Search Results for: children's consignment sales

3 Reasons to Shop Children’s Consignment Sales

2014/03 By Lauren B. Stevens 1 Comment

I’ve shared my love of consignment sales several times before, but if I haven’t convinced you yet, take a look at these 3 reasons to shop children’s consignment sales:

Photo by Beth Cardwell

Reduce & Reuse

Buying and selling gently used children’s items (clothing, books, toys, equipment) is an environmentally friendly choice. Of the consignment sales I’ve been to, only like-new and good condition items are accepted, which means that you are buying items that still have a lot of life in them (especially with baby clothing, worn only 3 months or so). Many people who buy from consignment sales are also consignors, so they are, in a sense, trading or recycling their used clothes for other clothing.

Photo by Beth Cardwell

Save Money

Shopping consignment sales allows you to spend only a fraction of the cost you would on buying new, which means you have more money to spend on the things that matter most to your family.

Photo by Beth Cardwell

Give Back [to your community]

Each consignment sale I’ve attended gives consignors the option to donate any unsold items. At the end of each sale, unsold items are donated to local charities, giving back to the communities in which they’re located.

Photo by Beth Cardwell

Now that I’ve given you three reasons to shop children’s consignment sales, you need to make plans head to the WeeUsables Consignment Event!

For those of you in Central Pennsylvania, mark your calendars for the WeeUsables Lancaster event! You can expect to find everything you need, from maternity wear to school-aged children’s items, amongst the 90,000 items from 550 consignors.

WeeUsables Consignment Event takes place in the Lancaster Host Resort’s Expo Center, and is open to the public from 8 a.m. Thursday, March 27 through 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 29. Be sure to stop by for the “Stuff-a-Bag” for $10 event from 5-6 p.m. on Saturday, with all proceeds benefitting Mom’s House of Lancaster. Shoppers are encouraged to donate items from the Mom’s House Wish List.

Unable to make the Lancaster consignment event? WeeUsables York event takes place Friday & Saturday, April 11-12 at the York Expo Center.

I’ve got an exciting giveaway opportunity for my Central Pennsylvania readers — WeeUsables is giving one reader, and their guest, a pass to shop the Lancaster event pre-sale from 5-8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26! This means you’ll be able to shop before the sale opens to the public (a coveted pass reserved for volunteers, consignors, and first time grand/parents). Have big ticket or ‘hot’ items on your list? Enter to win a pre-sale pass to have a better chance at grabbing those highly sought after items. You can enter using the form below:

Entry -Form

Recycle, Reuse: Children’s Consignment Sales

2013/03 By Lauren B. Stevens 6 Comments

I love finding new ways to recycle, especially when they benefit my family, and children’s consignment sales are one of my favorite ways to recycle. For those of you not in the ‘know’, children’s consignment sales are typically semi-annual sales, held in the spring and fall, where parents can either a.) sell gently used children’s items (clothing, toys, equipment), b.) purchase gently used children’s items at a fraction of the retail price, or c.) do both.

I stumbled upon my first consignment sale last year when I was expecting my first child. Thankfully, my best friend had two boys and handed-down a TON of clothing and equipment for us (thanks again, Carrie!). However, we still had quite a few gaps to fill. I had heard about a sale in our little town and we decided to check it out. We arrived 30 minutes early for the beginning of the first sale day, along with at least 30+ other early birds. When our shopping whirlwind was complete, my husband and I were in disbelief: a pack-n-play in mint condition, a swing, a designer diaper bag never used, a bunch of clothing and more…for under $200! Needless to say, I was hooked

Shocked that many of my parent friends are unaware of consignment sales, I feel obligated to share this information with everyone. A friend recommended a great site with listings of family-friendly activities in my area, Playground Buzz, (thanks, Jen) and I find my consignment sale listings through their dedicated list. I’ve also done an internet search to find sales in the area where my family lives – a great excuse for a visit.

I’ve been to two sales this season, and have managed to procure an Easter outfit, shoes in D’s next size, pajamas, a baby gate, crib sheets, a ton of board books, a jogging stroller, and my absolute favorite find: an Ergobaby Organic carrier with rain hood and infant insert (mint condition)…all for under $200. I have two more sales that I’d like to check out, in hopes of finding a Radio Flyer Wagon with all-terrain wheels. We’ll see how it goes…Happy Shopping!

