| Frequently Asked Questions - for Sellers |
Doesn't
the Consumer Product and Safetly Commission's (CPSC) new law require me
to test all my items before selling them at Kid's Closet?
No. Reseller's such as consigners and thrift stores are exempt from these testing requirements. However, you are still responsible to sell only safe and unrecalled items. For more information about which items these may be, please check out the CPSC web site at http://www.cpsc.gov/.
How do I price my items?
Prices vary from sale to sale, but a good rule of thumb is 25% to 33% of the purchase price for clothing. Cute brand name items may sell for more, and off brands may sell for less. T shirts usually sell for about $2.00 and name brand Jeans often sell for about $6.00. Remember all items will be in style and in good condition.
Which sizes sell the best?
Size 24 months through size 7 are the hot sizes. Sales taper off the farther you get from these sizes.
Which items sell the worst?
Size 3 months doesn't sell well and size 6 months only sells a little. Items for newborns only don't sell well. Size 14 sells so so.
Where can I get wire hangers?
Ask your dry cleaner. Often they will give youhangers without charge, and yes, you are using adult size hangers. Also you may be surprised that many of your neighbors recycle hangers back to the dry cleaner. Ask them for hangers; you're saving them from driving hangers back to the cleaners. However, our seller who received the most hangers asked their husband to put a note out at his office that said - Need hangers.
Why can't I use plastic hangers or pant hangers?
They take up the space of 3 or 4 metal hangers, so we don't have space for them. Also most types of plastic and cardboard snap under our heavy shopping conditions. Also we have problems with clothing slipping off the smaller plastic hangers onto the floor. Also plastic hangers make sorting after the sale more difficult since we can't grab as many with our hands.
What's a priority shopping number?
It's our method to encourage you to drop your clothes off Monday morning. The first person to drop off their clothes gets number 1 on their shopping passes. The second person to drop off gets number 2 - and so on. Usually early Wednesday the presale attracts more shoppers than our selling space can accommodate. Then when we open the presale, the lower numbers get to shop first no matter how people lined up. Also it saves shoppers from having to arrive 2 hours before the presale opens to get a spot in line. If you have number 1, you can arrive 10 minutes before we open and skate in at 9:00.
When do I need to drop off my items to get in first thing Wednesday?
In the past (I make no guarantees about the future), if you dropped off by 11:00 am on Monday, you could get in first thing Wednesday.
Why do I have to wait to shop while sellers with lower priority shopping number shop first?
Because that is how we've explained things to the other sellers. Sellers with lower numbers made extra effort to drop off their items early. It would be unfair to them to change the rules at the last minute.
Why can't I use my tags from another sale?
We have worked with people for years to help them use their tags from other sales, and while we could easily identify the seller number and price, we could do this. However, recently another sale has started that places an item count where we look for the seller number. Working with these tags cost us literally hours of labor at purchasing checkout, check printing, and sorting items. We hate to punish everyone, but we can't take the chance we'll ever see tags like that again.
Why can't I write ND, NR, No Discount, No Reduction, highlight the price in red, or write the price in red on my tag and have the sale honor it?
When new shoppers enter Kid's Closet for half price day, they aren't happy about the circled prices being full price. When we had time several years ago we did try to explain tag exceptions to shoppers. It makes almost all of the buyers very angry, so we stopped doing it and require sellers to use our tag rules.
Do you charge a selling fee?
No - but we may add one in the future. If we add a fee, it will be refunded if you have followed the tagging rules and good quality merchandise rules.
Do I need an appointment to drop off my items?
No, but thanks for asking. Our priority shopping numbers regulate the drop off flow.
Do I need to submit an inventory list?
No.
Am I required to work at the sale if I sell?
No, our sale is staffed by volunteers who are allowed to shop early if they work 4 hours.
Why do I have to tag and sort my clothing before coming for drop off?
We don't have space for tagging and sorting. It may appear we have space for a few minutes, but once another seller comes, you are in the way and people are working around you.
