Growing Kids Sale - Pricing Your Items

Pricing Your Items for GKS

We have heard so many testimonies of how the Growing Kids Sale allows families in our community to affordably clothe their children each season. Anyone who has shopped the sale can testify to the great deals that keep them coming back every spring and fall. Not only the savings on buying, but there are very few outlets that allow families to earn as much as a 75% return on their gently used items while having their items shopped by thousands of moms (meaning more items sold!).

We strongly encourage each of our consignors to carefully consider the pricing of their items. If our consignors continue pricing their items fairly, Growing Kids will continue to be a win-win for both consignors and shoppers!

It is for these reasons that Growing Kids reserves the right to pull items from the sales floor that are considerably over-priced.

Pricing can be tricky - here are some thoughts to keep in mind:

When pricing, ask yourself, “What would I pay for this?”. Picture yourself at pick-ups carrying home all those out-grown items you spent time tagging – not fun, huh?!?!

Above all - PRICE TO SELL! There's nothing more rewarding than cleaning out your closets AND making money at the same time!

If it hasn’t sold after 4 days of full-price shopping, then it probably won’t sell at all, unless you let it go for half-price, so LET IT GO FOR 1/2!!! It's better to get 50% and clean out your closets than to get items back that you don't need. And don't forget - if you plan to donate your unsold items, you should definitely let them go for half!

A good rule-of-thumb for ALL types of items is to price them at 20% - 30% of retail. This varies according to the brand of your items and the condition they are in. Generally items should never be priced over 30% unless they are new, never used, in the original packaging or with tags. Some boutique brands in excellent condition may also be priced a little higher than 30% of retail. Pricing at consignment sales is most similar to resale or consignment shops' pricing.

Pricing Guidelines

The best way to price your item is by figuring 25% of retail. However, if you do not know the retail price, this chart shows some guidelines to follow.

NOTES:
NEW WITH TAGS? If your item still has store tags, you could go up to DOUBLE these amounts (we recommend 50% of retail for new with tags).
INFANT SIZES? Items under size 12 months will sell better if priced lower (see paragraph below).

CLOTHING	BARGAIN BRAND	BASIC BRAND	BETTER BRAND	BOUTIQUE BRAND
BRAND EXAMPLES	Garanimals, Faded Glory, Circo, Sonoma, Carters, Child of Mine, Cherokee, Champion, Starter	The Children's Place, Old Navy, Crazy 8, OshKosh, Adidas	Gap, Polo/ Ralph Lauren, Crewcuts, Gymboree, Mini Boden, Nike, Under Armour	Matilda Jane, Persnickety, Jelly the Pug, Giggle Moon, North Face, Patagonia, Smocked brands
Every-day tops	$1-2	$2-3	$3-6	25-35% of retail
Dressier tops (collared, etc)	$2-2.50	$3-4	$5-8	25-35% of retail
Shorts	$1-2.50	$3-4	$4-8	25-35% of retail
Jeans, Khakis, Corduroys	$2-3	$3-6	$5-8	25-35% of retail
Leggings, Sweatpants, Athletic pants	$1-2.50	$3-4	$4-6	25-35% of retail
Casual Every-day Dresses	$2-3	$3-5	$5-8	25-35% of retail
Dressier Dresses	$3-4	$4-6	$6-10	25-35% of retail
Swimwear	$1-3	$3-5	$4-8	25-35% of retail
Coats	$8-10	$10-15	$15-20	25-35% of retail
Multiple-piece Sets	Add up totals from chart above, add $1-2 more for each additional accessory.
Halloween Costumes	$6-15+ (depending on brand & condition)
Dancewear	$3-10 (depending on brand & condition

NEWBORN/INFANT CLOTHING
Because newborns receive so much gifted clothing and never wear-it-out, we always have an over-abudance of clothing in these sizes, and a lower sell-through rate. For these reasons, infant clothing (up to size 12 months) should be priced lower than other sizes, generally in the $1-4 range, and we strongly recommend allowing it to sell at 1/2 price, and donating unsold items so that our local pregnancy help centers that receive GKS donations can have these items for their moms in need.

