Organize
Your Supplies
- You
will need access to a computer and the internet to enter your items
into your personal inventory account (items will remain in your
account until they are sold, donated, or removed by you).
- It's
best to have all these things in one place before you begin, but
you can certainly wash and hang clothes as you have time, and gather
all the toys and other things later; you may do similar sessions
on the computer, entering a few items here and there as time permits.
-
Heavy WHITE paper for your printer
(67lb card stock or 90lb index) and scissors or a paper cutter to
cut out your tags (Please stick with WHITE and do NOT use thin copy
weight paper, it can get ripped off too easily in the frenzy of
shopping),
- Safety
pins (or a tagging gun, which is more secure and saves time! See
the More Tips page for details
on how to get one),
- Hangers
for all of your clothes,
- Gallon
ziploc bags for groups of small items,
-
Clear packing tape for securing bags and other items,
- Scotch
tape for books, movies, games, and software (packing tape is hard
to remove from these), or use rubber bands, or ziploc bags
- And
possibly a hole punch and string, zip ties, or loop hooks for certain
items that cannot be pinned (shoes, toys, equipment)
- For
some helpful tips on getting cheap supplies, click
here.
Guide
to Entering Items into Inventory
Consignors
will enter all of your items into our online inventory system and
create tags that look like this one. Please follow the instructions
to ensure a well orgainzed sale for all. Do NOT punch a hole where
you see the black dot!!! This lets us know you are willing to donate
this item if it doesn't sell.
NEW THIS SALE! New tag format, prints 10 per page instead of 6!
The
bar code helps us run speedy checkouts, the category helps us place
your item in the right area so shoppers can find it, the black dot
tells us if you are donating and helps us sort fast at the end of
the sale, and a good description helps us if your tag falls off of
an item (we can usually match up lost tags with items with no tag,
but sometimes the description is too vague and we can't be sure we
have a match).
My
Sale Manager allows you to manage the items you are selling and make
changes as necessary. You can change your price, category, description,
and whether or not you are discounting or donating, up until you print
a tag. Once you print a tag, if you make changes to an item online,
you must print a new tag to use as the bar code will be different.
DEADLINES
for Entering Items into Inventory:
You
may print tags after this deadline, but you will no longer be able
to enter new items or make changes to anything you have entered.
The
system is fairly easy to use, but here are some suggestions.
Attaching
tags will go well if you have your clothes hanging or stacked. Leave
them in the same order until you print the tags. Tags will be numbered
by item with 1 being the first item you enter and so on. So once you
print your tags and cut them, just put them in numerical order and
pin them on! (Double check descriptions in case of errors, of course,
but it should be pretty easy.)
Choose
the appropriate Category.
Please
choose the accurate category for each item you enter. This helps us
put your item in the correct place on the floor and also helps us
plan the amount of rack space or floor space we need to dedicate to
each category (by looking at how many items are entered in each category
in a report). Our Organizers will make visual judgements to put like
items together and may place your item into another similar category,
but if you enter the wrong category, it could get placed in the wrong
area and make it harder for shoppers to find.
Please
try to find the best match for the items you have. If you enter a
large item like a crib, make sure you change the category for your
next item or you might end up with 10 clothing items under the Cribs
category. PLEASE correct this before you drop off your items.
Infant
Shoes are sizes 0-4 (or 0-12 mos, but please use 1,2,3,4 for sizes).
For size 5 and up, use Shoes-Boys or Shoes-Girls. For unisex style
shoes, please choose Boys. (Moms of girls will also look at boys shoes,
but moms of only boys do not look at girls shoes!)
Toys
are divided into sub categories by age. If your toy is meant for a
wide range of ages, please choose the most appropriate age group or
consider when your child used it or enjoyed it the most.
Choose
the right Size.
Please choose the accurate size for clothes and shoes. For other items
you can choose Leave Blank or See Description. This helps us put your
clothes and shoes in the right place. Infant clothing is broken down
by Preemie, Newborn, 0-3mos, 3-6mos, 6-9mos, 9-12mos, 12-18mos, 18-24mos.
If your item is marked 6 mos, please choose 3-6mos. It's better for
a shopper to buy an item too big than too small (and find out the
hard way their baby can't fit in it!).
Do
NOT use S, M, L, XL for Children's clothing. These sizes
are ONLY for maternity clothes. Children's sizes must be a NUMBER.
If you use a letter, we will have you write in a number size at drop
off, so save yourself that headache and do it now. Our volunteers
won't know where to put children's clothes marked M, plus sizing varies
so much between brands an M could be 5, 6, 7, or 8! Help us put your
stuff in the right place so it can be SOLD.
