Recycle, Baby!
Resale Shopping Tips
- Make sure the store you do business with is on top of recalls. Period.
- Don’t buy used car seats anywhere unless you know the person and know the car seat was never in an accident.
- Be exceptionally wary of items being sold via public websites and classified ads. Yes, many items can be purchased cheaper than at consignment/resale stores, but it is also heavily fraught with items being sold that have been recalled or have other safety defects. Maybe that same item was turned down at resale stores because of safety issues. The question is what is the risk worth to you and your child? If you buy from reputable resellers, they do the safety check for you.
- Make sure you understand the stores return policy. MOST of the industry operates on ‘all sales final’, so noreturns allowed.
- Find out if there are particular days that product is put out. If it is put out as it comes in, then find out if there are busier days of the week. This way you can plan to be there when you have the highest opportunity to be ‘first’ to pick up great new items.
- See if the store has an email list you can join to get early notification of sales, special events, or coupons.
- Be PROUD to have joined the recycle revolution.
- Know the difference between resale and consignment and what the benefits are to you for using one over the other.
- Essentially you get your money up-front with resale, and have to wait for it and check back frequently with consignment.
- Don’t take anything to sell you wouldn’t want to buy for your own child.
- Ask friends with kids for recommendations of shops.
- Would your friends PAY for what you are selling, in the condition its in, if they needed said item?
- All items should be clean, freshly laundered, wrinkle free, in good working order, and READY to put directly on the sales floor.
- Most shops do not scrub, launder, or repair items–those are simply rejected.
- The time the seller spends getting items ready enhance the selling price, thus the sellers share.
- Understand that the stores pay you at ‘used’ wholesale prices and sell at ‘used’ retail.
- Have a realistic idea of what you can expect to get for your items and you won’t be disappointed.
- Talk to the stores you are interested in BEFORE you go the first time to:
- Understand how they want you to present your items.
- See if you need an appointment.
- Find out if they buy seasonally.
- Any other particulars of a specific operation. For example most consignment stores have markdown periods that affect your payment. What do they do with stuff that doesn’t sell-what do you have to do to get it back.
- Check the stores website for information if they have one.
- Check the CPSC.gov website for recalls BEFORE you take items in to sell.
- Think HARD before selling anything yourself via classified ad or online. If you are selling from home, you are at risk from strangers coming to your house—safety and liability. If selling online, then there are many time consuming hassles such as packaging, shipping, complaints from buyers, payment collection, negative postings on public sites, etc.
- Be PROUD to have joined the recycle revolution.
Editorial provided by Fred Hyde, owner of Once Upon a Child in Wexford and Monroeville.
