Prepping Your Items
Condition of Items
Spending a little extra time getting your items ready will make a HUGE difference in your profits. Clothes that are clean, pressed, and smell fresh look better and generally sell quicker. Be sure to button all buttons, zip all zippers, and snap all snaps. Sets (under size 5) tend to sell better than separate items, so match up separates if you can. Starch, a little bleach, an iron, or a needle and thread work wonders! The same applies to furniture, large toys, and outdoor play equipment. Remove all dirt, grime, and marks. Make sure all parts are included; place any small parts in Ziploc bags, then securely attach the bag to the main part.
Hanging Clothes
Launder & press your clothes first. The better it looks, the more customers are willing to pay. Clothing must be on wire hangers only! See our Accepted Items page for more details on clothing guidelines. Watch this video on how to prep your items!
Begin by hanging your item on the hanger. The hanger hook should point to the LEFT or look like a question mark when the front of the item is facing you. Sizes 0 – 2T ONLY can be on plastic hangers. Sizes 3T and up MUST be on wire hangers. Then use 1 1/2 -inch safety pins to secure the clothes to the hanger, so they do not slip off (no tiny pins or straight pins!). Be sure to go all the way through the item. When looking at your item, pin your tag on the right side, left shoulder of the garment.
As you pin the tag onto the item, catch both the front and back of the item’s material. This prevents the item from slipping off the hanger onto the floor.
Pin sets (pants, skirt, and tops) securely together by hanging the top first. Then turn the hanger over and pin the pants by the waist to the backside of the hanger, with the pin catching the top of the hanger to support the pants.When tagging a set, label MUST reflect the size of the top and the bottom, i.e. Carter’s shirt 4T and Carter’s shorts 5T. Item will then be hung with the smaller of the two sizes. .
Pants or skirts alone should be pinned at the waist. Please use large, 2-inch safety pins for all jeans and pants! Do a little “shake and tug” test to make sure heavy jeans and pants are secure and will not fall off the hanger. Make sure the pin goes through the pants/shorts twice, or it will slide down and hang wrong. Button all buttons, zip all zippers, snap all snaps.
Certain Junior clothing (like tank tops, camis or blouses) and larger size t-shirts tend to fall off the hanger at the shoulder. To ensure this doesn’t happen, use a small piece of packing tape to tape the shirt/straps to the hanger on both sides.
Non-Clothing Items & Home Goods
**Special Item**: If you have a high-dollar/special item you are consigning with us, please bring it to our attention at drop-off. New security measures are now in place for these high-dollar items. Please inform your inspection team member of the item(s) upon arrival of drop-off. Please reach out to Becca (616-450-8140 or sweetrepeatsconsignments17@gmail.com) to receive further instructions on how to tag these items. Special Items are defined as Designer Jeans, Designer Purses, high dollar electronic items, etc.
Multiple Piece Items: Group items together in a plastic Ziploc bag. Pin the index card on the OUTSIDE of the bag. You will seal the top of the bag with packing tape. Please do not cover the barcode with packing tape, or it will not scan at checkout.
Large Items with Extra Pieces: Put extra pieces into a Ziploc bag and secure to the larger item with a zip tie or piece of tape. Please do not cover the barcode on the tag with packing tape, or it will not scan at checkout. You will want to make sure you put a barcode only on the one large item. If you have multiple index cards for one item, do NOT put barcodes on all the index cards. Write “1 of 2″ and “2 of 3″ on the index cards, so customers/volunteers know that they belong together!
**Shoes**: All shoes including boots must be in Ziploc bags with tags visibly taped inside or attached to the shoes! Two gallon bags or large bags for boots or larger sized shoes can be purchased on Amazon. No extra loved or heavily worn shoes/boots will be accepted. Please leave them at home! Pin shoes together with a large pin or zip tie whenever possible, then tape the tag INSIDE the bag. Please tape the bag closed to keep from items being misplaced or lost during the sale. Please, no shoe boxes.
Onesies: Please hang your onesies. Do not bag them. We highly recommend hanging 2-5 onesies on one hanger in a group.
Books: DO NOT tape them together! This ruins the covers when the tape is removed. If you are grouping multiple books together, please use a heavy twine, string, or put them a Ziploc bag. Tie the twine around your items as if you would tie a bow on a boxed present. This will catch the items on all sides and prevent them from separating. Be sure to be detailed in your description, so if they do get separated, our volunteers can place them back together! Pin your price tag onto the twine or tape on the outside of the bag.
