Charity begins at home. What do you think?

Yes, another random subject for the consignment business, but we always love being "out there" with our monthly blog!

So most of us have heard of the saying "charity begins at home", right? Some may think this is a selfish attitude to take as if we all felt that way, charities and good causes would struggle to exist. Some may think the opposite and that giving back is good for the soul and makes people feel good. At this point, you may be thinking to yourself, why are we talking about this subject. Here's why. Along with our "new look" site launch, we also launched a "Consign & Shop for a Cause" category that gives you the opportunity to consign your no longer worn designer and high quality brand items that are hiding in your closet at home and when an item sells, you can elect to donate a percentage from that sale to go to the charity of your choice. It also means that when you shop certain items on the site, a percentage of the sale goes to an elected charity. So do you want to feed your soul and feel good? Well read on and let us tell you how it all works. 

Let's start with "Consign for a Cause" - all you need to do at the time of consigning with us, whether you are completing our  Upload Form, Inventory List, or requesting a Premium Concierge Collection, is fill out on the relevant form that you wish to donate as much or as little of a percentage of your share of a sale of your consigned items to a charity of your choice and we take care of the rest. Then, at the end of the month you will receive a statement of your earnings from items sold and a check made out to the charity you elected. We are always totally transparent with the charity chosen and the percentage amount being donated that is in "other details" against each product when a donation has been made. To us, it makes perfect sense, you have items in your closet you no longer use and now you have control over where those earnings are paid to. There is of course no obligation to make a donation - it's totally your call - we just thought you might like the option.

An example of the charities where consignment donations are being made is Fido Fixers Inc. a newly organized not-for-profit corporation that provides either no cost or low cost spay and neuter services for dogs and cats in economically distressed areas. Currently, Fido Fixers has two spay and neuter clinics. To date over 2,500 surgeries have been performed. At this time, there is a wait-list of 18 qualified animal welfare groups who would like to use Fido Fixers and make a similar impact in their various communities. Needless to say, they need more mobile clinics to meet the demand - and the good news is that consignista.com has had consignors generously donate to this cause. 

Another deserving charity we are making a donation to, is Dana's Angels Research Trust (DART) a 501(c)(3) organization set up by a family who have sadly suffered at the hands of Niemann-Pick Type C disease (NPC); losing one daughter to this disease in 2013 and having their son, who at the time was aged 5, also being diagnosed with NPC.  

For those of you who are unaware of what this disease is, NPC is a genetic metabolic disorder in which harmful quantities of cholesterol and other fatty substances accumulate in the cells of the body such as the spleen, liver, lungs, bone marrow and, most dramatically, the brain. 

Neurologically, NPC is characterized by an inability to metabolize cholesterol in the nerve cells of the brain where it accumulates and causes the premature “death” of these cells. This brain involvement can be extensive, leading to the inability to look up and down, difficulty in walking and swallowing, as well as progressive loss of vision and hearing. 

Currently, the life expectancies of patients with NPC are quite variable. Children often die at a very early age or in their early teens while some adult patients appear to be less drastically affected. 

So as you can see from just these two charities alone, your closet of no longer worn items, can really do good - why not make a start consigning them with us today by either using our Upload Form or our Concierge Services and chose your charity of choice. And if you still need an little extra incentive, think about the environmentally friendly aspect of consignment - recycling. 

We have other exciting developments coming up for "Consign & Shop for Cause" that we will soon be able to share, but for now, help us to help others with this newly launched category.

Turning to the "Shop for a Cause" - well simply put, where you see charity information in "other details" of a product you will know what when you purchase that item a percentage is going to that particular charity. It doesn't matter where within the site you are, you can be in our Shop for a Cause category or anywhere else - the information will be there. 

So we guess to sum up, charity does begin at home - it's just hanging in your closet! 

See you next month!

Be smart for back to school

Uniquely yours...for less!

