Seconds City

The Estate Sale Alternative

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Don't undergo the hassle and expense of coordinating your own garage/estate sale!

Don't: spend your money to advertise your estate or garage sale in local classifieds.
Don't: spend your time to create and post signs around your neighborhood.
Don't: break your back dragging heavy items out from all over the house.
Don't: go to the trouble of pricing and tagging all of your items for sale.
Don't: pray for good weather, only to sit in your garage all weekend if it is or see your sale ruined if it isn't.
Don't: haggle with strangers over your stuff to try to get a reasonable price.
Don't: drag unwanted items back into your home.
Don't: donate your items to some other charity just because they'd pick up at your home, and your favorite charity only accepts cash donations.

DO Consign your items to the Estate Sale Alternative

Consign with Seconds City

You have 3 easy options on how to claim your consignment credits

A.

Charity (tax deductible)

In a charitable mood? Channel money to your favorite charity - not just the ones that offer to pick-up!
B.

Credit (50%)

Get the most bang for your buck by redeeming for store credit. At a full 50% of the purchase price of each of your items when you make a purchase in our store.
C.

Cash (25%)

Get money back fro your pre-owned merchandise. We will pay you a full 25% of the purchase price of the item(s) you consign with Seconds City.

Question and Answers

We're here to help. Below you will find answers to some of the most common questions consignors have. If you have additional questions or you're ready to get started, please give us a call or fill out our easy contact form by Clicking Here.

How do my items get from my home into your store?
Seconds City®, LLC., (SCL) offers a convenient service for pickup right at your home. We simply request that you have your items neatly stacked in an easily accessible area, such as your garage. You will be given a receipt for your merchandise when it is picked up so you can track what sells and for how much. There is a nominal pickup charge which is deducted from the cash portion of your percentage of the proceeds. You may avoid this charge by arranging to bring your items directly to the store. When doing so, please be sure to call the store first to make an appointment
How soon are items put onto the retail floor for sale?
We endeavor to place all items on the sales floor as soon as possible. We clean most items first and may even paint, stain, or repair selected items. You agree to allow us to refurbish your items in any way that we may deem suitable or appropriate to try to enhance their value, and we may take up to a maximum of ninety days to do this. SCL consigns most types of merchandise with the exception of clothing and major appliances. Items which, in the opinion of SCL, do not qualify for a minimum starting price of five dollars will be deemed non-consignable and treated as a donation to the store. You will find an in-depth description and commentary on the various types of consignment that SCL accepts in the centerfold of this booklet.
How is the retail price determined?
It is important that you understand that all resale items in the store are aggressively priced to sell quickly and are marked down 1% for each day that they sit on the sales floor. SCL has exclusive authority to set the beginning sales price for your items. However, you may choose to set the starting price on any of your items for which you place a value of $100.00 or more. This must be communicated with the store in writing on your Consignor Agreement so that store personnel have this information as your merchandise is brought into the store. We will honor, at a minimum, the starting prices set by you on such items, but may choose to start items higher than this price (to our mutual benefit). Regardless, the 1% daily discount still applies, and your payout is figured from the selling price after this discount. The store may, from time to time, advertise even greater retail discounts, but SCL completely bears this cost as your payout will not be negatively affected by such optional additional discounts.
Who owns the items while they are in the store?
Until such time as a customer purchases your consigned item (or places it in layaway), you retain full title to any merchandise which you have consigned with SCL. For any reason whatsoever, you may choose to remove your items from consignment with SCL at no charge. Should you choose to do so, you must make arrangements to remove these items from SCL’s retail location during regular store hours, and you bear the entire cost of doing so.
What happens to any unsold items after the consignment period (100 days)?
Once items have been fully discounted, they will be forfeited. At that point, title to unclaimed items passes directly to SCL and will be donated or discarded at SCL’s discretion. However, with a wide array of merchandise and unusually aggressive discounting, it is unlikely for many items to survive the full length of the consignment period without being sold.
When (and how often) do I get paid?
Statements are not mailed to consignors. Weekdays, consignors mays call or stop in the store to check the status of their account. SCL does not telephone consignors when their merchandise sells. Consignor checks are not typically cut at the store. If not, you may request a cash payout by filling out a written request in the store, or by mailing or faxing a signed request. Checks ($25.00 or more only) are cut and mailed monthly in response to your written request. Checks requested prior to the 20th of each month are processed electronically to arrive in your home by the first Tuesday of the following month (between the 2nd and the 8th). Should you wish to redeem your payout in the form of store credit (double the cash value), you may do so at any time. Your account balance will be applied at the checkout in the store, but cannot be used to pay sales tax. Consignors with a balance less than twenty-five dollars must either use store credit or may opt to consign additional merchandise to enable their account to grow above the minimum. Your balance remains on account for ten years from the date your last item sold.
What portion of the sales price comes back to me?
Your payout options can range from 25% to as much as 50%! As you go from Cash to Charity to Store Credit, your payout percentages increase dramatically. See inset panel for Consignment Schedule.
Are there any other fees or charges?
SCL does not charge the consignment fees that many other consignment shops do! There is no annual consignor account fee. There is no per transaction charge to the consignor (although a buyers fee may apply). There is no cleaning charge. There is a nominal pickup charge (described above), and there is a statement/check preparation fee of $4.95. This fee will be waived one time in any twelve month period if you wait until the end of the consignment period (100 days) for all of your items to sell. This charge is designed to encourage consignors to get one lump-sum check once all their items have sold. If you do so, you will not incur this fee.
What exactly does Consign mean?
The Consignment Agreement is intended to define the arrangement through which items are consigned for resale. It is an important document which helps to protect the interests of both Consignor (you) and Consignee (SCL). Set firmly in legalese, it can appear complicated, but it really isn’t! The information above is intended to help you understand the agreement. It is not, however, intended to be a substitute for this agreement, and in case of need for any further clarity, please refer directly to the Consignment Agreement.