For
clothes with European sizing, please reference the chart below and
use the equivalent American size. Europeans size by height (in cm)
but we all need to be on the same page, so please convert.
If
you choose a different size than what is listed on your tag, please
make a note of the reason in the description or hand write why on
the tag after you print it. If a tag is missing, use your best guess,
compare with other clothes.
Maternity
and Nursing clothing should be a letter such as S, M, L.
Please do not use a number like 12 for maternity or we will have you
write in a letter at checkin. Use this chart if you are not sure how
to convert.
| Maternity
Number Size |
Maternity
Letter Size |
| 0,
2 |
XS |
4,
6 |
S |
| 8,
10 |
M |
| 12,
14 |
L |
| 16,
18 |
XL |
| 20+ |
XXL |
Enter
a GOOD Description.
The
space is limited to 25 character per line, so be brief, but you can
say a lot with a little. Use shortcuts like LS for long sleeve, SS
for short sleeve, NWT for an item that is New With Tags.
You
might also say things like Never Worn, Paid $89 Retail, or whatever
else you want a potential buyer to know. If there is not enough room
in 2 lines for the description you feel your item needs, feel free
to write more on a separate card and attach it. Do what you can to
sell it!
Baby
Gap (barely worn)
LS polo onesie w/red dog
NWT
GAP jeans
flower embroidery on leg
A good description can help SELL your item! Especially if you tell
your buyer something that isn't obvious by looking at your item (helpful
when original packaging isn't included).
Yellow
submarine bath toy
Works
underwater!
A
good description will also help in case an item gets separated from
a tag. Sometimes tags fall off or get pulled off. We do our best to
pair them back together, but lost tags marked “pants”
or “shirt” are impossible to match to an item. At least
describe the color, brand, or any features it has.
Good
descriptions are nice to see on your seller report so you can tell
which items sold when looking at your inventory online each night
or at the end.
Graco
Brown Pack n Play
w/bassinet
& mobile
Entering
a good description can help us SELL an item for you if the tag has
fallen off and can't be found. We have the ability to look things
up in the system by description! But if your Brown Jungle print Graco
Pack 'n Play with bassinet and mobile is listed in your inventory
as "play yard," we probably won't find it or be 100% sure
it is the one we have a buyer for (if we could only locate it in the
system and print a new tag!) and it just might be waiting for you
at pickup, which is a shame when we could have sold it.
Set
your price.
A good rule of thumb is to start your price around 1/3 of the original
retail price, going up or down based on the quality and condition
of your item. Name brands (Gap, Old Navy, Children's Place, Zutano,
and all boutique brands), will go for more than store brands (Cherokee,
Carter's, Osh Kosh, and any discount store brands), but that is reflected
when using the 1/3 rule since the retail price of name brand stuff
starts out higher. You might mark something higher if it’s sentimental
or in really great shape and lower if you just want to get rid of
it.
Think
of yourself as a shopper, you love getting a great deal, so pass it
on and give someone else a great deal! You can still make more money
than a garage sale and you'll sell more of your stuff in the end.
And isn't the ultimate goal to get rid of it?
Clothing
tends to sell for 20-35% of retail, while equipment can go for up
to 50% of retail, depending on condition, brand and demand. (We've
seen some barely used Bumbo seats, Ergo carriers, bike trailers, and
other hot items in good conditon sell for around half of their retail
value or even more.)
All
prices must be in $1.00 or $.50 increments only, with a $1 minimum.
No $.99 or other odd prices, the system won't allow it.
There
is a line for Quantity.
Usually this will be 1. Only enter a number higher than 1 if ALL INFO
on the tag is the same (like 10 identical hair bows or if you have
twins and 2 items that are exactly the same, then enter 2 so 2 unique
tags will be printed). Otherwise make a new entry for each item. Choosing
10 for quantity will cause 10 identical items (and tags) to be generated.
There is a limit of 25, but if you have 100 of the exact same hair
bows, just enter 4 sets of 25.
Shortcut: If you have a lot of similar items (like puzzles or jeans),
enter a quantity of 10 with most info the same (category, price, the
word Puzzle or Jeans) and then go in and edit each item to change
size or description.
Decide
if you want to Discount.
Click
this checkbox if you are willing to sell your item for half price
on Sunday. This is wise if you are mainly trying to clear out your
closet and do not want to take things back home at the end!
Discounting
gives you a chance to sell a few more things on Sunday when most items
will be discounted and many shoppers return to suppliment their stash
and see what they can get for less. Let it go!
