How to Register as a New Consignor

We have had lots of questions on how to become a consignor and we wanted to try to give you some clear steps to sign up.

Step 1 Go to our website www.kiddykatsevent.com

Step 2 Click on "How to Become a Participant"



Step 3
The next screen you will see will look like this:


If you plan on using the computer entry/barcoding system (which we highly recommend!) Click on “New Participant Registration”

(If you plan on using handwritten 3x5 cards, click on “Contact Shelia” and send an email to Sheila requesting a Consignor number.)

Step 4
Now, the next screen you will see is your registration screen.


Provide us with this basic information and click “Submit”.

Step 5
We will contact you with your information!

We are looking forward to seeing all our new consignors at our fall sale!

It's Here!

Fall sale drop off began tonight and I'm positive that this will be our best sale yet!  75 new consignors this week!  Wow!  I hope everyone is ready to come shop 'til you drop next week!

It's Not Too Late, Participate!

Thank you for your interest in being a participant with Kiddy Kats! At Kiddy Kats you set the price and earn 70% of your total sales. We do most of the work for you! You just prepare your items and bring them to drop off. We do all the advertising and staff the event. You will make lots more money than you would at a garage sale or consignment store.

Why be a Participant?

• Clean out your closets and make money with no yard sale hassles!
• You set the price and there is no negotiating!
• Your kids have the best clothes and toys at a fraction of the cost.
• Earn higher percentages on your sales than in consignment shops.
• See, touch, and smell the items you buy, unlike internet shopping Have fun with other moms who enjoy the same hobbies you do- shopping and saving money!

How to become a participant:
There are two ways to become a participant:

1. For computer entry/ barcoding system selection: New Participant Registration or Returning Participant Registration
   
2. For handwritten 3x5 cards Contact Sheila to get a participant number and arrange drop off time
   

After choosing your tagging method, the following steps will apply:

1. Hang, Price and Tag items
   
2. Drop off items at your arranged time. Drop off Appointment Scheduling
   
3. Bring a self-addressed stamped envelope
   
4. Fill out participant agreement
   
5. Pay a 10.00 participant fee (advertising and rental)
   
6. If not donating unsold items leave a container labeled with your participant number
   

Participant BenefitsAs a participant you get to shop at a private sale on Tuesday evening before we open to the public and you get to shop Friday evening ½ price before we sell ½ price to the public on Saturday!

Promote Your Business With Kiddy Kats

We have lots of sponsorship opportunities at affordable prices. Let us help you reach your target market: moms with families.  Sign up as a Vendor and we can link to your site from our blog and might even give you a shout out on facebook!

Contact Sheila for complete information and opportunities.

Tips & Tricks to Tagging

Hello again all you beautiful consignors!  The sale drop off dates begin one month from today and we thought it would be helpful to just remind you of a few tips and tricks that make things easier for consignors, shoppers and workers.  Keep these tips in mind when tagging your items.

• When tagging shoes please take the time to secure them with a wire tie that can be purchased at most stores (big lots has a bag of 50 for less than 2 dollars ) it really helps shoes stay together.
• When using the tagging gun, please make sure to put the needle through the actual tag or in an inconspicuous place. The guns can cause tiny holes if just placed in the fabric of some items.
• Please be sure to list the tag name as the first name in the description. This eliminates lost tag because the system pulls up the item immediately.
• Do not double tag your items due to the fact that someone will pull your tag to purchase the item and then someone else will pull the other tag and think the item is still for sale. Especially on items that are to big to carry off the sales floor right away.
• Use masking tape and write your consignor number on bigger items ,toys, stroller and baby furniture or any items that may be handled or played with frequently.  Tape this number on the bottom or inside the item. This helps if the tag falls off and we can't remember the owner.  We can use the number to look up and reprint the tag.
• It is always important to use a clear concise descriptions.  Use color, size, and brand name because we may have the same item brought by many different consignors.
• Please separate parts and pieces to toys (nuts and bolts) in a clear bag with the instructions to what it belongs to.  We want to keep all toy parts in a crate behind the checkout.  Too many kids open bags and loose toy parts.  Hand write on the tag that additional pieces are at checkout.  We can also do this at drop off.  After many sales we realize that kids can open and rip anything and shoppers can get home without all the peices!
• If you haven't already please check out our work times available we really couldn't do the sale without your help .... We can usually accommodate anyone's schedule!
• ADVERTISE! ADVERTISE! ADVERTISE! to everyone you know.  Facebook, twitter or email our event.  Share the link to this blog.  It's amazing how many check us out just because YOU post our event on your page!
• We always want to improve each sale so please continue to send us your comments and suggestions on any problems you encounter.