To download our full brochure Click Here

Important Note

As you will see, by accepting your merchandise on consignment, Seconds City, LLC, undertakes many responsibilities, including moving, storing, cleaning, disinfecting, tagging, merchandising, marketing, selling, and accounting for your items. Your responsibility, however, is singular! We ask only that you read an understand this information and the consignment agreement to which it refers., and that you not allow yourself to proceed until you have a satisfactory understanding and comfort level for just how it is that we operate. Our consignment arrangement is quite unique and narrowly focused on providing a service for those with very specific needs. We are fully aware that it is not for everybody – it may not be for you. It should be noted that our service is best suited to those for whom the proceeds represent the smallest concern. There is certainly no shame or sin in wanting to get the most money for your second-hand merchandise. Seconds City is simply not the place to achieve this goal. Nonetheless, if your needs do align with the services that we are able to provide, the convenience factor can be considerable.

What types of merchandise does Seconds City accept? What Sells Well?

Before we answer the question at hand, let's address two important concepts: First, just about everything sells eventually. Second, most things sell at relatively low prices. This means that we will likely be able to accept most items that you are looking to get rid of, and they WILL probably all sell, although often at prices less than you may expect. It can work the other way, however, since we get such a volume of people through the store to view your items, you may sometimes actually be surprised at how much they sell for. One thing is certain – with the price dropping each day it's a gamble from the point of view of both the customer and the consignor. We can guess, but no one ever knows for sure what something will sell for until the cash register drawer rings open.

Furthermore, we endeavor to make the starting prices themselves on the lower side. Seconds City is about recycling merchandise back into the community quickly, and inventory turns are integral to accomplishing this. We price each item with the expectation of selling it within ten days. Although the inventory does not indeed turn quite that fast, this pricing philosophy speaks to how we come up with the staring prices on your items. We also factor into the starting price the size and appeal of each item. Items that take less floor space or may appeal to a broader audience may command higher starting prices.

Larger items (i.e. couches, sectionals) or those more specialized or specific in their use (infant furniture, home health care items, gun racks) are priced lower to help them move out faster! Finally, seasonality plays a significant role in pricing and selling merchandise. You must factor this into your expectations. Patio furniture, bicycles, and golf clubs are examples of items that do not sell well at any price in the fall and winter. The value of merchandise with a holiday theme drops significantly immediately after the holiday passes. You'll notice in the category descriptions located elsewhere on the site that certain items are accepted on a non-consignment basis only when received in certain months and that it is your responsibility to be aware of this before delivery of your items to the store. Items accepted on a non-consignment basis will net you, the consignor, no proceeds from their sale whereas they are treated strictly as a donation to the store. We wish our consignor base to fully understand how we operate and to have properly aligned expectations with the service that we are able to provide. As you read our commentary about the different categories of merchandise we are able to accept, please keep the information above constantly in mind.

These category descriptions are intended to provide you with a feel for what we consign and what we don't, which items we accept and which items we won't, how some items sell nicely and yet others do not, and how condition and seasonality can affect the speed and price at which an item will sell. You may not wish to read every category description, just those which pertain to your merchandise. If you have questions regarding your specific items, be sure to get answers before dropping off your items or using our service to have them picked up. We operate under the assumption that you have read and under our process thoroughly!

Accepted, but not consigned

Items sold on a non-consignment basis bring no proceeds to the would-be consignor. Some items are accepted into the store, but are not consigned under an circumstances. Such merchandise may be picked up along with your other consigned merchandise, often at no additional charge. Exampled of merchandise in this category are: Mattress sets, Hollywood bed frames, books, records, cassette tapes, video tapes, CDs, decorative cookie tins, puzzles and games (unless brand new), seasonal items that are out of season, and any items that do not (in our estimation) merit at least a five dollar starting price.

Consign Today (440) 845-3000