Are you one of those parents who is constantly being marketed everyday for back to school? If the answer to the question is "yes", it may be a good idea for you to read our latest blog because despite the emails you receive from many retailers offering discounts off of regular priced merchandise there may be many of you who have never considered buying resale, where the discounts are even deeper and many of the items are new with tags or have never been worn. Not only that, but the items we are talking about are either designer or high quality brands that last.

How is this possible? It's actually very simple. Many of us parents, including those on the team at consignista.com either overbuy or are gifted with items from generous grand parents or other members of the family who cannot resist making that purchase for your children. What happens is that as your children grow at an exponential rate, some of these purchases never get worn. The good news is that you can consign those items with consignista.com, earn money from them when they sell and use those earnings to put towards other resale items at smart prices. On top of that, for every purchase you make with us, you earn rewards points that you can put towards future purchases.

Smart savings with consignista.com

So let's show you an example of a saving you can make when you buy resale. Like the Northface Metroplis Parka Jacket that retails at around $199.00 that consignista.com has listed in excellent condition for $89.00. A cool saving of  $110.00. Now we don't know about you, but that $110.00 saving on just one item can go a long way to buying other items. Like Gap long sleeve graphic Ts that consignista.com has listed at between $5.00-8.00 each. Oh and we always offer free shipping. The savings go on!

So we hope you can see the advantages of using consignista.com as opposed to heading out to the nearest mall for your back to school items. And of course, why not consign those items that were either never worn or are in perfect condition with us to continue to add to our increasing inventory? You never know, back to school could end up costing you zero dollars, with the savings you can make when buying resale, and consigning and earning money from those outgrown items with consignista.com. And the icing on the cake is that it's a green alternative - resale is becoming known as a perfect recycling option.

Now we've kept this blog short and sweet as we know time is precious over the summer. And we don't want to keep you from shopping for your back to school necessities with us now do we!

What's Gordon Gekko got to do with online resale?

Uniquely yours...for less!

This month we delve into the industry statistics and trends surrounding resale. Before you stifle a yawn on the basis that you think this subject is boring, you should read on because in fact, from our research it is actually very interesting. We promise!

So resale or retail? Can you tell the difference? Probably not! Today resale shops look the same as mainstream retailers - except for one big difference - they sell high quality goods at lower prices. The resale industry, as we stated in last month's blog, offers quality at what can be enormous savings and don't forget the element that resale is green!

Resale is a multi-billion dollar a year industry and with this in mind you begin to realize the vast scope and advantage to shopping and getting that "must have" fashion item for less. Resale shopping attracts consumers from all economic levels. There is no typical resale shopper and no-one is immune to the excitement of finding a treasure and saving money at the same time. Shrewd shoppers take advantage of the opportunity resale offers - to save money. These savings can help add to quality of life when used for vacations, entertainment, funding of college, the list goes on.

According to America's Research Group, a consumer research firm, approximately 16-18% of Americans will shop at a thrift store during any given year. For resale shops, it is approximately 12-15%. To put these figures into perspective, consider that during the same timeframe, 11.4% of Americans will shop in factory outlet malls, 19.6% in apparel stores and 21.3% in major department stores. 

Advertise your store with consignista.com

Resale has become destination shopping with the recent industry trend of clustering and this leads us onto the newest piece of consignista.com's business model, The Consignista Network. In simple terms, consignista.com will allow other apparel resale/consignment stores to gain an online presence without the need of them building and managing a website themselves. This in turn allows these stores to list their inventory online at consignista.com and gives, as an example, a shopper in Texas to purchase that "must have" item from a store in Iowa. By creating The Consignista Network at consignista.com, it adds efficiency for the shopper and additional sales for the resale/consignment store who is part of the Consignista Network who would not necessarily have been found by that savvy shopper otherwise. 

Shoppers can visit a variety of resale/consignment stores at one site - consignista.com.

