Rhea Lana's 101

What's Rhea Lana's? Click here for all the information and to see if there is one near you!
So, among my friends I'm the Rhea Lana Momma. I've had several friends ask me about doing a RL post to share some ideas on doing consignment well. Sorry it's taken me so long to get this on here, but I've been  a little busy with all these Little Smittle's!
Below you'll find my tips on selling at Rhea Lana's. If you have more questions that aren't covered here leave me a comment or message on facebook and I'll answer your questions or turn you in the right direction of someone who can.

• Getting my stuff ready for Rhea Lana's is actually is a year-round activity for me. About once a month or so I go through the kids clothes and purge their closets of anything that they can't wear or aren't wearing. I keep them on the hanger, pin on a tag, and lay them flat inside a GIANT Rubbermaid tub marked with the season(spring and summer/fall and winter). Once it's sale time I've already got all of my things ready to be organized and entered into the RL database.
• When getting my things ready to put into the system I first separate the clothes by gender and size. This is so so helpful when you are in the store putting your things out on drop-off day.
• I always start with my smallest size and go up. That's how the store is set up, so entering your things in this way makes it easier to drop them off on the right rack when you are there.  For instance I'll do newborn/preemie girl stuff first then up the size chart to 6. Once all my girl stuff is entered I'll do the same with the boy stuff.
• While entering your items into the computer be sure to number the tag with the item number. This is simply the number of the item in the list on the computer. The tags will be numbered the same way, so it will help you go quickly with tagging your items in the store.
• Be sure that you pin any loose items together. This will ensure a good sale for you.
• When you get to shoes be sure to label each shoe with your consigner number(a three digit "number" with letters or numbers. Be sure not to confuse your consigner number with your batch number. Your consigner number is the one you enter when you log onto the system.) and the price. I generally use masking tape for this. You can also use your leftover labels, but it's best to have this part done before you get to the store. I always add my shoes on after all my clothing is entered.
• Once I get all my clothing entered I add in my "stuff." These are the items that REALLY sell at RL, so really be strict on purging out those playrooms! Games, toys, and sports equipment are usually the first things to sell! Riding toys, and furniture are always top sellers too.
• Be sure to label EVERYTHING clearly with your consigner number and price. If something(like a pack-n-play) has several parts be sure to label them all with your number. Each item will also need a string tag, so be sure to find a noticeable place to put your tag.
• Price things really reasonably. Look at ebay and amazon to see what other people are pricing your things at and go a little under that. You can usually price things about 30% of what you bought them for. For instance if you paid $75 for an exersaucer, you can probably price it at about $22.50.
• Make sure EVERYTHING you bring in has been laundered and is CLEAN. Dirty stained stuff does not sale and will likely not make it past the check-in process.
• Put batteries that work in all of your electronic toys. They have to be in working condition to be accepted into the sale.
• Buy string tags early. During sale season they are often sold out at local stores. I bought a GIANT box of 1000 a long time ago and I'm still working on those.=) I also get safety pins in bulk.
• Always ask to keep store hangers so that you can use them for your things for the sale. You MUST use plastic hangers.
• After the sale, if you aren't pleased with your sales consider lowering prices. Usually if something isn't selling it's because it's either out of season, out of style, or priced too high.
• Always consign your kids"fad" clothes. Anything that's really in style will sell. It's best to sell it instead of keeping it for your smaller/future children, because it's unlikely that these things will still be in style by the time they are ready to wear them. This is a lesson that took some time for me to learn, but I've realized that keeping staple items for my smaller/future children and cycling out the stylish stuff is the best way to go as far as consignment goes.

Good luck! I hope that you enjoy consignment season and the MOO-LAH you can make!