While the State of Texas is still in turmoil over Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma is up to devastating mischief. Referred to as an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 storm with winds of up to 155 miles an hour it's truly frightening. 

It is reported that Hurricane Harvey, a Category 3 hurricane was the first major hurricane to make landfall in the US since Wilma in 2005 ending a 12 year drought. Harvey is also reported to be the third-costliest Atlantic hurricane causing approximately $70 billion in damage. Who knows what Irma will do.

You may ask yourself why we are writing about hurricane's and what does it have to do with designer consignment? To be honest, not much HOWEVER it is clear that global warming is a very real problem and one we all need to be more mindful of. What is relevant to us and this story is consignment is a great way of making some extra money or making a donation to that cause or charity AND you are recycling which is ever important to the global warming problem we have. 

We bet you didn't know that the average American throws away 65 pounds of clothing per year - that's a lot people. If you're thinking I can't be bothered to head to a consignment store with a bag full of no longer wanted clothing, use our premium concierge service where we will come to you and take care of the whole process. It can't get any easier than that! It may also mean that there's a chance that Mother Nature will become a little happier and she may refrain from showing her wrath to the degree she currently is.   

We have all heard the saying "out with the old, in with the new". In fact, many consignment stores are using that phrase at this very time. However, the word "old" may not necessarily conjure up a great image in the mind when it comes to consignment.

For some there is still a lot of education to be given where consignment is concerned, as we have discussed before. The message that needs to be gotten across is that generally now it's no longer "out with the old", but more like, "out with the new".

What do I mean? How many of us have items in our closet that we have never worn. We convince ourselves we will do one day. We do it ourselves all of the time. In fact, some of our team have just undergone a closet clean out and discovered a a few items that we have all promised ourselves time and time again we would wear but never have. They are gorgeous but sadly we don't fit them anymore (groan). So we are in the process of consigning them, to give someone else the chance to look absolutely fabulous and in turn weI get to earn some cash to put towards something else that this time we hope to wear!

As for a new year's resolution, it's obvious; help give consignment more kudos in the hope that the doubters will give it a try. We know they will be pleasantly surprised.

Here's to 2016!

What would you say people’s perception of apparel consignment is? Do you think that for the majority of people, consignment (that we like to call resale) conjures up an image of years gone by when such a store contained old, unwanted and used clothing that had a smell of grandma’s attic? Or do you think life has moved on, and that people have now caught onto the savvy way to buy designer and high quality brand items? Here’s why we ask what you think:

We recently participated in the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce's Sidewalk Sale that supports the community in which consignista.com is based. As an online consignment site we don't have a physical store anywhere, so to say "hello" to our customers (new and old) we hold fun shopping events in chosen venues and thought Sidewalk Sale would be fun. At this event we schlepped a large selection of our inventory to showcase the fabulous things we have to offer to the shoppers that come from far and wide to snag a deal.

Our inventory generally comes from those who are financially fortunate and who in some instances, elect to donate their percentage of a sale to their desired charity or cause. This means that they are “giving back” while allowing the rest of us to buy something we may not otherwise be able to afford. Or, in some cases, where the item is no longer available elsewhere but we have located that very item in someone’s closet. The quality of our consigned items have been referred to on many occasions as “sample sale quality”. We are exceptionally lucky about where we obtain our stream of consigned items, they are either new still with the tags, or have been worn a couple of times, where there is no evidence of wear whatsoever. Whichever way, we have OCD where quality of merchandize is concerned; but let’s get back to the subject at hand, why do we want to know what you think about people's views on resale?

From our experience, people either love resale or don't. One such example was a woman who was collating a pile of children’s Graphic Ts at Sidewalk Sale all priced at $4.00 each. Some of these Ts had never been worn, while the others had no signs of wear whatsoever. She seemed content with her pending purchases, when someone she was with, strolled up to her and said in a disapproving tone, “Did you know this is consignment?”. She instantly put the Ts back. Her friend then said “You would never know though would you?”. As ridiculous as the statements they made may sound, it is true.

On the other hand, we had shoppers coming back three times in one day because they couldn’t get over the quality and price of the merchandize we had to offer at the Sidewalk Sale, they just couldn’t resist a bargain. These shoppers had arms full of clothes to try on and were thrilled to have items fit, look great and not break the bank when they paid for them!

It does take all sorts to make the world go round, we know, but we find it’s such an interestingly stark difference in reaction – there doesn’t seem to be much middle ground when it comes to resale.

But here’s what we think is the reality; whatever you wear, no-one knows where you bought it from. Who wants to be the one to pay over the odds to the tune of $155 for Kate Spade Meada Bag that retails at $295.00 when you can buy the same bag from us, brand new for $140? We know what makes sense to us - do you? Now that sounds like a challenge!