Consignment Clothing? What Can I Get for Name Brand?

Updated on September 03, 2013
I.X. asks from San Clemente, CA
11 answers

any idea what percentage of retail one can expect to get from name brand clothing with tags still on?" I acquired some pieces from my SIL who was helping the neighbor sell her things via garage sale after a divorce. The woman was a shopaholic with over $100,000 worth of unworn clothing and shoes. So sad, she blew through her husbands 401 K with a shopping addiction. Sad on top of sad is that my SIL sold hundreds of never worn articles with $100-$600 price tags still attached for garages sale prices ($1 -$5). I acquired 5 BeBe dresses from her but they don't fit so wondering what to expect from consignment. thx

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So What Happened?

Do I have expectations to lower? My curiosity stems not so much for what I can get for 5 dresses, but how much better it would be for my SIL to send it to consignment instead of garage sale.

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S.H.

answers from Santa Barbara on

I noticed ebay will get you the most money. You can set a minimum and then people bid. If you are not an ebay person (it is an effort, yet it pays off) then consignment is much easier.

Consignment is pretty low. A $100 dollar dress at Bebe could list for $40 and you (the consigner) will get a percent. I think 40% cash or 60% store credit is common. So you will $16 in this scenario. edit: There is no guarantee what it will sell for, so $40 is a guess. If it sells for $10 you will get $4. You can ask what they plan to sell it for at the store.

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T.F.

answers from Dallas on

Lower your expectations.

You won't get close to the value of clothing when you go for consignment. Even New with tags on will still get you less than 1/3 the worth.

I know Bebe dresses are nice but they are not the highest end of designers........ usually $129-maybe a $300 here or there.

You come out ahead by donating to the women's shelter, or another good cause who has people who can truly use and appreciate the items and YOU get the tax deduction.

Time = $$ and the more time you spend trying to make a deal costs you more $$

It takes hardly any time to make a donation and you have the deduction which is probably more than the value you would get at consignment anyway.

ETA: Plato's Closet is here too. My daughter took in some gently used Abercrombie jeans $50+ originally and Miss Me Jeans $100+ and was offered $5 for Abercrombie and $10 for Miss Me.

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

In the main consignment store that I shop at all the jeans are one price, all the tops are one price, etc...name brands mean nothing.

She gets 60% and I get 40% when I consign something with her.

I suggest you try to see this stuff a different way.

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K.F.

answers from Salinas on

You won't get much if you take them to a consignment store.

The thing to do would have been sell everything on Ebay. You're right, your sisiter in law was foolish to sell "tag on" clothes at a garage sale. The problem now is that you only have five dresses. The learning curve for listing on Ebay is too steep for such a small number of dresses. If the dresses are current you could get $50-$75 per dress but you'll spend too much time figuring it all out.

You could expect to make $20-$30 total at a consigment store if they will even buy them. Maybe you should just give them away or donate.

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K.M.

answers from Chicago on

Ebay is a wider audience, you do not have a demographic to contend with. BeBe would sell well depending on the area, store etc. In my neighborhood it would not do well, but in a more high end area you are going to see a bigger return. So, if you do not want to do Ebay I would find a shop that HAS similar brands/items vs. the first one you come across.

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C.O.

answers from Washington DC on

ETA: I agree with other posters on ebay. You will get the most money from ebay. However, if you don't have great pictures, you might not get what YOU expect....mannequins help A LOT when selling clothes....And TF Plano is right...BeBe isn't "high end" - right now on ebay BeBe dresses that NWT are selling for about $50.

Jane:

Sorry - but your Sister In Law was a FOOL (sorry not to be mean but really? Brand name with tags at a garage sale??) to sell these things at a garage sale. She should have taken them all to a consignment shop.

If you are taking them a consignment shop - they will tell you what the demand is for this brand name and tell you what to expect them selling it for. It all depends on the location and the people who WANT those brand names!

I would take anything that is left over from the garage sale to a consignment shop and go from there..

Good luck!

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M.K.

answers from Columbus on

Wow! Can't believe she would have sold them at a garage sale. I took some stuff to a consignment shop once and they offered me a fraction of their worth. Ebay was a much better deal!!

Ebay would probably be your best bet.

Good luck!!

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C.B.

answers from Boston on

Here in Massachusetts the consignment shops sell for 50% of the price you pay for new, and of that the consignee gets 50% for clothing and 40% for toys and strollers etc (they take up more space),

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R.P.

answers from Norfolk on

Where I'm from they have a store called platos closet and they take gently used or brand new name bran clothes and give you cash or store credit. They do require them to be "In" style but I'm not sure about consignment shop's prices.

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R.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

Check out poshmark.com (depending on the target age group for the clothes -- it's geared more toward the young adult set). My daughter sells her gently-used, high quality clothes on this site and gets much better than ebay or consignment shop prices. For example, she sold a Mark Jacobs top for $30. Original retail was ~100, she got it on sale for $40, so almost no depreciation. Poshmark acts as an escrow agent. They charge 20% of whatever the article sells for, but they also provide shipping costs up to a certain weight (I think 2 pounds?). They make sure the article is paid for before you send it out, but you don't get the money until the item is received, so there's no risk to either seller or buyer.

D.B.

answers from Boston on

You get more money on eBay but you have shipping and listing charges. If you take the time to sort through other listings, you will see what the competition is and what the range of prices is. You also have to ship in a timely manner and pack well, or you will get a lower rating from your first customers which affects what you can gain from subsequent ones.

Consignment shops vary - some sell more high-end stuff, some more regular stuff. Things with tags get more money. Consignment shops around here pay somewhere between 50% and 40% of the sale price. You would do better putting it in a shop that specializes in name brands/designer things. A lot of times there is a network of consignment shops and you can get a brochure they all contribute to that says what they accept. You have to be willing to wait for the money, and the shops will only take what's in season, but it's still a lot better than either a garage sale or sitting around collecting nothing.

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