Thank you for your interest in selling at the Cossitt School Children’s Clothing Consignment Sale. Please take a few minutes to read through this list as it contains important information. 

FAQ

What is this sale all about?

The Cossitt Children’s Clothing Consignment Sale is a twice-yearly children’s consignment sale and 40+ year community tradition. Year after year, shoppers come from far and wide for great deals on gently used, high-quality children’s clothing, shoes, and books. Our sellers keep 60% of the sale price while the Cossitt Parent Teacher Council earns 40%. Proceeds benefit the students and teachers of Cossitt School, and donations of unsold items help children throughout the area.

What can I sell?

You can sell gently used children’s clothing, shoes, and books. Be sure to check our list of Acceptable Items below. At our Fall Sale (September), we sell fall and winter clothing, and at our Spring Sale (March), we sell spring and summer clothing. We don’t sell toys at our sale.

How do I sign up to sell?

New to our sale? Click “SELLER LOGIN” button. Then click “Need a Consignor Number?” Enter your information and you’ll be assigned a Consignor Number. This number is permanent and you’ll keep it from sale to sale.

Do I have to register for each sale?

Yes! Once you have signed up with us, you will have to register for each sale so we know that you are participating. To do this, click the “SELLER LOGIN” button and sign in with your login and password. Then choose “Register” to sign up for the upcoming sale.

How do I enter my items into the system?

• Click on the “SELLER LOGIN” button

• Log in using your consignor number and password

• Click on “My Homepage”

• Go to the “Activities Menu” dropdown and select “Work With Consigned Inventory”

• Go to “Active Inventory” and choose “PC/Laptop Version”

• You can now start entering your items into the system.

How should I describe my items?

It’s helpful to include as much detail as you can in your descriptions. Instead of “blue shirt,” try “blue H&M butterfly tee”. This will help you keep track of what’s what when you’re entering your items in the system. It also helps us match tags to clothes in the unlikely event your tag falls off.

Baby Clothes Category

Please use the “Baby Clothes” category for all items 12 months and smaller. We encourage you to group items as full outfits.

How should I price my items?

Most items sell between $1 and $5, with few items over $10. The minimum price is $1, and we ask that you price in increments of .50. Keep in mind that our shoppers are looking for savings and bargains. You can find a list of suggested prices for commonly sold items below.

What is the Half-Price Sale? 

During the last hour of the sale, ALL items will sell for 50% off the marked price during our Half-Price Sale. It’s a wonderful way to sell more of your stuff, raising more money for Cossitt programs, and ensuring bargains for all!  Once the sale is over, we will donate any remaining items to the many wonderful charitable agencies we support each year.  Your donations will benefit:

• National Children’s Cancer Society

• Westchester Food Pantry

• Comer Children’s Hospital

• Northwestern NICU

• St. Cletus Food Pantry

• St. Francis Xavier Food Pantry

• Children’s Community Closet

• BEDS

• LADSE

• Buddy’s Place

• Sharing Connections

We also donate clothing to our school district health offices to give kids something to wear in case of an accident or illness.

What happens to my unsold items?

ALL unsold items will be automatically donated to an appropriate organization as noted above at the end of the sale.  We do not return unsold items to sellers.

How do I print my tags?

You can print tags from any computer–they just need to be printed on white cardstock paper (60-67 lb). You can buy your own cardstock or you can pick some up from us about 3 weeks before the sale. Tags print 10 to a page–just cut them out and pin them to your items. You can also print tags for free at our Technical Assistance Nights.

What are Technical Assistance Nights?

The week before each sale, we have a Technical Assistance Night for sellers to print tags, pick up cardstock paper, use our paper cutter, view samples of tagged items, and ask questions of our friendly volunteers–all at absolutely no charge. Information below:

Wednesday, TBA, 2025 | TBA

First United Methodist Church of La Grange

100 W Cossitt Avenue (entrance through the courtyard)

What supplies do I need?

• WIRE hangers

• Safety pins (larger pins work best)

• Cardstock paper (60-70lbs)

  • Want FREE paper? Come to Technical Assistance night or pick some up beginning TBA at TBA.