The resale market is blossoming thanks to value-conscious consumers and with the increasing awareness of the importance of reducing pointless waste, we are progressing from a disposable society to a recycling society - a change that has enormous market potential for the resale industry as a whole.

While bricks and mortar stores close their doors at the end of every day, online stores, just like consignista.com operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Online stores are the Gordon Gekko of Wall Street Fame. To coin one of Mr Gekko's phrases, consignista.com "never sleeps".

There are two kinds of fashion shopper. Which kind are you?

Uniquely yours...for less!

One of the many little secrets of the fashion world is that there are two types of shoppers; savvy ones who buy resale items that are considerably below the normal retail price, and those who pay full retail, that of course paves the way for the savvy shopper.

If you’ve been casually following the news about the resale industry over the past few years, you could be forgiven for not believing that the prices and quality of resale items are really available. The real story is that, as a result of relentless consumer purchasing, the availability of items in the resale market has grown exponentially.

Wouldn't you like to reduce your monthly expenses with a little of your time and effort? But, of course, as the saying goes "time is money" also. Often, we don’t take the time to research if we could be getting a better price for something elsewhere. It’s a trade-off between perhaps paying more for that brand new item that you may be able to buy 'new with tags' through a number of high-end resale websites.

Don't believe us? Let's taking you on a virtual shopping experience. Let's say you're in the market for a bag and a pair of shoes. Your retail receipt will look something like this:

Gucci "Scarlett" Bag: $1250.00
Lamberton Truex Floral Slides: $475.00

Retail receipt total: $1725.00.

Now let's look at a receipt you would have when buying the same items that are also brand new from consignista.com

Gucci "Scarlett" Bag: $999.00.
Lambertson Truex Floral Slides: $237.50.

consignista.com receipt total: $1236.50.

Just this little shopping experience would save you $488.50.

You can 'save' with consignista.com

So, here’s the kicker: when it comes resale, the savings can be huge – often hundreds, if not thousands of dollars!  More importantly, online services now make the delivery of an item remarkably quick. In short, you can easily find that 'must have' item at a lower price. As an example, just visit consignista.com today, and input your desired brand in our search box on our website and it will quickly provide you with the results you seek and at a great price too! People are amazed by the huge savings they can achieve over full priced retail items.

Of course, resale is always a supply and demand game. You may not only love to buy resale, but you may have a closet full of no longer loved, but in excellent condition apparel, that you want to consign. As we said before, time is worth money itself - so the goods news is that you can upload your items for consignment to consignista.com using our easy to use upload form. 

So now for the bottom line: consignista.com makes it simple to find significant savings on the 'must have' items you want and takes the time out of consigning with its upload form.  And, contrary to what many people believe – it’s easy and guaranteed to be an original with the added bonus of free shipping.  Consumers have never had it so good.

So, if you think that saving hundreds of dollars immediately with minimal effort is a smart move, visit consignista.com and spread the word to your friends where you earn cash for doing so with our cash & rewards program!

Child's Play + Resale = Earnings

Uniquely yours...for less!

No, the title of this blog is not about crazy mathematics, but more an introduction of how you can earn cash from your "outgrown" or "never worn" children's closet by entering into the ever-growing world of resale. And while making reference to ever-growing, we all know how fast children grow. So fast in fact, that some items of their clothing either never get worn, or are worn a handful of times, where they practically show no signs of wear.

If you know what we mean, you're one of those parents who has a bundle of children's clothes that are just too good to "give away". Where your friends/family have reached the "done and done" stage on having anymore babies. Where your little one's closet contain brands like Janie & Jack, Ralph Lauren, Vineyard Vines, Baby Gap, Juicy Couture to name but a few. What should you do with these wonderful items? Well, you could, of course, vacuum pack them up, put them in the attic so they never see the light of day again, or you could give others the chance of making great use of these clothes by recycling them through resale and at the same time make a buck or few for yourself by doing so. To us, at consignista.com that makes perfect sense. You earn, while others save. 

