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FAQ
Consignor questions | Shopper questions | Volunteer questions
Consignor questions
How does a consignment sale work?
Is it like Kid to Kid/Once Upon a Child/etc.?
How do I become a consignor and sell with you?
How much does it cost?
When do I pay the consignor fee?
How do I get tags?
Where do my tags go?
Where can I get hangers?
What if I don’t have time to tag?
How can I make more money?
Do I have to be at the sale?
Do I need a table?
What happens to my stuff afterwards?
Is it really this easy?
How does a consignment sale work?
Local families register online, and then prepare and price their items at home. The week of the sale, they drop off their items at the event location on the drop off day. We handle all the selling for you! After the sale, you can pick up your unsold items, or you can choose to have them donated to charity. Unlike a consignment store, we’re only open for a week. The following week, you get a check in the mail! You can also check out our handy, dandy infographic!
Seasonal consignment sales often limit what they’re looking for—we only sell clothes and gear for kids, from babies to missionary age, and nursing and expectant moms. Unless otherwise noted, we offer fall/winter clothing at our fall sale, and spring/summer clothing at our spring sale. For Fall 2016, we have waived the seasonal requirement—it’s an all seasons sale!
Is it like Kid to Kid/Once Upon a Child/etc.?
It’s a similar idea. You still get high quality, gently used kid items—but here are the key differences:
- Individual sellers—local families—set their own prices on items.
- Other than our quality guidelines and limiting the sale to stuff for kids and moms, we don’t pick and choose what to sell. It’s up to the consignors what they want to sell. If it’s something a kid (or mom!) needs, and it’s clean, in good condition and not recalled, we’ll take it.
- Consignors keep most of the profits. 70% to 80% of the sale prices of items go right back to the consignors.
It’s really cutting out a middleman—a middleman who has to pay rent on a store, utilities, employees, etc. Our consignors can sell more items and make more money off the items they do sell. I once took my consignment finds to a secondhand store—and consignment beat the secondhand store. Consignors earned over $75 from what I bought, but the secondhand store offered me $20!
How do I become a consignor & sell with you?
All you have to do to have your stuff at the sale is register with through our tagging site. You’ll also enter your items there and print off your price tags from there. The price tags have bar codes so the computer handles the complicated task of tracking all our consignors’ items and payouts.
How much does it cost?
Unlike stores that have to charge a huge markup, we charge only $10 to consign with us—and the fee is taken out of your check, so there’s no upfront cost! You also keep most of your consignment sales: the starting payout is 66% NOW 70%, and you can increase your payout (and decrease your consignor fee) by volunteering with the sale!
When do I pay the consignor fee?
The consignor fee is taken out of your check, so there’s no upfront cost!
How do I get tags?
Our price tags are generated by our tagging site. You enter your items online, including description, size and price, then print off the tags on white cardstock.
Where do my tags go?
For clothing items, clothing should be hung on hangers with the hanger facing like a question mark from the front. The tag is (safety) pinned to the upper right hand corner of the front. Pants and shirts that might fall off should be (safety) pinned to hangers securely. Here’s a handy, dandy infographic to help! We also have videos on tagging clothing items.
For other items, you can punch a hole in the tag and zip tie it on, or use clear packing tape to attach it. For books, I like to use a piece of clear packing tape on the cover to protect the cover, then tape the tag on top of the first piece of tape, so the buyer and peel off the tag without ruining the book. For sets of books and other items, plastic bags are a great way to group them together and you can tape the tag on the outside.
Where can I get hangers?
All clothing items should be hung on and/or securely (safety) pinned to hangers with the hanger facing like a question mark from the front. This could require a lot of hangers. Other consignment sale report success from their consignors asking at dry cleaners or retailers. Craigslist, KSL classifieds and Freecycle websites are all good places to check, and you can post an ISO (“in search of”) post for people to come to you. The best place to start is often with your own friends and neighbors, on social media or a local email group.
We do not have any requirements about hanger size or material. However, we do recommend wire hangers for items that must be (safety) pinned to a hanger.
What if I don’t have time to tag?
If you don’t have time to tag, we have concierge tagging service available. You drop off your clean items with your assigned tagger, and she will price them and deliver them to the sale.
Concierge consignors get 50% of the sale price of their items and pay at $20 consignor fee. Concierge taggers receive 20% of the sale price of the concierge items they tag.
More information about concierge tagging service (and—you guessed it—a handy, dandy infographic!).