Electronics: Make sure all electronics are securely sealed in big enough packages to avoid theft. No loose video games will be accepted. Games must be included with a game system.
Bikes, Ride-on Toys, and Sports Equipment: Bikes in all sizes, outdoor ride-on toys, scooters, and all types of sports equipment sell well at both sales. Make sure that they are clean, include all parts, and have been checked for safety. See Guidelines – Safety.
Outdoor Toys: Playhouses, climbers, slides, etc. are very popular. Please make sure that they are very clean, include all parts, and don’t have excessive wear or fading from being outdoors. See Guidelines – Safety.
Toys and Baby Equipment: All must be clean and in working order (batteries included). Bag small parts and attach them to the main part securely. Use Ziploc bags whenever possible to group parts and secure them together. Use a safety pin, if possible, to secure price tags to items. If a pin would ruin the item, be creative! Each piece is different. Just remember you do not want to ruin your items with tape & pins. Also, no packing tape can be covering the barcode on the tags, or they will not scan at checkout. Be smart about how you merchandise your things. The better they look, the faster they’ll sell! Be sure to check our Guidelines – Safety for any information regarding cribs and baby furniture recalls.
Children’s Furniture and Children’s Decor: All must be clean and in excellent condition–free from excessive scratches, dents, stains, odors, pilling, and wear and tear. All parts must be in perfect working order. No mattresses, please. Use a safety pin or zip tie, if possible, to secure price tags to items. If a pin would ruin the item, be creative! Each piece is different. Just remember you do not want to ruin your items with tape & pins. Also, no packing tape can be covering the barcode on the tags, or they will not scan at checkout. Be smart about how you merchandise your things. The better they look, the faster they’ll sell! Check our Guidelines page for acceptable items.
Bedding: Bedding must be put into heavy clear plastic bags (like the ones they come in) or XXL Ziploc bags. Some of the bedding will be placed on the floor, and it must be bagged to prevent getting dirty. Do not tape the zipper closed until after it has been inspected. Please attach the price tag to the narrow side of the bag, being careful not to cover the barcode with packing tape. The barcode will not scan at checkout if it is covered with tape. We suggest using a safety pin and a little tape at the top of the tag.
Strollers: Make sure that the stroller is extremely clean! Wipe it down and wash any removable fabric covers. If there are extra attachments or a manual, be sure to include those as well.
Car Seats: Car seats must be within 6 months of the expiration date printed on the seat. We cannot accept car seats that have been in an accident. Please remove your cover & straps and WASH THEM! It might look clean to you, but once it’s under our lights, we’ll see every spot! You must check the following web site for current recalls: www.carseat.org/Recalls/179NP.pdf
Price Tags
Supplies Needed:
White Card Stock (60-67 lb.)
Clear Packing Tape
Cable Ties
Safety Pins (1-inch or larger)
Wire Hangers
Use a white cardstock ONLY (60-67 lb.) Card stock can be found at Wal-Mart or any office supply store. Tags cannot be on regular paper because they tear too easily during the sale. This is very important! Any tag that deviates from this will slow down the registers and cause problems. All price tags must follow our tagging guidelines. Using the MyConsignment Manager online tagging program ensures that your price tags are properly made. All price tags MUST follow our guidelines. Consignors will be given one warning and the second time the Consignor will be a charged a $25 inconvenience fee.
Description: THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! Make sure the description is clear enough to help us locate your item if the tag falls off the item! The description needs to be specific. Include Brand Name, color, and style of item. Example: “GAP black dress with red flowers.” DO NOT just write “book” or “dress.” If we cannot match the tag to an item, the item will not be sold.
Good Phrases To Use: “Washes Well!” “Only Worn Once,” “Like New!” Noting the brand name is good. You can include these phrases WITH a detailed description.
Phrases to Avoid: Negative use of words, such as “Never Worn” should be avoided. Instead, use “Brand New.”
Other Ideas: For large ticket items such as furniture & electronics, you may want to point out the retail price so that buyers understand what a good deal they are getting. It’s also a great idea to attach a picture of that item with the pricing if you can find it on the internet.
Sizing: When you designate a size, please make sure it is numeric, ex: 7 Girls, 4T Boys, etc.; NOT Small, Medium, Large, or X-Large. (An exception is on Junior and Maternity clothing where numeric sizes ARE allowed). Size charts are available online to help you choose a number size.
Pricing: See the Pricing section below.
