Fall 2016 Hanging and Packaging

Preparing Items for Sale
To maintain our sale’s reputation for quality, gently-used items, all consignors must adhere to the following guidelines:

• TAGS MUST BE SECURELY ATTACHED: We can not sell your item if the tag has fallen off – even if a customer really, really wants it! Our most successful consignors put a small piece of masking tape (or small label) on every item and on every piece of clothing (inside collar of shirt or waist of pants) with their consignor number and the item’s number. This way we are able to re-tag the item if the barcode tag is missing.

For clothing, consider also wrapping a piece of clear packing tape all the way around the top 1/2 of the tag and the safety pin – this makes it virtually possible for a safety pin to be unpinned or for the tag to tear and fall off.

• CLOTHING: All clothing must be freshly laundered, clean, of a current style and free of the following: rips or tears, stains of any size, fading, broken zippers, missing buttons, excessive wear, pilling, wear at knee or hem of pants/jeans, and cracked “iron-on” type pictures or graphics on shirts.

All clothing must be neatly hung on HANGERS (any kind – tubular, plastic or wire are all ok!) Wal-Mart & dollar-stores are both good sources for cheap hangers. Hold on to dry-cleaning hangers and hangers that come w/ clothing you purchase throughout the year OR try FreeCycle.org.

Use 2-piece hangers to hang sets or dresses with diaper covers OR hang sets on ONE hanger by pinning the top and bottom of clothing together. Adult-sized dry-cleaning wire hangers work great for pinning sets together onto one hanger (see photo at left).

Hang clothing so that the HANGER HOOK is pointing to the LEFT (like a question mark – ?)

Hang pants, shorts, skirts, etc on child-sized pants hangers OR pin at the waist onto wire child or adult sized hangers (see photo at left).

Use safety pins to attach accessories (bows, socks, belts, etc) that match an outfit.

**** PLEASE, PLEASE do not pin or attach tags directly into the clothing fabric as it often LEAVES A HOLE – this is extremely frustrating to a buyer when they discover it at home! Attach pins ONLY to the thick seams of clothing (waistline, neckline, armholes, etc)

Attach tag to clothing using a SAFETY PIN or TAGGING GUN (For reasonably priced tagging guns: Check eBay OR Store Supply Warehouse OR Office Depot & OfficeMax. We recommend the short 1″ – 2″ plastic barbs to load the tag gun.)

Attach tag to either the garment’s label in the neckline OR to a RIGHT-hand seam (at the shoulder, neckline, underarm, etc – on the RIGHT side of the garment).

ATTACH TAGS TO CLOTHING LABEL OR RIGHT-HAND SIDE OF CLOTHING ONLY:

• SHOES: Shoes should be NEW or NEXT-TO-NEW. Buyers are very picky when it comes to purchasing used footwear.Tie shoes together with string/ribbon or plastic zip-ties (available at Home Depot or Lowes) Use a hole punch to attach the price tag (at the top of tag) through the string/ribbon or zip-tie. (see photo below).If you choose to put shoes in a ziplock bag, tape the bag shut and tape the tag to the OUTSIDE of the bag so that it can be scanned at check-out.

• BOOKS: Books should be gently used, clean and in good condition. No rips or tears to binding or pages. No writing on pages. (Dedications written on inside front cover/page are ok.) Multiple books can be sold as a set by placing them in a ziplock bag or by tying the books together SECURELY with string/ribbon or multiple rubber bands. (Be sure the books will not easily become separated!) Use low-tack, “blue” painters tape to attach tags to books. Do not use clear packing or mailing tape as it often damages the book when removed. DO NOT put tape over the BAR CODE at the bottom of the tag.

• DVD’S: All DVD’s must be in working condition and in their original cases. Attach tags to the outside of case using tape. Do not use tape that would damage the item when removed. DO NOT put tape over the BAR CODE at the bottom of the tag. DO NOT TAPE Dvd’s shut – we will need to verify that the (correct) DVD is inside.

• TOYS, BABY GEAR, ETC: Must be CLEAN and in WORKING CONDITION. ALL ESSENTIAL PIECES of toys, games, puzzles, equipment etc. must be included. All items requiring batteries MUST HAVE WORKING BATTERIES installed. Batteries can be found inexpensively at dollar-stores. Place a single piece of clear, packing tape all the way across the top 3/4 of the tag OR tie on tags with string/ribbon, plastic zip ties (available at Home Depot or Lowes). DO NOT put tape over the BAR CODE at the bottom of the tag. Use low-tack, “blue” painter’s tape on item’s that would be easily damaged when tape is removed. Avoid taping over paper or ‘stickers’ on toys, these are easily damaged when tape is removed.

• ITEMS WITH MULTIPLE PARTS: Items to be sold together should be in a ziplock bag that is SECURELY TAPED SHUT. Attach tag to the OUTSIDE of the zip-lock bag so that the tag can be easily scanned at check-out. Attach a list of the bag’s contents so the buyer knows exactly what is inside the bag. It is critical that ALL pieces and parts of an item are SECURELY attached to one another. Run clear packing tape around all pieces several times to keep everything together.