Why do myhangers need to face left and the tags be pinned to the upper right side of the garments?
Shoppers expect to be able to flip through the clothes and instantly find the price. If you place it in an unexpected location, they will assume the tag is missing and not buy your item. Since your items didn't sell, after the sale the sorters will be annoyed with you because they have to take extra time to try to find your seller number on your many unsold items.
Can I get my tags back?
No, we don't remove the tags from items because we have computerized check out.
Can I see what sold after the sale?
Yes, however, we only have a list of prices with date and time the price sold. Also you can tell which prices sold for half price.
I lost my check; can I have another?
Yes, for a reprint and banking fee.
Why can't I use regular paper to tag my items?
Shopping is rigorous. Normal paper is guaranteed to tear off. Then your items don't sell and the sale floor looks like a paper blizzard.
Why can't I use staples or straight pins to tag my items?
Shopping is rigorous. Staples and straight pins don't hold. We can testify to the many tags we have found on the floor with their staples and pins still partially attached. Straight pins are also dangerous to other shoppers and clothing.
Why do I need to put my clothing on hangers?
Unhung clothing is placed in a box near the accessories table. These items are not very visible and do not sell well.
Why can't I sell off season and damaged items?
People don't want to buy these items, and their appearance in the sale gives the sale a bad reputation. They also create more work for sorters after the sale when they sort these items for return to you. Also if we receive complaints about your items, you will loose the privilege of selling at our sale.
Why can't I drop off my items later than the posted times?
The church is closed in the afternoons, so no-one can let you in. Also our workers need to go home to get children off buses. Once check in is complete, the computer is set up for check out. If you don't go through computer check in, the computer doesn't register you as a seller and it won't print your check. Also, every time we sell your items we get an invalid seller number on the check out computers which is time consuming because we pull tags for later identification when the number is bad.
Why are my items already donated when I come by later than the posted times?
The church is very busy, and we tie up the facilities for a long time while several groups are bumped out of their regular meeting times. The minute we finish, another group is waiting to use the room. Since the church works around us, we need to be faithful to return their rooms at the end of our sale.
No. Reseller's such as consigners and thrift stores are exempt from these testing requirements. However, you are still responsible to sell only safe and unrecalled items. For more information about which items these may be, please check out the CPSC web site at http://www.cpsc.gov/.
How do I price my items?
Prices vary from sale to sale, but a good rule of thumb is 25% to 33% of the purchase price for clothing. Cute brand name items may sell for more, and off brands may sell for less. T shirts usually sell for about $2.00 and name brand Jeans often sell for about $6.00. Remember all items will be in style and in good condition.
Which sizes sell the best?
Size 24 months through size 7 are the hot sizes. Sales taper off the farther you get from these sizes.
Which items sell the worst?
Size 3 months doesn't sell well and size 6 months only sells a little. Items for newborns only don't sell well. Size 14 sells so so.
Where can I get wire hangers?
Ask your dry cleaner. Often they will give youhangers without charge, and yes, you are using adult size hangers. Also you may be surprised that many of your neighbors recycle hangers back to the dry cleaner. Ask them for hangers; you're saving them from driving hangers back to the cleaners. However, our seller who received the most hangers asked their husband to put a note out at his office that said - Need hangers.
Why can't I use plastic hangers or pant hangers?
They take up the space of 3 or 4 metal hangers, so we don't have space for them. Also most types of plastic and cardboard snap under our heavy shopping conditions. Also we have problems with clothing slipping off the smaller plastic hangers onto the floor. Also plastic hangers make sorting after the sale more difficult since we can't grab as many with our hands.
What's a priority shopping number?
It's our method to encourage you to drop your clothes off Monday morning. The first person to drop off their clothes gets number 1 on their shopping passes. The second person to drop off gets number 2 - and so on. Usually early Wednesday the presale attracts more shoppers than our selling space can accommodate. Then when we open the presale, the lower numbers get to shop first no matter how people lined up. Also it saves shoppers from having to arrive 2 hours before the presale opens to get a spot in line. If you have number 1, you can arrive 10 minutes before we open and skate in at 9:00.
