Consignment Stores & Thrift Stores Help People & Environment

The difference between a consignment shop and a thrift shop are subtle and may mean more to the person parting with their belongings than those of us who are buying.  In most cases, as a buyer, we don’t even think about it when we go into these types of stores. 

For the most part, thrift stores are run normally by a non-profit organization.  We donate unwanted things that we have either outgrown or no longer need in our homes, the organization then cleans and/or sometimes repairs the item.  The organizations then sell the items at their thrift shops and the proceeds from the sale of the donated items go towards a good cause.  Some of these are most familiar to the general public and include The Salvation Army Stores and Goodwill Stores, but there are plenty of others run by notable groups.

Consignment shops on the other hand are normally for profit businesses.  Normally, a consignment shop will allow us to contract with them to sell outgrown or unwanted things in their shop.  The items then are placed in the store and the consignment shop sells it. The money taken in is then split between us, the consignee (the person who owns the item) and the shop, consignor (the people who own the store).  Sellers need to be aware however, that the consignment shop may have other fees that will be tacked on at the end of the sale.

Both thrift stores and consignment shops have advantages and disadvantages when it comes to getting rid of things you no longer want.  The first and most obvious advantage that a consignment shop has is that the seller receives money for items no longer needed.  It is true that you can claim a tax credit for things that you may donate to a thrift shop, but only if you can itemize your deductions.  On the other hand, you get a certain sense of well being when you donate something and you help someone else with your donations.  If you sell your items at a consignment shop, the only one that feels good is you and the consignment shop, because you made some money.

However, there is an advantage that both thrift stores and consignment shops have and that is that they both help clean up our environment.  According to some sources each American produces more than 1600 pounds of garbage per year, which is more than 300 million tons of trash in our landfills per year.  A lot of what we throw away can be recycled and re-used by others.  Most of us are familiar with recycling paper, plastics and cans, but a lot of us don’t think about other things that can be either donated or sold so that others can use them.  Items that others can use and that can be recycled using thrift stores or consignments shops include clothing, books, furniture and home decorative items.