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!
