Savvy Shoppers Find Items ‘New’ to Them at Consignment & Resale Shops

By Katelyn Bausman

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Your “trash” (actually your gently worn clothes and home decor items) can be another person’s treasure. Savvy fashionistas looking to save money can purchase “pre-loved” clothing and other items from consignment and resale shops, plus make money by reselling their own items.

Consignment” means that a store sells your items for you, in return for a percentage of the selling price. The item is returned to you if not sold within a certain time frame. You must wait for your items to sell in order to be paid, but quality is high with consignment stores where you can find like-new items at a fraction of retail prices.

Resale” means that the store buys your items outright on the spot and pays either cash or store credit. The resale store is taking a chance on the item selling, and the sale is their responsibility, not yours, so you may be paid considerably less for your items.

In frugal times, you can save money and be stylish by shopping at these stores or turn your cluttered closet into cash. It’s good for your wallet and the environment. With these shops, you’ll find items that seem one of a kind because it’s unlikely to see someone else wearing them.

Here is a sampling of consignment and resale stores in our area.

Clothing stores:

Off The Hanger
8944 S. Saint Peter St. (on County Line Road, just north of Greenwood Park Mall), Indianapolis
317-881-2900
offthehanger.net
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m.
Specialties: Men’s, Women’s, Juniors’, Plus, Accessories, Maternity, Household

Shopping tip: Check out the “Last Chance” racks where items at their lowest price will be donated to charity if not sold. Also, there are always three colors on sale (25 percent, 45 percent and 65 percent off).

Selling tip: The better the clothing looks, the better it sells. Look at your clothing from an outsider’s perspective and ask if you would buy it if you were shopping (e.g., clean, no stains or damages, not too worn, has all buttons, pressed, on a hanger). If you wouldn’t buy it, then donate it to charity.

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CJ’s Consignments
219 W. Jefferson St., Franklin
317-560-5365
saveatcjs.com
Hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Specialties: Women’s, Plus, Juniors’, Accessories, Prom

Shopping tip: Look through items carefully; consignment stores are not like retail clothing stores where there are multiple sizes of each item available (usually there’s just one of each). Familiarize yourself with the store layout and ask a clerk where items are. Make sure to try the clothes on!

Selling tip: Look for items that are within one to three years of age that are still in style. Shoes, purses and jewelry sell extremely well.

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Selective Seconds
1140 N. SR 135, Greenwood
317-888-2300
selectiveseconds.com
Hours: Sunday-Monday, noon-5 p.m.; Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Specialties: Women’s, Juniors’, Curvy Divas (Plus), Accessories

Shopping tip: Shop for clothing one size up and down from what you typically wear. Because items are pre-worn and laundered, they may have stretched or shrunk. Shop often because stores get new inventory every day.

Selling tip: Tops are their No. 1 seller.

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Glam Designer Resale Boutique
1001 N. SR 135, Suite B-2, Greenwood
317-881-0200
glamresale.com
Hours: Sunday-Monday, 12:30-5 p.m.; Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Specialties: Misses, Juniors’, Plus, Accessories

Shopping tip: Check out their Fill-A-Bag Sale this month and in August: Buy a bag for $15 and fill it with as many clearance items as you can fit in the bag. Also take note of Glam’s star discount — items with one star on the tag are 30 percent off and two stars are 75 percent off.

Selling tip: Bring in seasonal items at the beginning of the season in order to get the best return (e.g., spring items at the beginning of spring).

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Elegant Ladies Consignment
223 W. Main St., Greenwood
317-704-4535
Facebook.com/ElegantLadiesGreenwood
Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Specialties: Wedding, Prom, Mother of Bride, Bridesmaids, Eveningwear, Harley-Davidson Apparel, Furs, Accessories

Shopping tip: It is very important to try wedding and prom dresses on and make sure they fit; sometimes the size can be very different because they’re pre-worn. And because the item is at a reduced price, you can afford to get your item tailored.

Selling tip: You can consign (buy or sell) your entire wedding party (e.g., dresses, shoes, accessories). For prom, longer dresses sell more often than shorter dresses.

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Home stores:

CJ’s Home Consignments
198 W. Jefferson St., Franklin
317-739-0137
saveatcjs.com
Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Specialties: Furniture, Home Decor

Shopping tip: Check their Facebook page to see new items regularly. Do your research before coming in, so you have a good idea of what you’re looking for and how much you should pay (consignment stores are typically 50 percent less than retail).

Selling tip: Bring in your small home decor items any day. For larger furniture items, bring in a picture first or email pictures to make sure they can sell the item before transporting it to the store.

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Karen Mercer Interiors and Other Fabulous Finds

2220 E. Southport Road, Indianapolis
317-786-2828
KarenMercerInteriors.com
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Evenings by appointment
Specialties: Antiques, Furniture, Home Accessories

Shopping tip: You can buy good quality, classic furniture that can often be better than new furniture sold today. Plus you can refurbish older furniture to give it an updated style.

Selling tip: Furniture should be good quality and clean with no damage. Fabric furniture should be from nonsmoking homes. The store sells a limited number of antiques.

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There are many more consignment and resale stores in and around our area. Consider shopping at Suzy’s Consign & Resale in Avon (suzysconsign.com), Divine Consign in Mooresville (divineconsignstore.com) or shops in Broad Ripple and on the northside. For children, consider Growing Spurts Kids Clothes in Greenwood in the Allyne Parke Shopping Center (growingspurts.com), Kids Kloset in Greenwood (kidsklosetstore.com) or Once Upon A Child in Indianapolis (onceuponachild.com). For sports equipment, check out Play It Again Sports in Indianapolis (playitagainsportsindy.com).

Happy savvy shopping and selling!

 


Katie Bausman

Katelyn Bausman is a lifelong Southsider. She is a freelance writer/editor and handles communications and event planning for an international ministry. She and her husband, David, enjoy calling Center Grove home.

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