Swap.com: Online Consignment Review

2016/03 By Lauren B. Stevens Leave a Comment

From my first sale, I’ve been a children’s consignment sale junkie! So, when I discovered Swap.com (and no longer had to wait for semi-annual sales) I was immediately sold. Well, addicted may be the more appropriate term (I placed two significant orders within the first two weeks using the site!). I wanted to share Swap.com with all of you, in case you’ve not yet discovered the site.

Not only am I a fan of the recycling aspect of shopping on consignment, but the deals are hard to beat. I receive so many comments on my son’s clothing, and it’s hard to admit that I only spend around $100 per size (yes, I said size, not season). I have a go-to thrift outlet where I’m able to buy most of my son’s clothing (Gap, Polo, J. Crew, Children’s Place, etc.), and I tend to shop on their 50% off days, which means that I get Gap and J. Crew sweaters and cords for my little guy for around $2 a piece (not kidding).

The remainder of my son’s shopping I do through semi-annual consignment sales; this is where I go to find high-end shoes, sandals and inexpensive pajamas for my son (we’re still going through a pair of pjs a night). We tend to find a lot of great children’s books at these sales as well, something you can never have too much of! I keep a running list of items I need for my son in the months leading up to each sale, but it’s a little nerve-wracking to make sure that I find everything in each shopping trip [knowing that I’ll need to pay full retail price if I miss something].

Shoes are super expensive, especially when you consider how little time your kiddo is in them (my son wears a new size every 3 months or so these days). I was able to purchase top brands — pediped, See Kai Run, Robeez, Stride Rite — for a fraction of the cost new (think $5-$8 a pair). Score!

Imagine my delight when I discovered online consignment store, Swap.com, and no longer needed to trek 45 minutes to my favorite thrift outlet or wait for a semi-annual sale! I stocked up on my first Swap.com purchase, outfitting my little guy for spring with a few key pieces. I’ve put together a few outfits to show you what I found:

I love this fun and funky outfit…and so does my son (who never really cares about his clothes). In fact, he insisted on wearing this outfit for the remainder of the day, and had a blast prancing around modeling it!

picked up this outfit in preparation for summer camp — D usually runs around in sweatpant material shorts all summer (or in the buff), so I needed make sure that I had at least 5 different nice outfits (read: not bummy or for fishing salamanders out of ponds) for him to wear throughout the week.

This year is the first time my little guy is attending summer camp, which lasts 5 weeks and runs from 8:30am-3:30pm. The best part about the camp is that it is at a Friends Meeting School approximately two blocks from our house. I’m already beginning to plan all of the things I’ll be able to get done in that time!

This is a fun spring pick and will likely be the outfit he wears for Easter. We channeled my husband’s 1980s preppy look with the layered shirt and popped collar (I’m bummed that I didn’t find a pink Polo shirt this year — that would have totally made the outfit!). The blue chambray pants are long, but the rolled cuffs give the outfit a less formal look — he’ll be wearing these light and breezy pants throughout the summer. The Vineyard Vines shirt my husband scored from the store clearance rack, not from Swap.com, but the clearance price was worthy of mentioning.

The items I did purchase from Swap.com — headphones tee, space needle tee, cargo shorts, chambray pants, polo shirt — I grabbed for a grand total of $19.50. It’s not often you can find quality children’s clothing, three complete outfits, for under $20.

Swap.com’s quality standards are high, and each item came individually packaged in ‘like new’ condition. I’ve been extremely pleased with my purchases so far (my second purchase was comprised of summer shorts and tees for the little guy), and actually send two large boxes to Swap.com for consignment. All of my maternity clothing and all of my little guy’s outgrown summer clothing and shoes are waiting to be photographed as I write this. It’s a heck of a lot easier to pack those boxes than it is to tag and enter 100+ pieces for semi-annual consignment sales! I’ll let you know how my consigning experience goes with them in a future update.

So, if you’re looking to grab brand-name clothing at clearance prices (they have women’s and maternity clothing as well), then you need to check out Swap.com!

Start shopping now — use my referral link to save 20% off of your first Swap.com purchase!

*This post contains a referral link. I purchased items from Swap.com to facilitate this review, all opinions expressed are my own.

8 Ways to Build a Children’s Home Library On a Budget

2015/07 By Lauren B. Stevens 2 Comments

Books hold great importance in our family of avid readers, so creating a children’s home library was a given when I found out I was pregnant with my son.