Consumer Product Safety Commission Recalls High Chairs

If you are planning on consigning a high chair in the fall sale, please be sure to check out the current recalls on the Chico Polly High Chairs by clicking HERE.



Safety first! 

As always, please check your items for recalls and all safety measures. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has updates and helpful safety information on their website.

Our Fall 2012 Sale is Almost Here!

Hello to all our consigning friends! We hope everyone is having a great summer and are thinking about the upcoming sale!

Our fall dates are August 27th- September 1st!

If you are one of our sweet consignors, drop off begins on August 24th and ends on August 27th. It's so great to see all the names popping up already pricing and tagging your items!

Check back here frequently for updates and tips and tricks for pricing your items for the sale!

Happy Tagging!

50 days till Fall Sale!

We are so excited about those of you who have started tagging and inputting your items for the fall sale!  To get the most out of our sale it takes a lot of time and effort.  We appreciate all the hard work each of you do to contribute to a great sale.  We have added a new link to our website that we are especially thrilled about.  For those of us who have sore fingers from all those safety pins, this is an alternative.  This site offers a great tagging gun with supplies for a reasonable price (7.99) with free shipping!  After searching around for the best deal this site offered the best price and had sold to several sales in the neighboring states with great references.  I have just gotten my tagging gun in the mail and am excited about how much easier this seems than the safety pins.  For those of you who have one let me know what you think about using them.  Check out the website we have changed the times for some of the sale days and for Monday pick up day....we hope this benefits us all.  Look forward to seeing and working with each of you at the sale!

Thousands of cribs recalled

The affected cribs are made by Simplicity and Graco. The government warns babies could suffocate or strangle in them.


WASHINGTON (AP) - The government recalled thousands of Simplicity and Graco cribs Thursday, warning that babies could suffocate or strangle in them.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission said the Simplicity recall was linked to at least one death and involved thousands of cribs, possibly hundreds of thousands, though many had previously been recalled for other defects. The agency said about 217,000 Graco dropside cribs made by LaJobi were also being recalled.

The problem with both types of cribs stems from hardware failures.

In the case of the Graco-branded wood cribs, the side that moves up and down - the dropside - can break or detach, creating a dangerous gap between the crib mattress and dropped side. A baby can become trapped and suffocate or strangle. CPSC and LaJobi have received 99 complaints of dropside problems with the cribs. None involved serious injuries.

The Simplicity recall is for all full-sized cribs with tubular metal mattress-support frames. Those frames can bend or detach, causing the mattress to collapse and creating a space that a baby can roll into, become trapped in and suffocate. A one-year-old boy in North Attleboro, Mass., became trapped in his Simplicity crib and suffocated in 2008, according to the commission.

"CPSC urges all parents and caregivers to not attempt to resell any Simplicity crib to a thrift store, at a yard sale or online," said agency spokesman Scott Wolfson. "These recalled cribs have killed far too many babies and need to be kept out of homes and daycare centers."

Simplicity has been the subject of almost a dozen recalls since 2005 and its cribs have been linked to 13 deaths. The commission had previously recalled all Simplicity dropside cribs. With the latest recall, nearly all Simplicity cribs have now been recalled, possibly hundreds of thousands of cribs. Simplicity and its successor company, SFCA Inc., are no longer in business, so the agency doesn't know exactly how many cribs were sold.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Printing Tip

Wow, we had a consignor come in last night and tell us she had her cards printed at Office Depot and it only cost $0.17 per page, on card stock. What a great tip!! Will have pictures up later today. This place is FULL!!!! Tell EVERYONE you can find. Don't forget about the private sale for consignors on Tuesday night at 6:00. If you're not a consignor, but are interested in being one, contact Sheila at sheila@kiddykatsconsignment.com or check our website for more information.
Kiddy Kats Staff

Saturday Drop-off

WOW!!! Look at all this stuff!! It's only Saturday!!
We keep this up we will have to have a bigger building!

Stroller Recall

Lots of news today about 1.5 million Graco strollers that have been recalled. The recall is voluntary by Graco and is prompted by little fingers getting caught in the hinges on the canopy.

From the Consumer Safety Product Association:

Models affected are Graco's Passage, Alano and Spree Strollers and Travel Stystems. The strollers involved in the recall were manufactured between October 2004 and February 2008.

People who own this stroller, should stop using it immediately and contact Graco to receive a free protective cover repair kit.

If you are planning on consigning one of these strollers you must have corrected the problem with the protective cover. Please do not bring the recalled strollers to sell without taking the time to inspect the hinges and take any necessary action to make them safe.

For more information you can go to CSPA website and get specific model numbers of the strollers affected.

How to sell all your shoes!