When do I need to drop off my items to get in first thing Wednesday?
In the past (I make no guarantees about the future), if you dropped off by 11:00 am on Monday, you could get in first thing Wednesday.
Why do I have to wait to shop while sellers with lower priority shopping number shop first?
Because that is how we've explained things to the other sellers. Sellers with lower numbers made extra effort to drop off their items early. It would be unfair to them to change the rules at the last minute.
Why can't I use my tags from another sale?
We have worked with people for years to help them use their tags from other sales, and while we could easily identify the seller number and price, we could do this. However, recently another sale has started that places an item count where we look for the seller number. Working with these tags cost us literally hours of labor at purchasing checkout, check printing, and sorting items. We hate to punish everyone, but we can't take the chance we'll ever see tags like that again.
Why can't I write ND, NR, No Discount, No Reduction, highlight the price in red, or write the price in red on my tag and have the sale honor it?
When new shoppers enter Kid's Closet for half price day, they aren't happy about the circled prices being full price. When we had time several years ago we did try to explain tag exceptions to shoppers. It makes almost all of the buyers very angry, so we stopped doing it and require sellers to use our tag rules.
Do you charge a selling fee?
No - but we may add one in the future. If we add a fee, it will be refunded if you have followed the tagging rules and good quality merchandise rules.
Do I need an appointment to drop off my items?
No, but thanks for asking. Our priority shopping numbers regulate the drop off flow.
Do I need to submit an inventory list?
No.
Am I required to work at the sale if I sell?
No, our sale is staffed by volunteers who are allowed to shop early if they work 4 hours.
Why do I have to tag and sort my clothing before coming for drop off?
We don't have space for tagging and sorting. It may appear we have space for a few minutes, but once another seller comes, you are in the way and people are working around you.
Why do myhangers need to face left and the tags be pinned to the upper right side of the garments?
Shoppers expect to be able to flip through the clothes and instantly find the price. If you place it in an unexpected location, they will assume the tag is missing and not buy your item. Since your items didn't sell, after the sale the sorters will be annoyed with you because they have to take extra time to try to find your seller number on your many unsold items.
Can I get my tags back?
No, we don't remove the tags from items because we have computerized check out.
Can I see what sold after the sale?
Yes, however, we only have a list of prices with date and time the price sold. Also you can tell which prices sold for half price.
I lost my check; can I have another?
Yes, for a reprint and banking fee.
Why can't I use regular paper to tag my items?
Shopping is rigorous. Normal paper is guaranteed to tear off. Then your items don't sell and the sale floor looks like a paper blizzard.
Why can't I use staples or straight pins to tag my items?
Shopping is rigorous. Staples and straight pins don't hold. We can testify to the many tags we have found on the floor with their staples and pins still partially attached. Straight pins are also dangerous to other shoppers and clothing.
Why do I need to put my clothing on hangers?
Unhung clothing is placed in a box near the accessories table. These items are not very visible and do not sell well.
Why can't I sell off season and damaged items?
People don't want to buy these items, and their appearance in the sale gives the sale a bad reputation. They also create more work for sorters after the sale when they sort these items for return to you. Also if we receive complaints about your items, you will loose the privilege of selling at our sale.
Why can't I drop off my items later than the posted times?
The church is closed in the afternoons, so no-one can let you in. Also our workers need to go home to get children off buses. Once check in is complete, the computer is set up for check out. If you don't go through computer check in, the computer doesn't register you as a seller and it won't print your check. Also, every time we sell your items we get an invalid seller number on the check out computers which is time consuming because we pull tags for later identification when the number is bad.
Why are my items already donated when I come by later than the posted times?
The church is very busy, and we tie up the facilities for a long time while several groups are bumped out of their regular meeting times. The minute we finish, another group is waiting to use the room. Since the church works around us, we need to be faithful to return their rooms at the end of our sale.
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