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. Simply giving away these once-loved items often feels like a missed opportunity, especially considering the investment in them. So I was excited to take part in the Sunflower Sprouts Consignment Sale in the spring.
Sunflower Sprouts sponsored this article. All opinions are the author's own.
This pop-up consignment sale — owned and operated by an awesome Pittsburgh-area mom and dad with Erie ties — comes to Erie twice a year, in the spring and fall.
This fall, the sale will be at Sinai Sports Oct 5-6. That means the time to consign is NOW! You want to get started well before the window to register items to consign closes on Sept. 28.
I was a bit apprehensive about diving into the consignment process the first time 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. When it was all said and done, I ended up with a good-sized check — cha-ching! Plus, the great feeling of knowing all the stuff we'd accumulated was out of my house!
Here's how to do it:
1. Sign up as a consignor
➡️ First-time consignors, sign up here now! ⬅️
Have you consigned in a previous Sunflower Sprouts sale? Here's where returning consignors sign up for this time around.
The $20 registration fee gave me pause, but I decided it was a minimal investment considering the potential return. As a consignor I was also granted early shopping access, allowing me to snag great deals for my ever-growing kids before the sale opened to the public. I could even bring a friend!
 A view from a past Sunflower Sprouts sale at Sinai Sports. |
That $20 fee also helps the sale owners cover overhead and manage 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 fall sale, you're asked to consign items and clothing your kids would wear in the colder months. That means bring on the Halloween costumes and flannel PJs but leave at home the shorts and water tables. I also weeded out 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 a picture of 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. I chose to donate.
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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 also need to hang your items on hangers.
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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 consignment 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 again this fall, 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! It'll come at the perfect time for Christmas shopping.
