Consignment can be a girls best friend!

I have always dressed nicely, but having been the same size for so many years and only having the expectation that I would ever been that size, I did not mind spending money when needed, as needed for a great wardrobe. 

So as I lost weight and went down in size, I of course wanted to stay nicely dressed but could not be investing heavily in designer labels and nicer boutiques...or so I thought!  A good friend of mine had started to notice that I was becoming smaller and mentioned some consignment sales. The idea of buying via consignment was just not my thing. In fact, I did not know anyone who shopped them, except said friend. 

She was convinced I knew many people who did consign and just needed to be adventurous in my shopping choices. The first few people I asked looked at me as if I asked where they fenced stolen gods. Then I hit paydirt! Two friends I was having lunch with  gushed to me about sales they attended and talked about various events and I decided it was worth a try. 

Talk about unprepared! I showed up in an outfit that was not easy or quick to slip out of, did not bring any totes to put my items in before the dressing room or to carry them out after purchasing. I did not know the differences between the various labels of the same designer...which surprised me to no end, but Ralph Lauren had always just been Ralph Lauren to me. Black label, blue label....what is he, Johnny Walker!?  But I did find a few great things at a super price at that first sale! 

I also discovered warehouse sales, where someone buys everything in every size for ladies from a Macy's or Bloomingdales or you name it at the end of a season, holds on to it for a year and then brings it out for the same season the following year. So unless you are highly trendy, you are still getting something super, new, great prices and wardrobe freshening!

Then I went fully into the darkside! I started consigning items that I no longer fit and were too large for me. There was some sadness tied to it. A favorite pair of pants worn on a cruise with my husband. A beautiful dress that a certain person first noticed I was losing weight when they saw me in it. A suit by a designer who only makes up to a 14, no 'W' and was something I never once thought I would own, let alone wear. I actually joked once that I could be buried in one of those spectacular pieces when dead because they could just cut me in half and put me in it. And now....I owned one and wore it with great pride and joy!

My clothes brought me about 600 at consignment and I turned around and bought about 578 worth. So even Steven, right? But even better than that. When I figured out the retail value of what I had purchased...and some items still had new tags on them...it was nearly 6,000 dollars. SIX THOUSAND DOLLARS. And I paid less than 600!!! With savings like that, I am all about consignment.

Here are some rules I live by after having gone to half a dozen consignment and half that number in warehouse sales.

1. If you normally wear shapewear...have it on!
2. Bring an outfit that you can slip off and on easily.
3. Don't be married to one size when you look. I can buy pants in a 6, 8 or 10 depending on when it was made, by whom it was made and the cut of the collection.
4. Bring a few totes with you. I buy Thirty One bags and love those with a rigid metal frame so they still 'stand up' when you set them down. 
5. I do one tote of tops, one of bottoms, one of dresses. That way I can try on efficiently and then I hit the accessories area last!
6. Don't carry your handbag. Put your cash or debit card in a pocket and be free. I cannot tell you how many women set down their handbag and then freak out trying to find it in a sea of handbags and accessories at these sales! 
7. Go in with a list of what you need. I, and I share this with a bit of shame, had over a dozen pair of black slacks that fit me at one point. But I'd try on another pair and buy them. NOT effective! When I sold 11 of them at the next consignment sale, I limited myself to three pair in my new size.
8. Shop with a friend who will be REAL with you. Hearing you look good in everything is really of no help at all. I usually put on a test outfit and ask a friend what they think. If I find it hideous and they are desperate to find something kind to say to you about it...go to coffee with them, but do NOT consignment shop with them because you cannot return items there like you can at retail stores.
9. Keep your budget in mind! I saw a woman have to pull out several credit cards to pay for her order once. She was in a lather and getting upset with herself. She said, over and over, I had no idea it was going to be so much, it is all such a great deal. So when I make my choices I then sit down quietly and add the tags in full 5s. A 7$ outfit counts as 5 and an 8$ item counts as 10. I am normally within 20$ at the end by going this route.
10. Find out when the sales within the sales are. Most consignment sales have a discount time, my favorite do half off at the half way point of the sale. If there is something I love but it is not quite priced at what I'd want, then I wait for that sale and take a gamble. I would not love it at the higher price and if someone else gets it at the half price sale, then it was not meant for me. I don't drive myself crazy second guessing on those items!

So there you have it....my top tips for making the most of buying at consignment. We'll talk consigning in the future!