Last weekend for the first time I attended a Mom2Mom sale as a seller and overall it was a disappointment. While attending sales in the past it has seemed like the sellers were doing really well, with lots of empty or near empty tables at the end. I expected to sell the majority of my stuff. Instead I went home with 95% of what I brought.
Pre-Sale
As a seller I had chance to take part in the pre-sale. The pre-sale started at 9am, while the doors didn’t open to the public until 10:30am. The pre-sale was interesting. I enjoyed that aspect more than I expected. It’s not just that you get a chance at grabbing stuff before the masses get there… it’s also really nice shopping the sale while it’s relatively empty. I noticed several people shopping during the pre-sale with kids in giant buggies. You could get away with it, as there was actually room for strollers.
As I said, I liked the presale way more then I expected to. I left my mom in charge of my table and went off to browse. I picked up an awesome winter jacket for Rainbow and two different baby carriers that I’m looking forward to trying out. On the other hand, I love to dicker for deals, which just wasn’t happening. If you took the time to hunt around, there were still great deals to be had…but not like the ones you can score later in the sale. I did take advantage of the pre-sale to scout out some items that I then went back to look at a second time later in the day.
Anyone that donated goodies to the bakesale got to shop the pre-sale. This is something I would recommend. Pre-arrange to bring some bake goods and get in early (and for free!) to shop the sale. It’s a good deal. If you don’t like crowds, want to bring the kids with you, don’t mind paying a little more, or are looking for particular items, I’d definitely recommend taking advantage of the pre-sale.
Shoe Sizing
We just happened to head out and buy new shoes for Rainbow the day before the sale. Since I had just had her feet measured the night before I knew exactly what size shoes to grab. I need to remember to do this again next sale! It was a stroke of brilliance, getting Rainbow’s feet measured at the shoe store the day previous. I was able to pick up 5 pairs of shoes for $1 or $2 each which actually FIT.
Selling
If you’re considering selling at one of these sales, here’s what I would recommend:
* Bring a float of at least $80-$100, mostly in loonies and toonies.
* Make sure to also bring a separate spending allowance.
I didn’t bring nearly enough change. I had a float of 41 dollars on me. I almost immediately borrowed another 30 off of my mom. It would not be an exaggeration to say that I had at least 7 people buy something for 1 or 2 dollars and pay with a 20. Several times I left my mom behind to run the table and made a foray out into the sale so that I myself might buy something small and get more change.
I also made a critical error in planning. I didn’t think to bring seperate money with me for BUYing. So I ended up digging into my float to make purchases.
I probably spent the most I ever have at one of these sales. The combination of paying full price during the presale, using cash from my float, and heading out multiple times to buy something and make change was lethal on my budget. I know that overall, I spent more then I made, but I don’t know exactly how much I made. I definitely came home in the negative, particularly once you add in the cost to be there.
I rented two 5 foot spaces and brought my own tables. There were basically three rooms of stuff, and I was in the third room in the far back corner, as far away as possible from the doors where people were entering the sale.
I priced my stuff cheap, a dollar, fifty cents. It was comparative to what others were charging if not less. But I felt like no one even LOOKED at my stuff. So few people bothered to stop and look. It was really disheartening. The majority of people coming by my table were carrying armloads of stuff and were making a beeline for the nearby exit.
I don’t know if being right near the front doors would be the best spot. It’s possible that people would overlook much of what was available right at the start, holding out for better. From talking to other sellers and from looking at the amounts of stuff people had left, it seemed like being located round the middle paid off best.
Overall
Overall, I think I’ll try being a seller one more time. I have no clue how the spaces are assigned. I want to contact the organizers and see if there’s anyway to control where I’m placed for the next sale.
This was the largest Mom2Mom sale to date, with over 150 tables. I think as these sales keep getting large, it means better deals for the buyer, and more competition and less guarantee of great sales for the seller.
What about you folks? What do you think? Have you ever been to a Mom2Mom sale (or your local equivalent)? How did you make out?
Just found your blog through MomVsTheBoys! Happy that I did!I haven't come across too many Canadian bloggers in my travels, but I'm kinda still fresh on the scene.Would love if you could come a visit my page too!!Nice to "meet" you!~Cee {www.smookiestyle.com}
Hey there chickie! sorry to hear it wasn't a success, doesn't hurt to try I guess and good thought on sizing those feet before you go, I'll have to remember that!
I was a seller at the M2M sale a couple years ago, and won't do that again!! I too experienced being in a remote area that saw little traffic, and left with almost all the stuff I brought (even though it was better condition and lower priced than comparable tables…) For shopping these sales, I much prefer the All 4 Kids sale at Place Concorde – all the items are sorted by gender and then by size, with seperate rooms for toys, big items (like strollers, etc) and clothes… while you miss out on the haggling, you're more likely to find a lot more and the prices are really great too!! This year I got 2 snow suits, $15 each, and lots of jeans for both daughters ($2 for a nice pair of Children's Place jeans)!!
@ChristinaI've only gone to the All 4 Kids sale once. I found the prices to be higher overall, and I missed the bartering aspect. Maybe I should check it out a second time. I wonder what selling is like through them? I just went and looked up their website and the Fall sale was this past weekend (Oct.1-2nd). Doh.