SHOES	BARGAIN BRAND	BASIC BRAND	BETTER BRAND	BOUTIQUE BRAND
BRAND EXAMPLES	Garanimals, Faded Glory, Circo, Sonoma, Carters, Child of Mine, Cherokee	The Children's Place, Old Navy, Crazy 8, OshKosh	Nike, Under Armour, Gap, Native, Polo/Ralph Lauren, La'Mour, Wee Squeak	Chacos, Keen, Ugg, Sperry, Livie & Luca, Morgan & Milo
Sandals	$1-3	$2-4	$4-7	25-35% of retail
Tennis Shoes, Boots & Other Closed-toe Shoes	$2-3	$3-5	$5-10	25-35% of retail
Cleats	$1-2	$3-4	$4-8	25-35% of retail
Water Shoes, Slippers	$1-2	$3-4	$4-6	25-35% of retail

EQUIPMENT & FURNITURE
-Stroller prices vary greatly based on their condition, style and features. Most stroller prices (excluding umbrella strollers) typically range between $20-65, with double strollers and combos usually ranging from $65-120
-Cribs should be priced at 25-40% of retail depending on brand/condition/style (we do not accept cribs made prior to 2012)
-Walkers and Bouncy Seats: $5-25
-Exer-saucers: $15-35
-Small Travel Swings: $10-30
-Full-size Swings and Jumperoos: $20-65
-Highchairs: $10-40
-Infant Carrier Car Seats: $15-40 (add $10 for each additional base)
-Upright Car Seats: $15- 65 (depends on brand/condition)
-Pack-n-Plays: $15-60 (depends on brand/condition/accessories)
-Outdoor play gyms: $30-100
-Bicycles: $5-35 (depends on brand/condition)
-Cozy-coupes: $10-20
-Train tables: $15-$50 (depends on condition/brand/accessories)
-Rocking Chairs / Gliders: $20-55 (add $15 for footstool)

MISCELLANEOUS
-VHS Videos: $2 or less REQUIRED!
-DVD's: $1-6
-Books: $.50-3 each (better paired together)
-Bedding sets: $15-45 (higher priced bedding does NOT sell well)

This is only a guide - you are free to price your items less or more than the average range, but keep in mind that the Growing Kids Sale reserves the right to pull items from the sales floor if they are considerably over-priced.

Want to make even MORE $$$???

Help your items look NEW!!!
-The more time you take to wash and iron your clothing, the better it will look to a buyer. Trim all loose threads. Button all the buttons, zip all the zippers, tie all the bows, etc. A fabric shaver works GREAT on balled or pilling fabric, and can be purchased at Wal-mart or Target for $5-7. Remember - we don't accept stained items. See some pesky stains? Try our stain removal solutions at the bottom of this webpage!
- Wipe your equipment clean and wash covers & fabric parts! Most fabric seats and covers are able to be removed and washed – this will make your item’s condition look SO much better! When comparing two identical items, the cleaner one usually sells faster, even if it's more expensive! A few minutes cleaning your equipment will likely mean more money in your pocket! Consider keeping a pack of baby wipes handy as you prepare your items to wipe down toys and equipment. For fabric covers, just soak overnight in the food stain solution below, wash and then line dry! You'll be amazed at how much better they will look! We will be turning away any equipment that hasn't been properly cleaned.

Include the user manual, instructions or paperwork!
If you no longer have the user manual or instructions for your stroller, car seat, highchair, etc., consider printing it off online at the manufacturer's website or www.manualsonline.com and attaching it to your item. Just another way to increase the selling value of your item!

Grab the shopper's eye!
Make sure to package your items in such a way that they can be easily seen. For example, shoppers may not take the item to take a blanket out of a ziploc bag to look it over - they'll just pass on by! We try to give you lots of packaging ideas on this webpage!