Making Changes: Do NOT make any changes or corrections by hand on the original tags once they are completed. The bar code is what is used to ring the item up. The item will not ring up correctly if you do not print a new card with the corresponding bar code on it. We cannot sell an item if the tag has been altered by hand in any way. New tags can only be printed up until the first day of the sale. After that, the sale is “locked” in order to run the system.
Pinning the Tag: Use 1- inch or larger safety pins to pin the tags on (no tiny gold/silver pins, or straight pins), placing the pin horizontally and catching the front & back of the garment and the price tag twice.
Taping the Tag: Please be cautious when using tape on certain items so as not to damage that item when the tape is removed. Also, please do not cover the barcode on the tags with tape (even clear packing tape), or they will not scan at checkout.
Printing the Tag: Using 60-67 lb. cardstock, set the printer on a normal or even “draft” print setting as either too light or too heavy printouts will keep the barcodes from scanning correctly. Make sure the paper is loaded correctly and press OK. Your tags will print 8 to a page with the barcode on the bottom of the tag. Tags should fill the entire page (except for a small margin). Check the printout after the first 8 -24 items so you can catch any mistakes before you continue. Did you get an error when printing? Are your barcodes fuzzy or thick and very dark? Go to the “Print Items” tab and select those items again and reprint with a lower print quality if needed. Any slight variation in the barcodes will make them unreadable by the scanner.
Pricing Guidelines
When pricing your items, we recommend that you honestly ask yourself, “What would I pay for this?” The beauty of pricing items is that you choose your prices! Items priced well, sell well! To make the most money at an event, price to sell, keeping in mind the quality, name brand, and condition of your items. We suggest starting at 1/4 to 1/2 of their original purchase price. Is the item a boutique item or new with tags still on it? Then the higher end of the pricing scale is suggested. The larger equipment items in great condition hold their value and will sell for up to 50% of their retail value. These items are always in high demand but priced to sell. These include strollers, bouncers, furniture, Exersaucers, car seats, Bumbo Seats (with restraints), Pack- n-Plays, baby carriers, etc.
** Dots on Tags–Items NOT Discounted during Half-Price Sale: A red dot on the tag indicates that you DO NOT want the item discounted. A red dot tells the customer that the item will remain full price and will not be discounted on a half-price day. This is another choice you will have in the tagging system where you can choose whether or not to dot your items. If you want your item to go half-price, you WILL check the box marked “Discount” in MyConsignment Manager, and your tag will print without a red dot. If you do NOT want your items to go half-price, you will NOT check the box marked “Discount” in MyConsignment Manager, and therefore a red dot will print on your tag. IF YOU PRINT A GRAY DOT, PLEASE COLOR IT IN RED WITH A MARKER SO THERE WILL BE NO CONFUSION FOR OUR SHOPPERS!**
We recommend letting most of your items sell at Half-Price. However, we do understand that some items hold special meaning, and if you can’t sell it at the price you want, you’d like to have it back. If you check the “Discount” box, then your item WILL be sold at half-price on the last 2 days of the sale. If you leave it unchecked, then your item WILL NOT be half-price.
Handwriting on Tags: **Handwritten tags or tags printed on paper will NOT be accepted!** We are unable to accept any items that have handwriting on the tags. If you need to change something on a tag, you will need to print a new tag for that item, but only before the first day of the sale begins. After the first day, the sale will be locked in order to run the software, and no new tags can be printed. **Please remember adding a handwritten red dot on tags does NOT mean the item will not go half price. If the red dot is not originally entered into the computer system, the computer will not recognize it at checkout. If your dot prints out gray or some other color, please color it red with a marker so there will be no confusion for our shoppers.**
Selling Price Minimum: Sweet Repeats maintains a “$3.00 Minimum Rule.” If your single, hanging clothing item, or non-clothing item, is not of a $3.00 value on its own, please pair it with something that will bring the total for the items to at least this amount. You can pair two onesies, a pair of pants, and a shirt, for example. Please note that all clothing sizes 0 to 18 months must be in a set—no single tops or bottoms.
FALL 2024 Public Sale Dates:
Friday, September 13th—Hero Day 11am-8pm
Saturday, September 14th 9am-6pm
Sunday, September 15th Noon-4pm
Monday, September 16th 11am-6pm
Tuesday, September 17th 11am-6pm
Wednesday, September 18th 11am-6pm
Thursday, September 19th 11am-8pm
FALL 2024 Public Half Price Sale:
Friday, September 20th 11am-8pm
Saturday, September 21st 9am-12pm