Q & A
Where are you located? TOP
PolkaDots is only 4.5 Miles West of Crossgates Mall, on Western Ave. We are convenient to Schenectady As well, only 4 miles from exit 25 off of the Thruway. Go down Carman Rd til you run into route 20. Take a Left....we are just down a couple seconds on the left, in park place plaza. Call if you need any help finding us! 452-1812. See you Soon!
Do I Need an Appointment to Bring in my Items? TOP
YES!! Please call us & we will fit you in as quickly as possible. Thank you for understanding .... this rule keeps things running smoothly for everyone! Items will not be accepted without an appointment.
DONATIONS :
If you come in for an appointment and would like us to donate the items that are our "no thank you's", we are more than happy to do so. We donate items WEEKLY to the City Mission, Alpha Pregnancy Center, Captain's, Safe Harbor & Grace's Closet.
COAT DRIVE! All winter long we will be collecting coats & getting them directly to the organizations that will get the coats out to those in need. Have some in your closet that you don't need? Drop them by ANY time we are open. Thank you for your kindness!
What Kind Of Items Do you Accept? TOP
To sum it up, pretty much anything that has to do with children (Maternity clothing too!). Everything MUST be clean! Stain, odor & Pet hair free! Items must have all pieces, & in style!
How Much Do you Pay for items? TOP
At PolkaDots, you have the option to consign your items & receive 50% of the selling price (once the item(s) sell) OR we can pay you CA$H on the spot when you bring your items in. In many cases we will pay fair garage sale prices. Children's clothing on average will be bought at $. 50 - $1.00 per pc for gently worn brands that we carry. Items that are new with tags or boutique items, will be bought for more. Baby gear & other items will be bought for more as well. If you have any further ?'s regarding how much you will be paid for items, please call 452-1812 & ask to speak with Saydra. Thanks!
What do I have to do to bring items in? TOP
All of the things you need to do are outlined in our "Consigning Rules" found on the left toolbar.
How Many Items Can I Consign? TOP
There is no "limit" to how many you can consign. We don't encourage an appointment with hundreds of items, but we can work with you. You could set up several appointments over a few weeks, or bring things in every week over a period of time. There is no "cap" on how many items you can have in the store on consignment at one time.
What Brands do you carry? TOP
We carry "name brand" clothing & higher end boutique clothing, at a FRACTION of the cost! You will not find "discount" brand clothing here....only NAME brands! Just a sampling of what you find:
Baby Lulu
Lily Pulitzer
Hartstrings
Hanna Andersson
Therese
Ralph Lauren
POLO
Baby Gap
Gymboree
Old Navy
Childrens Place
Limited Too
Hollister
Abercrombie
Aeropostale
Mini Boden
Janie & Jack
Stride Rite
Primigi
Lands End
LL Bean
Crazy 8
Carters
Osh Kosh
Biscotti
Little Mass
Mimi & Maggie
Burberry
Timberland
Eddie Bauer
Oilily
Room Seven
GAP
Naartjie
& MANY Others!
Are there certain brands you do NOT carry? TOP
Yes. Here is a list of brands we DO NOT carry in the store:
Athletic Works
Basic Editions
Cherokee (we may take some dresses)
Child Of Mine
Circo (we may take some dresses)
Faded glory
Garanimals
George
Jordache
Jumping Beans
Just one Year
K-Mart Clothing (sorry, we don't accept any clothing sold at k-mart)
Kid Connection
Lullaby Club
Mossimo
New Additions Maternity
Okie Dokie
Riders
Route 66
Sesame Street
Simply Basic
Suzy's Zoo
TKS Basics
Wal-Mart Clothing (sorry, we don't accept any clothing sold at wal-mart)
Wonder Kids
Wrangler
Xhilaration
When do you take Summer and/or Winter items? TOP
Here is an outline of when you can plan to schedule your appointments to consign, based on when we are accepting each season of clothing.
January - Spring
Febuary - Spring
March - Summer
April - Summer
May - Summer
June - No Clothing Accepted
July - Fall
August - Fall
September - Winter
October -Winter
November - Winter
December - No Clothing Accepted
Do I have to Tag my items? TOP
No. We do all of that work for you! You just need to bring your items in, following the consigning rules, as outlined on the left toolbar.
How do you know how to Price my items? TOP
I have owned a children's upscale boutique for 5 years, so I am familiar with boutique labels. I have 3 children, and shop gymboree, gap & all the other great children's stores, so I am familiar with that pricing as well. Now that PolkaDots has been open for 4+ years, I have learned what people are willing to pay for certain items. A pair of children's used gap jeans will NOT sell for $15+, even if they were originally $30+. It just doesn't happen in a consingment shop. So, they'll get priced for somewhere between $4.75 & $9.75, depending on what style they are & condition. If (& it is VERY Rare ) I come across a brand/item I am not familiar with, I find it online before pricing, so I can get you the most money for it! I price items at 20% - 50% of what the new retail price was. Baby gear is priced at 40%-50% of the current retail price, if in excellent condition. PolkaDots is in business to help you, to help our customers, and to pay the bills. We will get you as much $$$ as we possibly can for your items. It's in our best interest too! :-)
Who sets the price that my items will sell for? TOP
Price is very important! Priced too high, items will not sell. Priced too low, it is unfair to the consignor. We use information you can provide about your item(s), such as original cost, age, history, etc. and combine that with our experience and current resale value to determine the price. All consigned items are subject to markdowns.
How do I know if my item is recalled? TOP
PolkaDots will not sell recalled items. Please check your baby gear & toys prior to coming in for your app't. Doing this will save you a trip....if you bring it in, and we find it is recalled, you will just have to come back & get it....please check it out ahead of time. Thank you! The CPSC is an excellent resource! You can put in the brand of your item & the "style" or "name" OR short description. Call us if you need help....we are happy to lend a hand over the phone.
Do I Need An App't to pick up my items that didn't sell? TOP
NO, you do not need an app't. However, you should give us a call a couple of days before you come in, so we can look at your acc't & see how many items you have left. If it's more than 10, we will send you an email with a list of those items, so you can print them out & bring it along with you ..... it will make it easier for you to pull them off the sales floor.
Why can't you have my unsold items ready for me to pick up? TOP
We are sorry for any inconvenience, for you having to pull your own items. However with well over 950 consignors and trying to keep the store running smoothly, we have too many other things to take care of. There is just not enough time for us to pull your items for you. Please try to understand. Thank you!