Over the years I’ve discovered ways to support my voracious reading habit and build a nice book collection without putting a major dent in my wallet. Before I was pregnant with my first child, I began building a library of children’s picture books that I envisioned decorating the nursery and playroom (it helped that I had worked in bookstores and in children’s publishing). Some of my earliest and fondest memories involve the wonderful characters and worlds I visited through books. For my family, books make a house a home.

Once my son arrived, I realized that he needed an array of different books to keep his attention, as well as board books that he could handle (without the fear of him destroying them). I’ve built a children’s home library, comprised of 200+ titles, without spending a fortune and you can too. Here are 8 ways to build a children’s home library on a budget:

Baby Shower
If you’re expecting, a great way to get a start on a fabulous children’s picture book collection is to add a few to your registry or, better yet, have people give children’s books in lieu of cards. Birthdays and holidays are also great times to suggest books as gifts (instead of toys).

Used Book Stores
This is a given, but I wanted to point out that you can find great deals on children’s books at used book stores. I am lucky enough to live near a used book distributor, who does the majority of its business online, that has small retail space set up in its warehouse. I’m able to grab children’s books for $1 each, and if I buy five, I get one free. You never know what you’ll find; I picked up a signed copy of Skippyjon Jones for one dollar!

Library Sales
Most public libraries have a small section devoted to selling used books to raise funds year round, in addition to annual and semiannual large sales/book fairs. I scored big last year when my local library was selling used children’s books for $.25. Even if you’re not looking for anything in particular, it never hurts to browse the section while you’re visiting the library, you may just find a gem or two.

Ebay and half.com
I’ve been able to find some of my favorite childhood titles (Carolyn Haywood’s Betsy books) on eBay. And just this past Christmas, after checking out Merry Christmas, Maisy from the library, my son fell in love. Out of renewals, and with a 17-month-old asking for “Maisy!” all day, we searched everywhere for this book! Local bookstores didn’t carry it, so we checked online retailers – all were on backorder. In a bit of a panic, I finally found several used copies on half.com and, after a mix-up, we now own TWO copies of Merry Christmas, Maisy (for the price of one new)!

Yard Sales
Garage/yard sales may be one of the cheapest places to buy children’s books. People are looking to get rid of unused items and books often aren’t big sellers (trust me, I’ve tried selling mine at yard sales!). Because books aren’t big sellers, people price them to move at yard sales, which often means you can grab children’s books for a quarter or less. This isn’t the best way to buy children’s books if you have specific titles in mind, but you may come across an unexpected find.

Thrift Stores
Thrift stores are a great place to buy children’s books, as you never know what you’ll find! I’ve had great luck finding children’s holiday titles (Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving) at highly discounted rates. I LOVE holiday books because they are packed away for most of the year, which makes them special reads. Unpacking holiday decorations, and unearthing the holiday books, helps to build excitement for the season (some of my fondest holiday memories). I was able to pick up a few Halloween and Christmas titles last fall for $.10 each at my local thrift store.

And, my husband recently found a couple of vintage Star Wars board books to give to my son when he’s a little older; not only were they fun for my husband and myself to reminisce about, but they’ll make great books for my husband and son to bond over.

Bargain Book Sections
Most bookstores have a section for what are called bargain books. Bargain books are a combination of publisher overruns/overprints and budget publishing titles. These titles will be a little more expensive than the above options, and the selection not as great (budget publishing titles are definitely not award winners), but they’re new/unused books and it never hurts to take a look at what they have. If you care more about the story than the illustrations, then bargain book sections are a great place to find classic children’s stories.

Children’s Consignment Sales
The larger the sale, the better the selection. I’ve found many great books for our home library at biannual children’s consignment sales. If you’re super thrifty (like me), you grab your favorite/most sought after titles during the regular sale and then come back to browse the selection during the half-off sale time. Like a yard sale, people tend to price books to sell at these sales, often bagging multiple titles together (as books, again, aren’t typically highly sought after items) and offering an inexpensive price; I’ve typically purchased bags of four to six board books for $5 or less.

For our family, having an engaging and varied children’s home library is more important than toys. In fact, my son reaches for books before he reaches for toys! Building a nice children’s home library doesn’t have to cost a fortune, as long as you’re okay with used books and diving into mismatched bins and shelves from time to time. Toys come and go, but books create memories that last a lifetime.

What are some of your favorite ways/placed to find deals on children’s books?

