Anyone here use consignment shops?

[Earlybird]

We write so much here about charity shops, but almost never about consignment shops, and I would like to know more about them.

Can anyone enlighten me?

What are they? Sounds post-war.

do you mean dress agencies? where you get a % of the sale price?

Que?

Consignment shops are places (typically) women take their designer gear to be sold on. It is often very gently worn, and sometimes items still have tags on.

The clothes there must be a certain 'standard' before the shop will accept them for sale.

When sold, the shop takes a certain percentage and the seller/owner receives a percentage.

The items available are often clothes that are too 'nice' (expensive) for the charity shops.

The shops are typically in areas like Chelsea, Fulham, Hampstead etc.

I'll see if I can find a link for a shop I read about earlier this week.

Oh yes, I know just what you mean. Nothing wrong with them, kind of charity shops for the rich. Bit of a seedy image in my mind, for some reason. I suppose I imagine rich men's "girlfriends" taking their unwanted gifts there for some hard cash.

Here is one in Notting Hill:

www.chicandseek.com

The idea is if you want to dress designer but can't/don't want to spend the money to have the very latest stuff, you can buy it at consignment. It also gives the 'hedge fund wives' (or anyone else) who are real clothes horses a place to dispose of their slightly-off-trend or last-season items, and they make a few bob back too (though doubt that matters to most of them).

The items are still expensive though. For example, you might pay £400 for a 'last season' jacket that was £1200 bought new on Bond Street.

As I understand it, they won't take things that are more than a few seasons old (so I couldn't take my favourite and still beautiful Armani suit in, because it is too 'old' - bought pre-dd, when I was a high flying executive ).

Do you think any of those clothes come in sizes bigger than 8?

the notting hill music and video exchange has a fabulous clothes section - especially the vintage things. It's pretty cheap too.

Reported, Ariana. Spamming ain't cool. If you work for afashionstore.com, try and find more organic ways of marketing. As it stands, I will never use that website, just for your underhand promotion methods.

Me neither Cao.

We had a very good shop locally that sold 'good as new' high end women's clothing but it shut down a couple of months ago. They sold high end children's clothing too when mine were little and I got some gorgeous outfits for them from there.

I wouldn't know of another one close by which is really frustrating! It was great for Christmas nights out and weddings etc.