I kept waiting for one of the resale or consignment shops who send out broadcast emails to send one entitled
“Cash for Clothing Clunkers.”
Thought it would be a good subject line for a message about bringing in merchandise. You’ve read about Cash for Clunkers, we’re offering cash for those “clunkers” in your closet, the things that are fine just not for you…*
Cash for Couches? Cupboards?
Alas, I guess I missed whoever used that for a catchy subject line.
Oh well, there’s always the upcoming holiday season.
Cash for Christmas Clunkers/ Bring in those un-adored holidays gifts…
Think anyone will have the nerve to use this?
* Yes, even if you’re not a buy-outright you can use this approach: receive CASH when your items sell. Heck, even if you’re an NFP looking for donations: You can help OurCharity by letting us turn your Clunkers into cribs, cellos, corned-beef-and-cabbage!
Auntie Kate The Resale Expert 
It is always a good thing to recycle but if you are getting cash for it then why not, if you no longer have use for it you may as well sell it.
I think it would be perfect for the UGLY sweaters. I was about to do a banner asking for participants for UGLY SWEATER contests (we sell tons of those things), now I may need to re-think the wording….somehow incorporate the “cash for clunkers” line….
Thanks for the idea.
Problem is, you NEED consignors to bring IN the “ugly sweaters”… but you certainly do NOT want them to think that you are making FUN of their garments. Even if they hate the darn things, letting them know that the sweaters will be held up to ridicule is NOT the way to make consignors, sellers, donors feel good.
A fine line to tread…but then again, that’s true of so many consignment/ buy outright situations, right?
Well, Elizabeth, the headline/ idea is that it plays off on the government’s program.
Getting good-things-to-sell-at-Christmas things in is a whole ‘nother subject, and one that would of course require a different approach. Perhaps you could look at it from your potential client’s viewpoint…sharing the things that her child loved so much until he outgrew it or her interests changed, something along those lines.
Then there’s the whole “Get Cash for Christmas” aspect, that she can turn underloved items into this season’s celebration…. How to turn a [name a past fad for kids] into a [name the current must-have object for your audience]…. something along the lines of several posts I wrote for the consumer-oriented 100 Days & 100 Ways to Have a Merry Recycled Holiday blog, like this entry HERE.
Hope that gets you thinking!
Love the idea, but not so sure I like the word “Clunker”. I would be scared as to what some of my consignors think a clunker is. I know we would specify what we are looking for, but I know quite a few that would only read the word “Clunker” and bring me the oldest toy in their attic to sell. Are there any other words that could help with getting these xmas items in?