• Scissors

• Clear packing tape (to secure tags to large items)

• Zip ties or rubber bands (to keep shoes together)

• Laundry baskets / Cardboard Boxes (preferred) to transport your items

Remember, start collecting your wire hangers now! As stated in our tagging instructions and videos, all clothes must be hung on wire (NOT plastic) hangers. Items not hung on wire hangers will NOT be accepted at the sale. This allows us to fit more items on the racks, makes for easier shopping, and prevents the many broken plastic hangers/items on the floor we deal with during the sale. Often dry cleaners have them available for free. Thank you for your cooperation!

How do I get my items ready?

Look over your items carefully for stains, holes, worn knees, missing buttons, or broken zippers. (If any of these issues can’t be fixed, you can donate these items to Go Green La Grange at their textile take-back event on Sunday, March 16th, 2025. )

Hang your clean, pressed clothes on wire hangers, with the hook facing to the left (like the top of a question mark). Pants should be pinned on both sides to the top of the hanger. Shoes should be zip-tied or otherwise secured together. Books can be bundled in sets with a rubber band.

Where does the tag go?

• On clothing, the tag goes on the upper-right side of the item (the wearer’s left shoulder or hip).

• On shoes, tape the tag to the bottom of one sole or secure it inside the shoe.

• On books, tape the tag to the front or back and cover it with regular adhesive tape.

• On large items, tape the tag securely with clear packing tape. It’s OK to cover the whole tag with tape.

My items are tagged. When can I drop off my things?

Ready to drop off? Bring your tagged items to our Receiving Hours listed below before the sale.

Thursday, September 25, 6pm – 9pm

Friday, September 26, 4pm – 5:30pm

• Separate your tagged clothes into boys’ and girls’ items and load them into laundry baskets or easy-to-carry containers.

• Bring a self-addressed, stamped envelope and we will mail your check to you.

• Obey posted parking restrictions.

• Enter through the southwest doors near the bike racks (Entrance #3).

• Check-in with the volunteer and proceed to the gym.

• If you have clothes that don’t meet the consignment standards, bring them to receiving hours and donate them to Go Green La Grange for textile recycling!

Do I have to wait for my items to be checked?

No, you can just drop your items with one of our Receiving Volunteers and go. 

Why do items get rejected?

The biggest reasons for items to be rejected are excessive wear, stains, tears, holes, missing buttons, odor (smoke/animals), wrong season (winter clothing at spring sale), or adult sizes. We will also reject items with tags from previous sales or tags that have been written on or altered in any way.

How will I receive my check?

Checks will be mailed, please drop off a self-addressed envelope with a stamp along with your items.

Can I use the same tags for the next sale?

Unfortunately, no. The system we use requires new tags for each sale. Please make sure you print new tags for your items for each sale. You will see the current sale date at the top of each tag (e.g., “Fall 2023”).

I’ve printed my tags but I changed my mind on a price. What should I do?

If you change your mind on a price, just go into the system to update the price and print a new tag. Please don’t write or mark on the tag. Don’t change the price in the system without changing the tag–we will always use the price on the tag when ringing up the item. Handwritten prices will be rejected.

How can I shop the presale?

Want access to the best stuff? Volunteer! If you can give just three hours of your time, you’ll get to shop our coveted presale with the best selection of merchandise. There are a variety of volunteer time slots available; we have weekday, weekend, daytime, and evening hours. You can find more volunteer information here. Note children are not permitted on the sales floor until 11:30am.

What if I have more questions?

• Refer back to our website for more information and important dates.

• Watch our short how-to videos on YouTube for selling tips.

• Follow our Facebook page to get updates and news on upcoming sales.

• We keep in touch via regular email updates as the sale gets closer.

• If you have a question about something that isn’t answered here, email us at cossittsale@gmail.com or message us on Facebook.

