Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011

Consigning is good for planet, your wallet

Recycling gets all of the press, but reducing and reusing are actually more important to the ultimate health of our planet.

Recently, I was reminded of the concept of consigning when my sister-in-law, Celia Liebl, stopped over sporting a "new" coach purse she had snapped up at a consignment shop for just $30. That bag would have cost at least $250 new.

We all buy things that we wear or use only once, or receive gifts that aren't our style. Where does all of that stuff go?

Savvy consumers are reselling their unwanted goods, which is green and economically beneficial. Some sell on eBay or Craigslist, but for those who don't want to close the deal themselves, consignment can be a good way to shed unwanted stuff and pocket some money.

Consignment stores typically accept items for a set period, and if the items sell, the store and the consigner make money. Goods typically sell for a fraction of their original price, and the stores take at least half of the sale price. But something is better than nothing, right?

My sister-in-law has been a proponent of consignment ever since she sold some furniture and accessory items at Hunt & Gather, a consignment gallery of fine furnishings on Glenwood Avenue.

"I had a few really nice pieces I wasn't using in our home, so I dropped them off at Hunt & Gather," Celia said. "It was kind of nice to get the items out of the house, and then get a check in the mail a few months later."

And her Coach bag find was not just a lightning strike of good luck. Celia has found many beautiful, designer pieces for less than $20 at high-end consignment shops such as Villa Consegna at Five Points.

According to Liz Heward, a Hunt & Gather staff member, Raleigh has a wide range of shops. I found that to be true when I set out to visit some of the stores.

My first few stops were disappointing. I was expecting resale that felt like retail, but I found that some shops were more like thrift shops. But then I visited Uptown Cheapskate on Avent Ferry Road, and my spirits began to brighten.

Uptown Cheapskate is a resale retail shop that caters to teens and young adults. They buy used items outright instead of accepting them on consignment. Sellers get cash on the spot or cash value plus 25 percent in store credit.

The store is colorful and bright, and the merchandise is current and in good condition. It offers a very pleasant shopping environment in addition to great selection and prices.

The Raleigh Uptown Cheapskate store is a franchise. The parent company is building upon its well-established Kid-to-Kid store model, which buys and sells gently used kids clothes, toys and baby furnishings.

We also have several Winmark franchise stores in our area: Once Upon a Child (baby items), Plato's Closet (teen clothing), Play it Again Sports (athletic equipment), and Music Go Round (musical instruments).

To resell at any of the resale retail stores, you simply walk in with your item and walk out with cash or store credit. The payout is typically less than with consigning, but it does offer instant gratification and closure.

The key, whether you are selling outright or consigning, is to know that procrastination is your enemy. Especially when it comes to clothing, these shops often decline items that are more than a year or two old.

If you stash something in a corner and forget about it for a few years, it could be worth nothing when you finally dust it off.

Maybe this holiday season we should all take a break from the retail madness to think about what stuff is still sitting around from last year's holiday shopping frenzy.

Getting some of those items out of storage and back into circulation could be good for the planet and the pocketbook.