9 Tips for Consignment Sale Shopping

2013/03 By Lauren B. Stevens 10 Comments

I’ve shared how much I like children’s consignment sales, so here are a few tips for those of you who are new to consignment sale shopping:

Take advantage of first time parent/grandparent presale passes.
Volunteer or consign to get presale privileges (especially if you are looking for highly sought after items).
If you don’t have a presale pass, get to the sale early on the first day. Without being too crazy, I recommend arriving at least 30 minutes early. Lines form fast and things can get a little crazy – you’re not the only one looking for great buys!
Bring someone to help: your spouse/partner, a relative, a friend – anyone. At our first sale, my husband and I were able to get our big ticket items because a.) we showed up early on the sale day (we didn’t know to get a presale pass) and b.) we divided the list and headed in opposite directions to get highly sought after items. We were able to get a pack-n-play and swing, barely ever used, for under $50. Because the previous owner was volunteering, we learned that the swing had been used fewer than 5 times because her son would not tolerate the swing. Score!
Be Organized. I keep a running list of items we’ll need for certain ages D hits so that it’s timed with being able to purchase at consignment sales. For example, for this round I had baby gates on the list, even though D’s not yet mobile. He will be within the next month or so, so the timing is perfect. For the next sale season, I have a training potty on my list, as he will be 1 1/2 between that sale and the next (and I’m using wishful thinking).
Prioritize your list. It never hurts to be really organized. I put highly sought after items on top and then the less important items follow. This way, you head right to the items you really need/want first, and then make your way to other sections. This past sale, I had an Ergo/Boba carrier at the top of the list, and then a jogger. I made my way there first, found my two most sought after items (at amazing prices – got both for less than the price of a new organic Ergo carrier) and then made my way to other areas. The next two sales I attend, I will have my Radio Flyer Wagon at the top of the list.
Bring a large bag, if you’re able. IKEA bags are great for this. Some sales even allow laundry baskets to be brought in and people attach a rope or a belt to it to drag it (I’m definitely not in this league yet!). Not only can you fit a ton of clothing, but you can also fit bulky items (large toys, small equipment) in there as well.
Take advantage of the 1/2 off sale time. I’ve yet to do this, but will be doing it with my local sale, just to see what it’s like. You never know, I might get lucky…
Save your hangers…so that you can consign when you are ready. I’m on my first of, hopefully, several children (if we’re blessed) and I’m already saving hangers from store purchases and consignments. I won’t be consigning any time soon, but I’m prepared for when I’m ready. It’s a great way to recycle too, as that’s the bin I would be throwing them in anyway.

Get started by finding a sale near you. A friend of mine recently sent me this site, which lists sales across the country (thanks, Nate): www.kidsconsignmentsales.com

Happy shopping…and be sure to stop back and share your great finds with me!

Epic De-Stash and Giving Diapers, Giving Hope Fundraiser

2015/08 By Lauren B. Stevens 2 Comments

Cloth diapering provided so much for my little family — a cost efficient way to diaper my son, a gateway into the natural parenting community, amazing networking opportunities through blogging, and many more wonderful benefits. I’ve met SO many wonderful people through cloth diapering, and cloth diapering provided me an outlet for writing in those early days. I remain unbelievably grateful.

My husband and I have decided to be a “one and done” family, so it’s time for me to let go of my beloved cloth diaper collection and put them into the hands of others who will use them. If you’ve followed lo-wren for any time, you know that my decision not to have any more children has been a difficult one, marked by several losses and leading me to look deeper into myself than I have ever before. I’m incredibly grateful for my miscarriages, as they have taught me SO much about myself, and led me down a path to building a stronger me. That being said, my miscarriages are, by far, the most difficult experiences I’ve endured.

Because the cloth diapering community has given my family so much, I want to give back to an organization that helps cloth diapering families in need: Giving Diapers, Giving Hope. I’ve donated diapers in the past, and will be donating any diapers that don’t sell (or that are not in amazing saleable condition) to Giving Diapers, Giving Hope. In addition to those diaper donations, I will be donating a percentage of the proceeds as follows:

< $500 = 10%

$500+ = 15%

Smart Bottoms has agreed to MATCH my donation amount – how amazing is that?!?

To be completely transparent, the portion of the proceeds not donated will go into my son’s college fund. I sell my son’s outgrown clothing, toys, etc. at children’s consignment sales, and I’ve put all of that money into my son’s account as an easy way to save for the future.

Bidding begins on September 12th at 10am EST

So, what can you expect to find?

