useful. I've found that they're just not the best place to go for clothes (unless you need something really specific, like a formal dress in a certain color for a wedding or something like that) because you can find equally good and much less expensive options at seasonal consignment sales--or even thrift stores, if you're lucky. (I have found a couple of shirts and pants for Luke at Goodwill before, and I think I got a couple of okay things at D.I. before we moved, but it's never very consistent and the quality is a lot more hit-and-miss.) But for other things like strollers or big toys, it's a great place to start looking. Luke has really needed a walker of some kind for the last couple of weeks (I don't have time to finger-walk him around the house all day, despite what he thinks!), but I didn't want to fork over the cash for a new one since it's the kind of thing he'll only use for a month or so. We went to Once Upon a Child and bought this...

...a very gently-used Little Tikes ride-on walker for $8.50. Normally they're about $25 new. He loves it, and I love that I spent something like 65% less than I would have at a toy store (is that math even close to right, Melissa??).

I guess all in all, I've found that if you're willing to buy used (but demand quality used!), hunt around a little, and wait for the right moment, you really can pay a third the price or less for kids' stuff. It doesn't seem like much at the moment, but over the course of a couple of years you can save hundreds and hundreds of dollars. I have to mention the caveat that I'd never buy a used car seat or crib (they're the two things it's safe to leave a baby unattended in, and they just get recalled too often!), but other than that, I see few compelling reasons to always buy new. Buying used is better for our bank account, better for the environment (less waste!), better for our community (keep jobs & sales local, and help stay-at-home-moms earn a little income), and I feel like it's a good attitude and habit to teach my kids the value of things.

What do you guys think? Have you shopped consignment sales before? Does the idea of getting used stuff gross you out? What things would you never buy used?