Most stores will issue a receipt for your records. Consignment Consignment can earn a little money for the owner as well, and is often used with designer clothes, furniture and other large or costly items. If the item does not sell in the agreed-upon period of time, it may become the sole property of the store, which may then mark the price down at its own discretion, or, in some cases, usually with smaller, inexpensive items, get rid of the items altogether, usually by donating them. Selective Secondhand Vintage stores, in general, pay special attention to the quality and condition of the clothing and items they sell. Some vintage stores concentrate on a specific era, while others combine vintage wear with hip new clothing, like North Halsted Street's Beatnix and Flashy Trash, where I've picked up numerous costumes and fabulous evening wear.
Antique stores are perhaps the classiest resale stores.
Here we find furniture and smaller items that grew old gracefully, some of which was quite costly originally, and some of which now commands a higher price because of extraordinary craftsmanship or a particular nostalgic pull. Simply find someone with a large vehicle, cart everything down to a central location, get the word out, and you're in business. There was a time when I simply could not pass any type of garage sale without stopping by, unless I absolutely had to be somewhere else. Sometimes, if I know I'm feeling particularly compulsive, I have to drive right on by. For some of us who know the value of used items, getting rid of our own used items can be the hardest part.