Janie & Jack Dresses $32.00 at consignista.com

So what are your resale options? Your local consignment store (if you have one that takes children's clothes), or there is the online route. And whilst consignista.com is totally online, and for those of you who don't already know how great we are, let's talk about the benefits of that (because we know what we are talking about) or so rumor has it!

The benefits to using consignista.com:

You're not restricted as to when you can consign your items for resale, because being online means you never know who is looking for what, in any particular season.

You get to choose the price you want to list your items at (although it is always recommended to discount items new with tags by 50%) as a starting point.

Once you list your items, they can stay on consignista.com until they sell, or if you request for us to remove them.

We will not reduce your items (unless you tell us to), or if we ever do decide to do a "flash sale" the discounted price will come out of our pocket, not yours. That means no nasty surprises when you get your money.

You earn 70% when you upload your items from the comfort of your own home to our site using our super-easy upload form.

Other benefits include a local concierge service, where take care of the whole consignment process for you, you can earn reward points when you shop with us to put towards future purchases, we have a VIP program and by consigning your items with us enables us to "give back" to great causes. Just take a look at the give back section of our site to see what we are up to now.

Just register with us to find out just how simple and fun consigning can be!

Read next month's blog where we will explore the other side of the coin and if you are not clear on what we mean by that, you have no choice but to come back to find out! As always, please, Like Us on Facebook, Follow us on Pinterest and check out our Google + page - and spread a little sunshine because Summer is a stones throw away!

Are you a bunny hop away from Greenwich CT?

Uniquely yours...for less!

We promise the title of this blog will be the only reference to Easter and we won't be mentioning bunnies anymore.

Our latest blog is about the fantastic concierge services we offer. Admittedly they are only fantastic for those who live within a 25 mile radius of our Head Office in Greenwich, CT (not quite a bunny hop we know - OK we fibbed a little about no longer mentioning bunnies, last time we pinky promise) but please don't despair, we are always looking to expand into other areas, so we could be coming to an area near you very soon. But back to our concierge services, what are they?

We offer two levels of concierge service, Standard and Premium. And here you can learn about the difference between the two.

Once registered with us, our standard concierge service just needs you to complete our Inventory List online and submit it to us. Once submitted, we will contact you to arrange a convenient time for us to collect the item(s) that you wish to consign. From there, we take care of uploading your item(s) to the site, writing full descriptions, taking photographs and once an item sells we ship it on your behalf. Subject to an item(s) not falling under our Returns Policy, you will be paid 60% of the sale.

Once registered with us, our premium concierge service just needs you to complete our Call me! Request Form and we will come to your rescue by arranging an appointment to visit your home and help you decide which items you may wish to consign and at what price. When we have worked together on deciding what you are consigning and for how much, we will provide you with a receipt for your items and take them away to start working our magic. As with the standard concierge service, we take care of uploading your item(s) to the site, writing full descriptions, taking photographs and once an item sells we ship it on your behalf. Subject to an item(s) not falling under our Returns Policy, you will be paid 50% of the sale.

These concierge services are perfect for those who have busy schedules, don't want the hassle of heading to a bricks-and-mortar consignment store or just the thought of uploading a number of items to us gives them the chills. Although saying that our upload service is awesome if you have a handful of items. You don't need to leave the house and can consign at your leisure. It also gives us a national consignor reach (until we send more branded smart cars out to different states to operate our concierge service). Just check out "Petunia" our Greenwich Smart Car Babe.

Not only are our concierge services convenient, let us not forget that when your items are listed at a price you are comfortable with, we will NEVER reduce the price unless you ask us to do so. No nasty surprises when you get your payment when an item sells. On the subject of money, it is always smart to price your item sensibly. Standard industry is 50% reduction for an item New With Tags (abbreviation NWT) a bit like texting LOL or LMK... what has the world come to when we even know what these mean? Any hoo! Focus.

