Consignment Shopping Makes Perfect Sense

Let's face it, virtually everything we do in South Carolina, every service we utilize, or anything we buy costs more money, and in some cases, those costs are rising faster than the rate of inflation. As a result, many South Carolinians are now beginning to buy merchandise through consignment shops and stores. For most women, the very concept of getting a real bargain on slightly used goods is too good to pass up. The biggest boom in the consignment market has been with clothing, shoes, purses and accessories, especially high-end clothing. While the deals you can get vary widely, it is not unusual to purchase for $100 a designer sweater that originally listed for $1,200. The best part about shopping for clothes, jewelry, and accessories through consignment stores is that the quality is generally better and the wear, if any exists, is down to a bare minimum.

Many different goods are available through consignment stores, we'll focus our attention on clothing since it has become the main product being sold today. There are things to look for in consignment stores when shopping to buy, such as:

• Shopping regularly for the best selection. This especially applies to any time period near a change of seasons.
• Examine everything for damages. Even though most consignment stores have strict policies about the condition of the goods they accept for sale, sometimes some items do "fall through the cracks." Plus, if you find such clothing, ask the store manager or owner of the consignment shop for an additional discount or for some leeway on the asking price.
• Ask the store manager if you can be placed on a notification list. A number of consignment stores will offer this service to their regular customers. They know the types of clothing they get for sale can never be pre-determined. They can notify you by phone or e-mail. You can also leave your measurements so the consignment store can notify you of any delivered clothing that meets your requirements.
• Be sure to carefully check out and try on as many different styles that appeal to you. Sometimes an article of clothing that is listed as a size 12 may actually fit like a size 10 because the previous owner had the article altered. Most stores will keep clothes on the rack for an entire season (three months).
• If you find a clothing item in a consignment store that would require alteration to fit you, go ahead and consider it. Chances are that you will still come away with a great deal on the clothing-even with the nominal tailoring charge; especially on high-end clothing.
• Be sure you know how the consignment store is organized. Some are random, so it will require you more time to shop since the summer slacks may be stuck next to the sleepwear. However, some consignment stores do have a well-organized rack system.

As with any shopping (ladies, you already know this point), you have to wear out a little shoe leather to separate the wheat from the chaff. However, shopping through consignment stores will, by their very nature, always drastically increase your odds of coming home with great deals.