Michigan's largest kids' consignment sale kicks off this week
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Just Between Friends Ann Arbor is Michigan's largest kids' consignment sale, and it's taking place through Saturday at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds.
The sale takes place twice a year, and parents are welcome to buy, sell or both.
"All the sellers here are local parents," said organizer Anne Seyferth. "They earn 60% back on their items when they sell with us, but if they help for 4 hours, they earn 70%. So we have a huge team of over 500 people who help us out this week."
Seyferth said 1,300 local families are consigning this sale, totaling 300,000 items.
On average, 8,000 people shop the sale, which offers discounts anywhere from 50-90% off retail prices.
"This has been such an important time for resale because it's really expensive to buy your kids' stuff new," said Seyferth. "And you can buy it at a third and a quarter of the price when it's used. And we do ask that our sellers make sure things are clean, we do inspect our items. That way, you're getting good quality items, and you can say 'yes' to the things your families need, but at a much lower cost."
"I consign, and so I get to tag all my items, I get to bring them in, I get to clear out my basement," said consignor and volunteer Shani Hessenthaler. "I get to get rid of all the toys my kids are done playing with. I get to drop them off and they get sold to people in the community. They get a second life. They get a new home that they get to go to, and somebody gets to use them."
Debbie Wiard said she comes to the sale regularly to shop for her grandchildren.
"I have a list of what I'm here for, games, toys, clothes, anything they need," she said. "You have to look through things, you have to browse through them, but you can find them. (It's) definitely a big plus with getting the better prices versus retail. You can buy a lot more for your grandkids because they grow out of them so fast anyway."
Expectant mom Allison Paradine is new to the area. She's shopping for her seven-month-old daughter and her little one on the way.
"Moving here and then with inflation, everything is so expensive," said Paradine. "We recently switched to formula for my daughter, and it's hard. It's really expensive. And, so, getting all the supplies you need for a baby, it's intense, and everything's just getting more and more expensive, so to come here and get stuff secondhand is amazing and super beneficial for the wallet."
Entrance to the sale during public is free.
Tickets are on sale for early access shopping, and on the final day of the sale, items are 50% off.
Just Between Friends is a franchise, and other upcoming sales include areas in Livonia and Novi, Rochester and Macomb and in Oakland County.
For more information, visit the Just Between Friends website.