In resale shopping, as with many things in life, timing is everything. Because our inventory of great women’s consignments changes hourly, sometimes you hit the jackpot and other times you don’t.
The universe has a terrible sense of timing. Unfortunately for us, the universe usually seems to have a mind of her own, with a peculiarly random sense of timing. But, sometimes you can just be in the right place at the right time. For example, this morning on my regular run, while passing my neighborhood elementary school, a ball came bouncing literally right into my hands as I went by. I drop-kicked a perfect high arc back to the kids and continued on my way, laughing all the way home.
That’s a rather capricious example that has absolutely nothing to do with women’s consignment, resale shopping, resale shops near me or anything at all to do with clothing but still offers a lesson of the randomness that sometimes occurs when shopping at local resale stores. Don’t despair if you don’t find exactly what you want on every shopping trip. Think of resale shopping as an adventure, a treasure hunt! There is a lot to discover, and since we only have a single piece of almost everything we sell, that means local Portland resale shops can often have a bigger selection than new retail stores, not racks and racks of the same thing in different sizes and shades.
In our opinion, there are several key elements to successful resale shopping.
First, you might want to check in regularly. As I mentioned, we get new merchandise in all day every day. So, especially if you’re on the hunt for a category (Spring tops, denim, ankle boots, etc.) rather than a specific item (special occasion dress, or a coordinating piece for an outfit) then stopping in every week, two weeks, or monthly makes sense. Of course we’d be delighted if we saw you every week, but we understand you have actual lives outside of shopping. We try to meet you where you are – online! Check out our live sales on Facebook three times a week, or shop the ever-changing selection on our website. Admittedly, it’s only scratching the surface of what’s in the shop, but what we feature in those forums are our favorite things. We hand select things that experience has taught us are high-demand and popular. We don’t want to take advantage of your precious time, plus, we want you to love what you see and be amused at our presentation so you tune in again!
Second, ask for our help if you want! Our staff is very familiar with what’s in stock. We’ll search the racks and pull together a selection of things for you to review. And not only that, but we may have seen something in an incoming consignment that’s exactly what you’re seeking! We don’t mean to tease you with what’s NOT on the sales floor, but we’ve frequently priced an item quickly just to be able to show it to you right now. Remember, our dedication is not just to you, our shopper, but also to our loyal consignors. They want their items to sell quickly, and we are equally devoted to doing well for them so they keep the good stuff coming to fill our racks!
Three, if you have items you want to match – bring them along with you! I’ve often thought I “remembered” the exact shade of a clothing item I wanted to match, only to take home my new treasure and find that my color memory is somewhat untethered from reality. And remember that we do offer an “On Approval” option for purchases, which allows you two days to take something home to make sure it matches or plays well with things in your closet! You can take an item”on approval” for any reason: you don’t have time to try it on, want to match it to something at home, get another opinion, try it with different undergarments… The list goes on, but basically it just allows you time to make sure your purchase is going to work out how you want.
Four, shop in season. Sometimes, due to vacation plans you might need something out of the current season. Remember that most resale shops, like mainstream retail clothing stores, start our seasons early. Don’t expect to find shorts or sundresses in October, because most women’s consignment shops will have moved on to winter fashion at that point. Still, it’s always a good idea to check out our “Good Buy” rack as the seasons change. There are always treasures that just didn’t find the right person during their 2-month tenure and are now marked down for a really great price. Resale shops have limited storage for the most part, so we need to move things out that haven’t sold to make room for all the fresh incoming consignments. Subscribe to our fun emails and follow us on social media too, so you learn in advance about our upcoming specials. At Here We Go Again deluxe resale boutique, we offer Half-Price live sales periodically throughout the year, but you’ll only know about them if you subscribe! You can even sign up to get text messages before we go live on Facebook so you don’t miss out.
Five, get to know our staff and help us understand your preferences and designer crushes. We are happy to get in touch with you if your “perfect match consignor” has been in, or if we got your favorite brand of women’s resale shoes. Our style of personal service is far from the stereotype of used car salesmen – there is no pressure here. We aim to serve your needs, whether they are small or vast.
While we don’t ever recommend you buy something just because it’s a good deal, because who needs another thing hanging in the closet that doesn’t match the rest of your wardrobe or your lifestyle? It’s better to shop in terms of outfits instead of individual pieces. We will almost always reject dresses that consignors bring that are totally sheer. Why? Because we’ve learned that nobody wants to buy a “problem.” What we mean by that is that you’ve got a dress you love, but not the ONE THING you need to wear with it – a slip or liner. So, now you’ve got a dress you can’t wear until you find the other component. Don’t succumb to this! Nothing is a good deal if you have nothing to wear with it and it just sits in your closet. Inevitably, it will end up in your next consignment. Allow us to help you find an outfit, not just a single piece if you don’t think you have something that will coordinate.
None of this advice is meant to imply that you shouldn’t shop resale when you’re looking for something specific. When the timing is right, we might have exactly the right thing at the right time. It happens! But again – serendipity also happens. Maybe you wanted a little black dress, but there’s something brilliant and stunning in emerald green. Just don’t shut the door, that’s all we’re saying. If you have time to find your specific item and nothing is speaking to you today, we can make notes and keep our eyes open for something that meets your criteria.
But then there are the days when everything works, everything fits and you find more than your budget allows! Those days are amazing. Let us tell you about layaway – it’s an easy way to work within your budget by spreading the full payment out for another month. In a nutshell, you pay a small deposit of 25% and then you can come back to pay the balance in a month (or sooner). There are no fees, no extra charges, you pay the same as if you paid with cash or card, just spread out over a month. One of the beauties of working with small locally owned resale shops is that we can offer amenities that larger stores may not. Our advice, though? If you find denim that works on your body and makes you look amazing? Always, always get it. Denim can be so hard to fit and a good pair of jeans will be a staple of your wardrobe. Ditto handbags. If you’ve always wanted a genuine luxury handbag to add to your collection, don’t forego the bag of your dreams. We can work with you to make that gorgeous luxury consignment item work with your budget and end up in your closet as a treasured piece for decades to come. We never know when or if another like it will appear.
Of course, there is a bright side to the universe’s randomness. Another facet of the randomized gem we call a universe, is serendipity – while you may not always walk out the resale shop with exactly what you had in mind, sometimes you find something better-or just different, but also wonderful! So surrender yourself to the possibilities- you never know what you’ll find at local resale shops, and you may be surprised and delighted by something you never imagined you’d find. We never know what will come through the door of our women’s consignment shop either, and it can be both breathtaking and exciting. The randomness is part of what’s exciting about resale shopping!