We also have no restriction on what you can consign in terms of season just because we have a national reach (well global actually) but we currently don't ship outside of the US & Canada. Sorry! So in a nutshell you can consign apparel for women, men and children and "fun stuff" (meaning collectible toys) with us. Everyone that has used us, loves us! Spread the word and help us stay great.

All you need to do to use any of our consignment services is register with us. And from there you will see just how simple and fun consigning can be!

To coin what is going to become a standard phrase... "see you next month" and if you like this blog please subscribe to it, it's super easy to do so, just subscribe to posts right here at the top of this blog. Oh and the usual blurb, Like Us on Facebook, Follow us on Pinterest and check out our Google + page. No more plugs! But you can't blame us for trying!

And last, but not least, have a fantabulous Easter. Eat plenty of candy so you will no longer into fit your clothes and you will have no choice but to consign them with us! LOL! We know, we know!

Luck of the Irish or just pure hard work?

Uniquely yours...for less!

You may all be scratching your head, asking yourselves "what does this latest blog have to do with the consignment business?". Well, you would be right to ask such a question. But here's the thing. We could blabber on about Spring being around the corner, and how it's time to clean out your closet, but in reality, at consignista.com it doesn't matter what time of year you decide to take on such a task, because being online means we are not seasonally restrictive. We have visitors nationally, so someone on the West Coast will actually be looking for that perfect summer dress, while someone on the East Coast is digging themselves out of the latest snow storm (actually Storm Titan is on its way as we speak!). This is where the saying "Life isn't fair" kicks in, right. But back to the subject at hand. Luck or hard work? And what do we mean by that?

Let us explain. It's no secret that the consignment business is a booming one; especially in these economic times. But here's the thing. Anyone who decides to embark on a consignment adventure is most certainly not without strong competition. This then leads to the question, "what sets consignista.com apart from other online consignment businesses?" One of the biggest factors, is that you get to decide what price to list your item at, and it remains at that price. We won't say "hey, you can name your price" but then 30 days later put your item in a sale and reduce it by up to 70%. Nope, unpleasant surprises we most certainly do not do. You price your item, and it stays that way. Why? Because we know how frustrating it can be when you list an item for let's say $100 and you expect a certain amount when its sold, to find out that, actually your item was put in a sale, flash or otherwise, and in fact the item you listed for $100 was reduced to $30 and, yep, the percentage of what you will earn out of that has also been reduced. Irritating! So we are different. When you list an item for a certain price, it stays at that price. The only time your item will be reduced is when you tell us to reduce it. Plain and simple. What's more this method ensures everyone gets their fair share of gold out of the pot at the end of the rainbow. The consignor makes a coin or two, the consignee saves a coin or two, and we make a coin or two.

The hard work for consignista.com is getting you folk out there to know about us and our fabulous offerings, but we're always on it. The lucky part for us (or is it due to hard work) is that our customers have been more than thrilled with their experience using consignista.com.

Our mission is to offer satisfaction to both the consignor and consignee. There is no point in having a happy consignor, but a rather upset consignee or vice versa. The deal has to be right for both sides. That way everyone wins and it breeds repeat business.

So let's hope consignista.com continues to have the luck of the Irish and, if it doesn't, then we will continue with the hard work.

All that is left to say is "don't forget to clean out that....", no we're kidding (although feel free do clean out your closet anytime you feel the urge to and consign it with us). What we really mean to say is, "Have a 'faboo' St Patrick's Day", drink lots (although drink sensibly)  and raise a Guinness (or whatever your tipple is) to continued prosperity for all (including consignista.com).

And as the Irish say, "top of the morning" and if you like this blog don't forget to subscribe to it. And of course there is always our Fantabulous Facebook Page to "Like".

See you next month!

L'Amour

Uniquely yours...for less!

