Tips offered for selling, donating or swap goods

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Julie Woodley of Dress Code Consignment Boutique in Plattsburgh said the store currently boasts about 1,000 consignees. P-R Photo / Steve Howell

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June 13, 2011

Advice offered for swapping goods

STEVEN HOWELL Press-Republican The Press Republican Mon Jun 20, 2011, 11:18 AM EDT

PLATTSBURGH — Got too much stuff? Here are some tips to sell, donate or swap it locally.

Renting space

Local consignment shops abound in downtown Plattsburgh. And they're ready to sell your stuff and split the profits.

The Antiques and Variety Mall offers a traditional consignment-shop experience. The store, at 12 Margaret St., rents booths and display cases on a monthly basis. Depending on the locale within the store, booths cost from $75 to $125 a month with cases ranging from $25 to $35 a month. The store also gets to keep 8 percent at the time of sale. There are currently 54 independent dealers at the Antiques and Variety Mall, with a waiting list of five dealers.

"But don't quit your day job," said store manager George Gowdy.

For the best consignment-shop experience, Gowdy said, it's important to keep two things in mind:

"Do this for the fun of it. And price your items to move."

Selling clothes

While you price your own inventory at that location, Julie Woodley, owner of Dress Code Consignment Boutique in Plattsburgh, will take care of pricing clothes for you. That said, be prepared for a little clothing-consignee competition.

"We currently have about 1,000 consignees," Woodley said. "It's just insane the amounts of clothes people are trying to get rid of."

Dress Code sells high-end brand names, such as Banana Republic and J. Crew. Consignees drop off clothes, Woodley goes through them and sells what's appropriate for the store. Consignees keep 40 percent of sales.

"Usually $20 to $40 a month," she said.

Consignees are required to pick up what's leftover, but often they don't. This pattern prompted Woodley to open Dress Code Basement, which has been open for less than a month at 39 Bridge St. The clothes become donations, with all proceeds going to local charities.

Web, yard sales

Then there's SIY — sell it yourself. The local Craigslist Plattsburgh-Adirondacks website at www.plattsburgh.craigslist.org offers a "For Sale" section that boasts three-dozen different categories, such as bikes, boats, tools, toys and everything in between.

And call it what you wish — garage sale, tag sale, yard sale — 'tis the season to sell unwanted items on the front lawn.

There are restrictions as to how many and how long you can hold a garage sale in the city and town of Plattsburgh. For example, in the city, you're allowed only two sales a year, no longer than four days at a clip. Check with the town or village offices for regulations in your area.

Don't go it alone; ask neighbors to hold sales on the same day for a multi-family garage-sale event. You'll get more traffic and can split the cost of advertising.

Get the entire family involved. Have the kids make some (legible) signs, and serve or sell refreshments. Don't forget to take the signs down after the sale is over.

No matter what time of day you propose to begin the sale, be prepared for early birds. And price items to sell. No emotional attachments here — do you really want to lug that stuff back in the house?

Buyers get the best selection early in the day, but often the better bargain when the sale is about to end.

Donating goods

There are many good causes in the area where you can donate unwanted items — Adirondack Humane Society, Hospice of the North Country, Salvation Army, just to name a few. That said, each charity has different donation requirements for a number of reasons, but mostly for space. There are a few rules to keep in mind. For one, drop off your donations during opening hours.

"Don't leave anything on the sidewalk, make sure you give the items to a volunteer," said Hospice of the North County - Transitions Thrift Shop volunteer Barbara Steyert.

A simple phone call can save you a trip and find the right home for your donation. Steyert said the Hospice Thrift Shop is small, so they don't take everything.

"No clothes here," she said, adding that the shop accepts items such as housewares and dinnerware.

Bev DuBray, volunteer coordinator of Transitions, said the thrift shop offers many high-end items.

In addition, many libraries will take gently used book donations. But they don't take everything. Check with your local library first.

Swapping items

Finally, there's the Freecycle Network. This online-swap website debuted in 2003 and has had its own Plattsburgh group since 2007.

The goal is simple: Save your landfills and your pocketbooks by giving and getting stuff for free. Their mission statement says it all: "Our mission is to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources and eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community."

What can you find on Freecycle? The local group recently listed TV stands, tents, queen-size bed frames, Guinea pigs and more.

To join the local group, visit www.freecycle.org, search for "Plattsburgh," register, post your free item or request for a free item, and start swapping.

Steven Howell is the author of Montreal Essential Guide, a Sutro Media iPhone travel app available at iTunes.com.