Discounting
may not be for you. You may not want to discount furniture or large
equipment (price to sell in the first place), or you may be willing
to take home certain items if they don't sell. Perhaps you have a
friend you could give things to or you may keep a few things in case
you ever have more kids.
Whatever
your reason, you get to decide!
Decide
if you want to Donate.
Here
is your chance to really get rid of your stuff once and for all. If
it does not sell during the sale, even on half price day, let it go.
We donate things to needy families through Northwest
Children's Outreach (in Hillsboro) and Relief
Nursery (in Eugene). They are very grateful for your
donations.
If
you are willing to Donate, you must also be willing to include it
in the 50% off sale. Once you check Donate, the system will
also check Discount. It does not make sense to donate an item without
first discounting it to give it one more chance to sell. Money in
your pocket now is better than a tax donation you may forget to take
later.
Remember to get a donation slip at drop off (during check in) if you
think you might end up donating anything and want the tax write off.
You will also be able to print a Donation Report at the end of the
sale, which will list items that didn't sell and the full value (not
the half price value) so you can print and file that with your taxes.
Do
not check the Discount box if you plan to pick it up if it does not
sell.
After
you enter an item, click Submit.
It
should appear on your inventory list. You can stop at any time and
do more later. It's best to click the "I'm finished" link
to make sure everything is saved. You can go back and enter more items
later. Print tags as you go or all at once. You can change any of
the info at any time before you print tags. If you change
any of the details after you've printed a tag, MAKE SURE YOU PRINT
A NEW TAG AND DISCARD THE OLD ONE! The bar code will be different
and if your tag does not match your inventory, there will be errors
at the registers and we may not be able to sell your items.
If
you delete an item, that item number will be missing and won't be
used, but it does not effect your item count, you still get to enter
the limit no matter what Item Numbers are issued. Each item needs
a unique item number, so don't print 2 tags of the same item number,
only the first can be sold. The second tag won't be valid in the system
as the computer will think it has already been sold. This causes confusion
and delay at the registers.
We
will use our discretion for how to proceed. If we have time, we may
go into your inventory and enter a new item and allow it to be sold
for the price on the tag, but if we do not have time to do this, you
may not get credit for the sale or your item may not be sold. Please
create a unique tag for each item.
Print,
Cut, and Attach your tags.
A note of warning: DO NOT USE FIREFOX 3 to print your tags!
The text in the description field comes out as jibberish. All other
text reads fine, just that one area, but that kind of ruins the tags.
This is a Firefox 3 issue, nothing to do with our program. You could
downgrade to Firefox 2 or just use a different browser (like Internet
Explorer or Safari).
Once
tags are printed and cut down, you may use a tagging gun or safety
pin to attach tags to clothes. Put a pin through the tag at the top
center going up. Use only 1-inch safety pins on clothes, larger ones
leave holes too large but they are good for pinning tags to ziplock
bags.
If
you like to punch a hole in your tag, please punch holes
near the top center. DO NOT punch a hole where the big black dot is!
That indicates your choice to donate that item if it doesn't sell.
It's a visual indicator to our sort team which helps us quickly pull
items to be donated at the end of the sale. We won't know to donate
if there is a hole punched that eats up the dot! (We also like how
shoppers don't know that certain items are destined to be donated,
in case the word Donate on the tag would cause them to not buy!)
DO
NOT attach tags to large items, we use a special security
tag for these items, so just bring your tags and we'll take care of
those.
For
ziploc bags, it is now acceptable to put the tag inside the bag!
Just make sure it is clearly visible from the outside so the scanner
can read the bar code at checkout. This should prevent loss of tags
during the sale (if we can't match a loose tag with a tagless item,
we can't sell that item) and eliminate the possibility of a dishonest
shopper switching tags.
Check
your printed bar codes.
With the online inventory, your tags will print out with bar codes
already on them! Please pay attention to how the bar codes look. Make
sure they are complete and not faded or else they will not scan. Don't
set an ink jet printer on high quality because it might lay down too
much ink. Print 1 page first and see how the bar codes look and adjust
from there.
We
can hand enter tags that won't scan at checkout (if the rest is clear),
but scanning is much faster and ensures no errors. Our cashiers are
human so there is the potential for info to get entered wrong (a misentered
consignor number could give credit to someone else and may not be
caught) so please make sure your bar codes are clear. Print on a laser
printer for best quality or send your pdf file to a quick printer
like Kinko's, Office Max, Documart, or my friends at Minuteman Press
in Beaverton.
Contact
Kim if you have any questions.