ACCEPTED ITEMS

Children’s Clothing

• Jackets, fleeces, windbreakers

• Shorts, leggings, pants, & jeans

• Long-sleeved and short-sleeved shirts

• Pajamas

• Skirts & dresses

• Suits & special occasion dresses

• Heavy sweaters, flannel, corduroy pants (fall sale only)

• Winter coats & snow pants (fall sale only)

• Swimming suits and rash guards (spring sale only)

Newborn to youth size 16. 

Costumes, Dancewear & Uniforms

• Dancewear, leotards

• Halloween costumes (fall sale only)

• Martial arts outfits

• Scout uniforms

Books

• Board books, picture books, easy readers

• Chapter books (up to 8th grade)

• Nonfiction children’s books

• Parenting books

Sports & Outside Gear

• Rollerblades, ice skates & roller skates

• Shin guards, knee pads, wrist guards, sporting gloves, baseball/softball mitts, bats

Accessories

• Winter hats, gloves, scarves (fall sale only)

• Belts, neckties, bowties

• Hats, hair bows

Shoes

• Dress & casual sandals (spring sale only)

• Dress & casual shoes (no gym shoes, please)

• Rain boots

• Slippers

• Sports shoes (dance, soccer cleats, etc.)

• Snow boots (fall sale only)

UNACCEPTABLE ITEMS

Please review the following list of items we do not accept for sale:

Clothing

• Fall or winter clothing at the Spring Sale (sweaters, flannel, corduroy)

• Spring or summer clothing at the Fall Sale (tank tops)

• Camp/team/program t-shirts (Park District camp, Zoo Camp, etc.)

• School spirit-wear other than Cossitt, Park Jr. High, or Lyons Township High School

• Clothes with an individual’s name or monogram

• Outdated or out-of-fashion clothing

• Clothing bigger than YOUTH size 16 or any adult clothing

• Undergarments, socks, or tights

• Preemie clothing

• Maternity clothing

• Gym shoes

Toys & Sports

• DVDs / CDs

• Helmets of any kind

• Toys

• Bikes

Baby Gear & Nursery Decor

• Baby gates, bed rails, child locks, outlet plugs

• Baby monitors

• Bathtubs, baby towels

• Changing tables, diaper bags, diaper pails, potty seats

• Children’s room decor: lamps, rugs, artwork

• Cradles, bassinets

• High chairs & booster seats

• Baby carriers, slings

• Toddler and children’s bedding & crib linens

• Walkers, exersaucers, activity mats

• Baby blankets

• Breast pumps / baby bottles

• Car seats, car booster seats

• Crib bumpers, drop-side cribs, mattresses

• Diapers

Accessories

• Socks, tights, or undergarments

• Purses, backpacks, diaper bags

Painted and Recalled Items

Painted children’s items will not be accepted unless the items have “Made in the USA” on their label. Varnished items are acceptable as well as items with lead testing verification.  Check for recalled items at www.cpsc.gov.

**The Cossitt Clothing Sale reserves the right to refuse any item that we do not deem appropriate for the sale.**

Pricing Guide

Listed below you’ll find suggested prices for items commonly sold at our sale. Remember, our shoppers are looking for savings and bargains. Generally, the lower you price an item, the more likely it is to sell. Most items sell between $1 and $5, with very few items selling over $10. The minimum price is $1.00 and we ask that you price in 50 cent increments.

Tops 

Casual (short/long-sleeved) $1 - $5

Button-down shirts $2 - $5

Sweaters $2 - $5

Bottoms 

Jeans, casual, dress pants $2 - $5

Leggings $1 - $4

Skirts $2 - $5

Dresses & Suits

Casual dresses $2 - $5

Special occasion dresses $3 - $10

Suits $5 - $10

Sets

Casual 2- or 3-piece set $3 - $8

Formal 2- or 3-piece set $5 - $10

Outerwear

Winter coat $8 - $15

Light jacket, raincoat $3 - $6

Fleece/light coat $5 - $10

Costumes

Halloween costumes $5 - $10

Leotards, dancewear $2 - $5

Pajamas $1 - $5

Shoes $1 - $5

Books

Board books, easy readers $1- $3

Picture books, chapter books $1 - $4

Sets of books $3 - $10