NIP bumGenius Freetimes in Audrey, Chaplin & Marie
NIP Smart Bottoms in Fox, Jax+Jill
Carriers – Ergobaby Organic w/ Infant Insert, Maya Wrap Ring Sling, Moby Wrap (brand new)
Project Pomona EcoFit jeans & skulls shorts
Lots and lots of other used cloth diapers: Buttons, Best Bottoms, GroVia, Smarti Pants, OBGEs, Smart Bottoms, and more!

How will it work?

I’ll be posting an album with photos of all of the items, each with a reserve price. Bidders will post their bid amounts in the comments section beneath the photo of the item they wish to bid on. Highest bidder wins the item.

P.S. I’ve already de-stashed the cloth diapers that didn’t work [for me], so you won’t be seeing any duds 😉

Budget Cloth Diapering: 7 Places to Buy Used

2014/04 By Lauren B. Stevens 7 Comments

I sold my husband on the idea of cloth diapering with the cost savings it would provide us. I began researching cloth diapers before I was pregnant with my first kiddo, so once I had my positive pregnancy test in-hand I immediately began building our cloth diaper stash. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on pee and poop catchers either, so I focused on purchasing prefolds and covers to build the bulk of our stash. Because the cost of prefolds is minimal, I purchased all of our prefolds new and found some great sales to add to our stash (an Econobum buy 1, get 1 sale was a memorable one, as they were prefold+cover sets). The expense of all-in-one (AIO) diapers was intimidating to me, knowing I would need at least 24 diapers to start, so I began shopping used diapers to try out different styles.

I’ve had, and continue to have, great experiences buying used diapers, and wish to share some great resources with you. Here are some places to look for used diapers:

eBay – I purchased several used diapers through eBay in the beginning, and a HUGE diaper lot as well, but eBay is probably the last place I would look for used diapers these days (unless I’m looking to buy an entire lot of diapers).

Thrift Stores – I’ve not had the luck of finding used diapers while thrifting, but know that many people have found great deals on cloth diapers in thrift stores. Some thrift stores carry them on a regular basis, as some manufacturers will donate their seconds-quality diapers, so keep your eyes-peeled for a great cloth diaper deal.

Children’s Consignment Sales – In the past year I’ve been seeing more and more cloth diapers being sold at my local children’s consignment sales and I love it! While I’ve not seen any diapers I HAD to have, it’s nice to see cloth becoming more mainstream. The only downside to buying through children’s consignment sales is that they are typically only biannual events, so you have only two chances a year to grab cloth diapers (but it’s great for adding to your stash).

Craigslist – This will depend upon your area. Living in the Philadelphia area, I’ve had great success buying and selling diapers on Craigslist, as there is a large cloth diapering community here. However, while we lived in the Central PA region it was slim pickings. It never hurts to take a look, as you don’t have to bother with shipping (this is what I love most about buying & selling on Craigslist). Another great reason to buy cloth diapers on Craigslist is that you have the opportunity to look at the diapers before you purchase them — no surprises.

Local/National Buy, Sell, Trade (BST) groups on Facebook – Again, this is going to depend on your area. If you buy from a local group, and meet in-person, you save on shipping and can inspect the diapers before you purchase.

BST website – There are websites, such as Cloth Diaper Trader, devoted to listing cloth diapers for sale or trade, or buying diapers you are in search of. I’ve had success selling and trading a few diapers here. The one trade I did do was backed with a PayPal exchange, which I recommend doing to help protect yourself from dishonest people. Again, you’re dealing with strangers, so going this route can be a crapshoot.

Used Diaper Retailer – This is, by far, my favorite way of buying used cloth diapers and training pants these days. Using a cloth diaper retailer for buying, selling, and trading diapers is the smoothest way (and requires the least amount of work). Many cloth diaper/natural parenting retailers buy and sell used cloth diapers in their retail spaces, but if you don’t have one near you (or are looking for a specific diaper) a dedicated used cloth diaper retailer is the way to go. I use Re-Diaper.com and never have to worry about the condition of the diapers I am purchasing. I’ve purchased and traded several diapers through Re-Diaper and have been extremely pleased with my experience. When I’m finished with cloth, I can even de-stash through Re-Diaper without all of the work of trying sell each piece myself.

Curious to enter the world of buying, selling and trading diapers? Check out these 6 Questions to Ask Before Buying, Selling and Trading Cloth Diapers.

Buying used diapers is an economical way to build a cloth diaper stash, as well as being an affordable way to try different styles and brands of diapers. Do you/would you buy used diapers? Where are your favorite places to purchase used diapers?