Why I LOVE Shopping and Consigning at the Just Between Friends Western Mainline Sale #JBFPhilly

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Just Between Friends Western Mainline and Reading. All opinions, as always, are 100% my own.

One of my favorite things about Spring is that it always gets me motivated to clean out the house.  Not that I necessarily enjoy cleaning, but I love the feeling of getting the house in order and reclaiming my space!  When I get into this mode, I feel happier, I want to entertain more and overall I enjoy my house that much more.

To assist with the motivation, I always sign myself up for one to two consignment sales each season – once in the spring and again in the fall.  The biggest benefit of consigning the children’s outgrown toys, goodies and gear is that it not only creates more space, but it is a nice source of income as well as an opportunity to shop for some new pieces for their wardrobe – and maybe even pick up some other fun items and necessities along the way.  Let’s face it – growing kids can get REALLY EXPENSIVE!!

For the past few years, I have had the privilege of shopping at the Just Between Friends Western Mainline Sale – and let me tell you – it is massive!  Held at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, the sale, consisting of kid treasures from literally hundreds of consignors, fill the entire convention center hall from front to back!  There are racks upon racks of kids clothes and shoes, rows upon rows of baby and toddler gear, aisles and aisles of toys and books, maternity clothing and just about anything and everything you can think of for kids!  It’s literally mind blowing the first time you experience it!

This year I signed on to consign at the sale for the very first time.  I will admit – I was a bit weary that because the sale is so large that the pile of items that I was dropping off may not sell.  I thought that with so many consignors – how could I assure that I not go home with even half of the pile I was dropping off?  If there is one thing that I learned about consigning over the years is that most people at the sale not only love a great deal, but they are also smart shoppers.  I really took the time to think about just how much I, myself, would be willing to pay for each and every item that I was pricing.  I used the 1/3 rule – meaning about 1/3 of what I paid for the item – and in some cases I even went a little lower. Guess what? It definitely worked – because after dropping off 86 items, at the end of the sale I only had 8 items left to claim!  Yep – that means I sold 78 out of 86 items!  I call that a total WIN!  WOOT!

So many people ask if consigning is worth it.  Is it time consuming?  Do you really end up bringing home a good amount of cash?  Do you spend a lot of money prepping for the sale?

My answer – It is worth it  and there is very little out of pocket expense to do so. (Did you know that at last year’s fall sale the average consignor check was around $400?!) Best of all, once you get a system going, each sale gets easier and easier.  Check out my awesome list of Tips to Turn Kid Clutter to Cash that will help make consigning a breeze at the next sale with some easy prep between now and then.  In addition, the JBF Western Mainline website has tips and videos for every step of the way!  Oh and for those of you who feel like you just don’t have the time to do it yourself, they also offer a valet tagging service whom will do the tagging for you!

I absolutely loved consigning with this sale for so many reasons!!

1. The sale is huge and always well attended!  The fact that so many people make their way through this sale increases the chances of my items being seen over and over again.

2. The length of the sale.  The sale runs for 5 days (starting with the presale) – that gives people plenty of time to get there and shop!

3. When you consign and volunteer, you get the opportunity to attend the presale.  Attending the presale gives you the opportunity to shop before the public – giving you access to some of the best items in the place!  The selection is at its highest and if you go with a list, you are likely to find most, if not everything on your list!

4. Online tagging means that I can see how many of my items sold each day.  What a fun motivator!  There is nothing like cheering yourself on as your items are checked off from day to day.

5. This sale is so ORGANIZED!  Drop off, shopping and pick up was a breeze!  Everything is like an assembly line and boy does it work.  The organizers do everything they can to keep lines moving and help make this a pleasant experience for everyone.

6. Everyone that I met along the way were so friendly and helpful.  The ladies organizing this sale will do anything and everything they can to get your questions answered and help you along the way.  Class act all around – especially sale owner Tracy!

The only thing better than consigning is shopping at the sale.  My daughter (who happens to be a huge Justice clothing fan) is at a perfect size to shop!  I challenged myself to see how many clothing items I could get for under $50 during the presale – check out my haul:

All in all, the sale was a huge win for me! My daughter absolutely loved her new clothes – and it is a great start to her spring wardrobe. I am super excited to receive my check in the mail that should be on its way. And I am already starting my bin of clothes for the fall sale with the outgrown fall and winter clothes in my children’s closets.

If you have been considering consigning with this unbelievable sale, I highly suggest going for it! I’d be glad to help with any tips or advice – feel free to message me or send me an email at Kelly@delcodealdiva.com. And for those of you planning to shop, hope to see you at the fall sale! Don’t forget to check out my list of Shopping Tips for Visiting Kid Consignment sales to make the most of your shopping experience!