Kiddy Kats shoppers love to shop the clothes, they love to shop the toys...and they LOVE to shop and talk about the CUTEST shoes they got at great prices! I still remember buying a pair of NEW Nikes for my little girl for $5! I've bought 1,000's of items since then, but that great deal just sticks in my mind!

If you're selling shoes then most likely you don't want them back. You have to put a little time into bagging them and labeling them...and you want someone else to take them home! Make sure you follow these guidelines and then they are sure to go:

1) Don't bring shoes with scuffed toes.
2) Don't bring shoes with discolored soles.
3) Clean the dirt out of the soles of your tennis shoes and cleats.
Shoppers want to buy shoes that look like they haven't been worn!
4) Label shoes with your consignor number and price. When people inspect these or try them on, they may get separated, if they do, we can still sell them because you have them labeled and we'll know whose they are.
5) Put tags on the shoes.
6) Put shoes in a zip loc so they won't be separated in the laundry baskets during the heavy shoe shopping.

Clever Tip

A consignor passed this idea on to us and we wanted to share it with you!




She traces all her children's feet and writes their measurements on them. She carries a little measuring tape and she has all the info on things she wants to buy, and also a "foot" to match up to shoes! I'm with her, serious shopping with 3 kids is not my idea of a good time!

Thanks for the tip!

Sizing FAQs

These are the top 4 sizing questions...and these are our answers:

DISCLAIMER: You must take into consideration that each manufacturer has their own sizing standards, and produces and labels their clothes by those. Therefore, there is not an answer here that you cannot argue, but we don't want that.

Q1) What's the difference between 24 months and 2T?

A1) Infant clothing is defined by clothes that are sized 0-3 months to 24 months. Toddler sizes are 2T, 3T and 4T. Month sizes commonly have snap crotches to accommodate diaper changes. Toddlers are a bit slimmer, and longer in both sleeve and pant length, and look a little more grown up without snaps in the crotch.

Q2) What's the difference between 4 and 4T?

A2) 4T and 4s seem to have very close dimensions. The toddler sizes in general have a little bit more room in the seat for a diaper. Size 4 pants can come in slims or regular but the length has very little difference than the toddler sizes. Because size 4 starts the run of sizes 4 through 7, the styles can also be big boy/girl looks.

Q3) Why is there a 6X?

A3) 6X covers that age when girls are maturing faster than boys and they shoot out of their little girl 6s and need some tummy room. 6Xs are not usually the best fit for a slim girl. They are made for that "in between" time when girls are a little "fluffy" around the middle. The length is closer to 7s.

Q4) Why is there a size 9?

A4) Yeah, like we need another size break down. Anyway, only a few brands, including Gymboree, have a size 9. It is the size between 8 and 10 and we can't really tell much of a difference. We don't typically have size 9 racks at Rhea Lana's because there just aren't that many items. We encourage you to put those clothes on the size 8 racks so shoppers on their way to 10s can shop for them! Incidentally, there is no size 9 in boys, go figure.

Wanted to post this important info as this a very popular item at a lot of our sales:



From the Consumer Product Safety Commission:


The Infantino “SlingRider,” is a soft fabric baby carrier with a padded shoulder strap that is worn by parents and caregivers to carry an infant weighing up to 20 lbs. “Infantino” is printed on the plastic slider located on the strap. “Infantino,” “SlingRider” and the item number are printed on the instruction/warning label inside the baby sling carrier. “Wendy Bellissimo” branded sling carriers were sold exclusively at Babies “R” Us and have a sewn-in label on the inside of the sling strap that says in part "Wendy Bellissimo Media, Inc." and lists Item numbers 3937500H7 and 3937501H7.

Consumers should stop using the recalled slings immediately and contact Infantino to receive a free replacement product, with a choice of a Wrap & Tie infant carrier, or a 2 in 1 Shopping Cart Cover, or a 3 in 1 Grow & Play Activity Gym. A Jittery Pals Rattle will also be provided. Contact Infantino toll-free at (866) 860-1361 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.infantino.com .

In reading about the recall the CPSC has determined that in the first few months of life, babies cannot control their heads because of weak neck muscles. The sling’s fabric can press against an infant’s nose and mouth, blocking the baby’s breathing and rapidly suffocating a baby within a minute or two.

Additionally, where a sling keeps the infant in a curled position bending the chin toward the chest, the airways can be restricted, limiting the oxygen supply. The baby will not be able to cry for help and can slowly suffocate.

Ok here we go...

Here is the initial blog post for the web. We are trying new things to improve the sale, and this is one of them. Keep looking back to us for tips on tagging, preparing, and general ideas to help you get the most out of your experience.

Sheila