Vendor Tips from Bethany Monson

Here is a list of ideas from one of 2009's successful vendors, Bethany Monson. Beth is a professional photographer and will be holding a drawing at her table this year for a free photography session. Be sure to stop by her table, whether you are shopping OR selling! Thanks for sharing your tips, Beth!

Last year I was very successful at the Mom 2 Mom Sale. I brought a few large items and rented one table. At the end of the day, all of my large items had sold, and I only had about ½ a tote full of items left from my table. I walked away with about $200 after my rental expenses!

Here are a few tips to help your sale be successful, too:

• Make your table presentable. Don’t pile stacks of clothing sky-high; make it easy for your customers to quickly browse through. They have a lot of tables to cover during their visit!

• If at all possible, get a standing rack to hang clothes from. Clothing that was meant to be hung naturally looks better hung up, and it’s much easier for your customers to look through. As you sell items from the rack, it’ll free up space for you to hang items that are on your table.

• Buy a plastic tablecloth from the Dollar Store to make your table look a bit more “put together”.

• Use tablecloth clips/clamps (found at the Dollar Store or Just Bargains) to hold down your table cover. You can even hang items off of them from hangers!

• Unless you want to haul everything back home, price it to sell. If you’re unsure how to mark it, get some input from a friend or relative on what they’d honestly pay for the item.

• You won’t be present in the large item area for customers to “haggle” with, so again, if you don’t want to take it home… price it to sell.

• Make sure everything is CLEAN. Mr. Clean magic erasers go a LONG way on items such as high chairs, tables, toys, baby gear, and even shoes. Hang as much clothing as you can and make sure it’s not wrinkly.

• Be choosy about what you put on your table. Customers are much more likely to sift through clothing that is all in really good shape. If it has a small stain or tear or even if it’s really well-worn or has lots of pilling… don’t bring it. Inspect each item in a well-lit room. Ask yourself if YOU would want to purchase each item.

• Bring a lint roller to use on items that get a little fuzzy while packed.

• One table fills up much more quickly than you’d expect. Last year, Jo gave me a great tip – bring your items in Rubbermaid totes, then turn the empty totes on their sides and stick them out from under your table for “shelf” space.

• Have LOTS of change and plenty of bags. Don’t lose a sale because you don’t have change for a twenty!

• Make signs advertising what type of items you offer, such as girls’ or boys’ clothing, what sizes, maybe even what brands are included in the mix.

• The girls’ clothing outweighed the boys’ at last year’s sale. If you have boys’ clothing, definitely put up a sign saying so.

• Be friendly! People are much more likely to visit your table if you appear approachable. Besides, the Mom 2 Mom sale is a great way to meet new people. Don’t think of it as an obligation/commitment… think of it as a day of fun and socializing!

• Decide beforehand if you’re going to accept personal checks. If you are in favor of it, bring a pen!

• Also decide beforehand if you’ll allow price negotiating on items, and how far you’re willing to go down. This way, you won’t seem unsure or indecisive if someone asks you to lower a price.

• Have your prices marked clearly on each item. What I like to do is buy small white hanging tags from any office supply store or Wal-Mart/Meijer, then hang them on the clothing tag by a tiny safety pin (Dollar Store) or loop the string around a belt loop or button. This way, you don’t have stickers coming off and sticking to everything else, and it looks a little more “polished”.

• If you have a big enough tag, such as what I described above, write pertinent information on it – brand, size, price, and if it’s new and never been worn… say so!

• If you’re selling an item with a lot of pieces, put them in a plastic bag and write on the outside what is included.

• Sort your items on the table so they’re easily recognizable. Separate boys’ and girls’ clothing if you’re selling both, and then sort by size. Again, make it quick and easy for customers to browse through your items.

• Make sure you bring some spending money to the sale, because you’re sure to find a few things you want… especially the wonderful baked items that benefit the cause!