There are no prizes for knowing that Valentine's Day is looming. But that is not what our latest blog is about. Apologies to all you romantics out there, but this blog is aimed at delving into the love of shopping and shopping smart.

Us girls make no secret about our pure love for shopping. The rush we feel when we put on our recently purchased "something". How good we feel when, headed out for a night on the town, we take stock of ourselves in the mirror and feel like a million dollars. Like any new love this feeling isn't long-lived. Once something has been worn a few times, the love fades. Time for a new shopping experience to maintain the thrill. Unless you have the shopping budget of the rich and famous, shopping can be tough on the bank balance. And sometimes we just have to window shop, as if we don't do so, we may be eating soup for a while!

True love shopping bags...mwaaa!

But we have good news. We can ease the pain. At consignista.com we have designer items available for purchase on the site at prices discounted by a minimum of 50%. And that discount is all year round. Yes, you read right, designer items, new with tags, at a minimum discount of 50% all year round. Items like brand new Selma Coach Suede Open Toe pumps for $94.00 or a BCBG Maxaria Dress priced at just $50.00. Did we mention free shipping and the fact that you also earn rewards points every time you shop with us that goes towards future purchases? An added bonus is a full returns policy. That means you can return the item to us in the condition it arrived in and voilà you get your money back. No re-stocking fee, no store credit just a good old-fashioned refund. Now that's shopping smart.

Let us not forget that if you have an item or two that you no longer love, but is too good to give away, then consign it with us without leaving your home and earn 70% when the item sells. Consign with us without leaving the home. Nice!

Our Rewards Program can also add to your piggy bank, as for every friend you refer and who shops with us, we give you $10.00*. Not $10.00 credit to spend on our site (although we feel sure that's where you will want to spend your money) but $10.00 to spend where-ever you want. Now if that's not love, we don't know what is!

Spread the love (and the word) because despite common belief, it's not money that makes the world goes round, it's love.

See you next month!

*Please see website for full details.

Do you relish the New Year?

Uniquely yours...for less!

OK so we're not sure about you guys, but we have found it super difficult to "get into gear" for 2014. The holidays were so fun-filled that getting back to reality sucks - yes even 24/7 businesses have some down time. And on top of that, being based out of North East America has meant we have "bundled up" to protect ourselves from the snow storm, Hercules, and the polar vortex we are currently experiencing. Apparently any moisture will "flash freeze". We remember, flash dance, but "flash freeze" is new on us lol! Any hoo, we digress.

So no-one wins star prize for knowing the typical new year's resolutions following the holidays.... join a gym, lose weight, drink less alcohol, stop smoking, be nicer to our better halves blah de blah de blah. But there are other new beginnings that are just as important that may get overlooked. What, pray tell may they be? Well, one is de-cluttering. It's not just reserved for spring cleaning. Oh no. At consignista.com our rule is, if you haven't worn something for at least 12 months then try it on, look in the mirror and ask yourself these honest questions: does it fit? does it still suit me? will I wear it? If your answer to any of these questions is "no", you don't need us to tell you want to do, consign it with us. Here are some good reasons why you should. We are not seasonally restricted on the items we accept (we're national don't you know!), you set the price you want to sell an item at and once an item is listed with us it will stay available for sale on the site unless you ask us to remove it. Most importantly, we will NEVER reduce your item - unlike other sites - and you earn the biggest slice of the pie. In a nutshell, it's your stuff, so you're in charge of it.

And with a revamped Rewards Program where, in addition to earning rewards points, when you refer a friend you earn $10 when they make their first purchase from us*, we fail to see the downside. All the blurb about our revamped Rewards Program can be found on our website www.consignista.com. Spread the word for us and you get paid!

Keep your eye on the prize.

There is just one final thing to add to this message, whether 2013 has been an awesome year, or an "I'd rather not talk about how bad 2013 was" year, this image couldn't say it better. All that is left to say is, "Let's Rock 2014"!

Happy New Year to All!



*See Terms