How can I make more money?
The fastest way to increase your consignment earnings is to volunteer with the sale. We pay out 70% of sale prices to one-shift volunteers and 75% of sale prices to two-shift volunteers—who also get $5 off their consignment fee!
Another important way to make sure you make the most of your consignment sales is to tell people about the sale! This isn’t just you trying to get your neighbors to buy the junk you don’t want anymore—it’s telling your friends about a great way they can buy almost new clothing and gear for their kids for up to 90% off retail! Who doesn’t love a bargain?
Concierge tagging is another great way to earn more money at our sale. To sign up, log in to our tagging site and go to the Consignor tab. Click the button to Join concierge, and we’ll be in touch with you.
Do I have to be at the sale?
No! We do need volunteers, but you do not have to be present to sell. That’s the beauty of a consignment sale: we handle all the selling for you. You really can just drop off your items and wait for your check!
Do I need a table?
No, but we do have tables available for vendors to rent. Typically, we’ll have local and in-home businesses at our tables or sponsoring the sale to help keep consignors’ costs down, too.
What happens to my stuff afterwards?
It’s up to you: you can mark the items as “Donate” in the system (or check the box under “D”), and have them go to a local charity after the sale, or you can pick them up in the pickup window. Items not picked up during the appointed time will be donated to charity.
Do you have a charity that needs kid stuff in great condition? Contact us at contact at kidsmartutah.com!
Is it really this easy?
Yes, yes it is!
Shopper questions
How can I get the best deals?
How can I tell which items are half price on discount day?
Can I get a discount if I find an item is damaged?
Do you take credit cards?
Do you take checks?
Do you charge sales tax?
How can I get the best deals?
The very best way to shop a consignment sale is to shop early at a pre-sale. Up to half the items at a consignment sale can be sold during the pre-sales! We allow our two-shift volunteers to shop first, followed by our one-shift volunteers and then consignors. We also have pre-sales for new moms, grandparents, homeschooling families and more.
Next, we strongly recommend coming back for discount day. The last day of the sale, most items are half off their marked price. Who can resist a bargain? I know I can’t! (Plus, those pre-sale groups also get to shop early at a discount!)
How can I tell which items are half price on discount day?
Most items are half price on discount day, the last day of the sale. However, if an item has a red or black X on the tag above the price, it cannot be discounted.
Can I get a discount if I find an item is damaged?
No, prices are set by consignors who aren’t present, and we’re not authorized to change prices for any reason. To maintain our standard of high quality, we’re happy to remove from the sale floor any items that are stained, ripped, missing vital pieces or damaged in any way.
Do you accept credit cards?
Yes, we take Visa and MasterCard, as well as PayPal. (Yep!)
Do you take checks?
Yes, we accept in-state checks with photo ID.
Do you charge sales tax?
Yes. Provo sales tax is 6.85%.
Volunteer questions
What are the benefits of volunteering?
What are the volunteer jobs?
How long are volunteer shifts?
How early do I need to show up?
What if I can’t attend the sale or be on my feet/stand?
Do I have to consign to volunteer?
How do I sign up to volunteer?
What are the benefits of volunteering?
The biggest benefits of volunteering are:
- You earn a higher payout percentage on consigned item sales: 70% for one-shift volunteers and 75% + $5 off the consignment fee for two-shift volunteers.
- You get to shop early! Our first pre-sale is for two-shift volunteers, then one-shift volunteers.
- You get to shop discount day early! For our volunteers, discount day starts Friday night instead of Saturday morning.
Not to mention you get to spend some time having adult conversation. Remember that? In fact, we’d love for you to bring a friend so you enjoy your volunteer time even more!
What are the volunteer jobs?
Volunteer jobs include setting up the sale, helping with consignor drop off, straightening/cashiering/security during the sale, and break down afterward. For more information, check out the volunteer jobs.
How long are volunteer shifts?
Each shift is typically four hours.
How early do I need to show up?
We only ask that you please arrive on time.
What if I can’t be at the sale or be on my feet/stand?
You can have a relative volunteer for you. We also have other barter volunteer opportunities that can count for one shift.
Do I have to consign to volunteer?
No, you can volunteer only and still get to shop first!
How do I sign up to volunteer?
Register with our tagging site here, and then click on the Volunteer tab. Find the job, day and time that works best for you and click “Join shift.” Please, bring a friend! This will make your volunteering time more fun and go faster.