Save Big with Consignment Stores

Everyone who knows me knows I rarely if ever pay "full" price for anything!  I love a bargain!  One of the places I find that I can find a treasure at nearly every trip is Consignment stores.

What exactly is a consignment store?

  Well, it is a store where people bring their used merchandise to be sold by the store's owner in exchange for a portion of the sale price.  People can take their items to the store and the store is responsible for pricing and displaying them, and in return the keep a percentage of the price paid.  

What can you buy at consignment stores?

Well you can buy just about anything from clothes, toys, household items such as pots and pans, home decor... you name it, you can likely find it on consignment!

Why buy consignment as opposed to new?

Well the main reason is to save money.  Items at consignment stores are typically priced well below retail.   In addition to that you can find unique items that you may not be able to find new.  It is not unusual to find a vintage, one of a kind beautiful item and pay very little for it!

Are the items at consignment stores low quality?

What you have to remember is that consignment store items are used, however, the store owner is usually particular about the items they accept at their stores.  They typically inspect all merchandise for damage or defect and only accept the highest quality items.

You can take advantage of Consignment stores from the other side of the fence too!  Contact a consignment store in your area to find out when and how to take your items in to make a little extra money!

My favorite thing to shop for at consignment stores is clothes.  I typically go to my favorite consignment store twice a year and pick out a new wardrobe for little princess, once in March and once in September.  In March I pick out spring and summer things and in September I pick you... you guessed it, winter things.  Some consignment stores even allow Lay-A-Way!  I can get a complete wardrobe consisting of at least 15 complete outfits, including shoes for around $150!  That would cost me significantly more in any store, even WalMart!  

Where do I go?  

I have a couple of favorite Consignment stores in Longview.  Hopscotch on Tyler St. Downtown is one of my favorites, another is the Tree House on Pine Tree Rd.  But I have recently discovered a couple of alternatives!  I recently found Change of Hands and am super excited!  This is an online consignment store!  When a friend turned me on to this page I have to admit I was a bit skeptical, but I have been watching it for a couple of months and it is really interesting!  She posts pictures of items she has available in albums separated by gender and size.  If you want to purchase one of the items, you simply comment on the picture "Sold" and the page owner will then send you info on how to pay through paypal and then ship you the items, it's that simple!

Another great find is Peace Love and Swap.  This one is really awesome!  First of all, it is absolutely free, this sale takes place at various places around East Texas and you take clothes and items that your child can no longer use and get to pick out items to replace them with!  So in other words, if you take ten shirts to the event, you get to pick out 10 items other's have donated for FREE!  You can't beat that!  They actually have a swap coming up in Tyler, so go like their facebook page and get ready to swap your little heart out!

I hope I have encouraged you to go check out a consignment store in your area and see what kind of treasures you can find, happy hunting!