As a mom of kids who seem to outgrow their clothes by the day, I find myself the hoarder of bags of barely worn garments, toys no longer in favor, and books read once and then forgotten. It is time for a spring clean, but the thought of simply giving away these once-loved items always feels like a missed opportunity, especially considering the investment in them.
Sunflower Sprouts sponsored this article. All opinions are the author's own.
So, I am excited to take part for the first time in a Sunflower Sprouts Consignment sale. This pop-up consignment sale comes to Erie twice a year — in the spring and fall.
While the sale doesn't come to Sinai Sports until April 26-28, the time to consign is NOW! The window to register items to consign is now through April 20.
I was a bit apprehensive about diving into the consigment process and how involved it would be. Would it be worth the effort? It turns out the process was much simpler than I anticipated, and is even fun once you get the hang of it.
Here's how to do it:
1. Sign up as a consignor
Sign up here! The $20 registration fee gave me pause, but I decided it was a minimal investment considering the potential return. As a consignor I am also granted early shopping access, allowing me to snag great deals for my ever-growing kids before the sale opens to the public. I can even bring a friend!
 A view from a past Sunflower Sprouts sale. |
That $20 fee also helps the sale owners — a really nice family from the Pittsburgh area with Erie ties — cover overhead and the management of your items during the sale. They incur rent, insurance, marketing costs, supply costs, and equipment storage costs to name a few. I'd probably spend more than that hosting a garage sale anyway and consigning is definitely less trouble to organize!
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2. Start tagging your items!
Boom. Once you're signed up, you can immediately start inputting items into the Sunflower Sprouts site. As a consignor, you must drop off a minimum of 25 items and as many as 350. The site was a breeze to navigate once I spent a few minutes to figure it out. There is even a voice entry option for item registration, which is a game changer.
Since this is a spring sale, you're asked to consign items and clothing your kids would wear in the spring and summer. That means bring on the soccer cleats and water tables, but leave the Halloween costumes and flannel PJs at home this time around. So, I weeded out fall and winter wear and anything with stains or missing buttons.
Then, I organized my clothes by gender and size. I also decided to wash my items since they'd been sitting in bags for a while.
Once I was ready, I could quickly input item after item. Here's what the registration page looks like — easy-peasy. You can choose under each item whether it can be discounted on the final day of the sale and donated or returned if it doesn't sell.
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Setting prices was my biggest hang-up at first. But then I decided to just list things at what I'd be willing to pay, taking into account what was name brand vs. off-brand. I also had to remind myself a few times not to let sentimentality inflate my prices! I found this cheat sheet offered by Sunflower Sprouts helpful:
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After I finished a round, I printed off tags and attached them to my clothing items with safety pins and to my books and decor items with tape. You do need to hang your items on hangers — I found a 100-pack on Amazon for about $22. If you find a better deal let me know!
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As quickly as that, I had emptied a bag that had been in my closet for a year and was now ready for drop-off at the Sunflower Sprouts sale in April. Wahoo!
Decluttering never felt so good.
Sunflower Sprouts pays 65% of the selling price of each item to the consignor. You can increase that to 70% by volunteering to help during the sale. Typical consigment rates for clothing are 40% to 60%, so I felt like Sunflower Sprouts was more than fair.
I am looking forward to dropping off my items for consignment in April and hope they find a great second home where they bring joy. The only thing I'm looking forward to more? Getting that check from Sunflower Sprouts following the sale!
Want to join me in consigning with Sunflower Sprouts?
Sign up now!
