Buyer Questions

Q. How often do you have these sales?

A. JBF is a bi-annual consignment sales event.  Our Spring/Summer sales are typically in March/April and our Fall/Winter sales are around August/September of each year.

Q. Are children allowed on opening day?

A. The sale is very crowded, and the lines to checkout can be very long. It's more fun to shop without children! If you do bring them, please keep them with you at all times and please do not let them play with the toys or equipment.

Q. Are the sales located indoors?

A. Yes. Sales are located inside.

Q. Are there any parking fees or entrance fees?

A. No entrance fees.  Parking is available on the street or in the garages around the Convention Center.  Parking is FREE after 6pm on the streets and all day on Sunday.  Volunteer's have validation for the first $5 of their parking expense. If you are a volunteer, please bring your parking ticket with you when you come to volunteer.

Consignor Questions

Q. Who can consign their items and become a seller?

A. Anyone can consign their children's, junior and maternity items with Just Between Friends, but you must register and get a consignor number. We request that you try to bring a minimum of 20 items or $100 worth of items.

Q. Do consignors get to shop before the public?

A. Yes, consignors always shop the day before the sale opens to the public. Check the "i want to shop early" page for times. Consignors will be provided two guests passes for their friends to shop at the Consignor shopping time. Only Adults (18 yrs. and older) will be allowed to enter with a guest pass.

Q. Are children allowed at the presale?

A. No.  Children, strollers and wagons are not allowed at the Presale Event.  This is for their safety, your shopping pleasure and the protection of the Consignor's items.  Nursing infants are allowed any time, but must be carried by the parent in a front or back carrier. Only Adults (18 yrs. and older) will be allowed to enter with a guest pass.

Q. What percentage of the sales do I receive?

A. Consignors receive 65% of their sales, less a $10 consignor fee (deducted from their Profit Check). We do have some special incentives and ways to earn up to 80% Profit. Check out our "sales incentives" page.

Q. Who does the pricing?

A. You set your own price and you get to decide if it is discounted on our half-price day. Check out our "How to Tag" page for pricing guidelines.

Q. What percentage of my items can I expect to sell?

A. Most sellers sell approximately 80% of their items in sizes 2-10. For sizes under 24 months the percentage drops due to the sheer volume of merchandise received. People also tend to receive infant clothing as gifts, hand me downs etc. The older sizes (12-16 and up) also will sell a lower percentage as children become pickier as they near the teen and pre-teen years.

Q. How do I sign up to consign?

A. Register for the current sale by filling out the online form. You will recieve an email confirmation with in moments.

Q. How long should I give myself to drop off my items?

A. We have self check-in and it typically takes about 1 hour to drop off your items. Consignors will be checking in and unloading their items to an inspection square. You will need to move your car from the loading docks while you go through inspection and place your items on the sales floor.  After parking your car, obtain an inspection ticket and wait by your items for your number to be called. After inspection, put all approved items in the appropriate selling area. JBF provides a $5 parking validation if you park in the 14th & H parking lot, so make sure to bring your parking ticket to check in for validation.   

Q. When and where do I drop off my items?

A. Drop off is the Wednesday before the sale.  See the "Drop-Off" page for details. To get to the docks, please take L Street to 14th Street and turn right (see "i need directions" for more details).  Go to the docks where a staff member will be there to direct you where to park. We have a second drop-off scheduled on Saturday from 9:00 am-10:00 am. You may drop off your items through the back loading docks and bring your items into Exhibit Hall B for inspection and check-in.

Q. When do I pick up my unsold items?

A. Unsold items are to be picked up after Breakdown on the last day of the sale.  See "pick up" for details.  All Consignors that intend to have their items sorted for Pick Up are required to contribute 2 hours toward the Breakdown process.  Sign up online in the Volunteer Schedule for a breakdown help shift.  Enter your first name, last name and house number to find your account and update your Volunteer Schedule.

You can have someone else work your 2 hour breakdown shift for you if you are unable to help.  You will sign in and sign out for all Volunteer shifts.  Unsold items may be taken home when we are COMPLETELY finished with the Breakdown process, NOT BEFORE!

Q. What if I work the 2 hour breakdown help shift and can't make it back to the pick up time?

A. You are welcome to have a friend pick up your items for you. You will need to send a note that someone else is authorized to pick up your items, or call Shannon at  916.718.6897 and let her know that someone else will be picking up your items. Please note your consignor number on the message.

Q. Do I have to sort through the racks to find my unsold items?

A. When you pick up your unsold items, your hanging items should be sorted by Consignor # for easy pickup. Your floor items will be located in another area.  You will want to check the lost tag items table and found tags bucket for items that may have lost their tags.  Also check the Stained Rack for items that might have been removed from the floor as dirty, stained or broken.  As time and volunteer sign-ups allow, we hope to have all items sorted by the scheduled pick up time.  If we are not complete, you are welcome to lend a hand to finish up sorting.

Q. How long does it take to receive my check?

A. Your check will be mailed to you approximately two weeks after the close of the sale.

Q. Will I know what items have sold?

A. Yes.  The barcode tagging system offers visibility to sales.  The system is uploaded at the end of each night as soon as we can access an internet connection.  Sales are not loaded as they occur.

Q. Where do I find safety pins and child sized hangers?

A. Dollar Stores, K-Mart, 99 cent stores, some cleaners.

Q. I have looked everywhere and can't find child-sized hangers...what do you want me to do?

A. Typically, the stores run out of the child sized wire hangers area about 2 weeks before the sale starts. Stock up early. Use what you have. Please try to use the size 4 and under on child sized hangers and the size 5 and above can go on the larger hangers.  Your items should fit on the hangers without damage and stay securely on it without falling off.

Q. If I consign my items, do I have to stay during the sale?

A. No. Consignors drop off their items during designated drop-off times and come back at the designated pick up time to retrieve their unsold items, if they are not donating them to SFBS.
However, JBF operates on a volunteer basis.  If you can volunteer a minimum of 5 hours during the sale, it will help you by earning 70% profit on your sales.  Our volunteers shop first.  Our Volunteer help keeps consignor profits at the high return of 65%. Volunteering 5 or more hours also lets you shop early! Now that's a deal! Beat the crowds!

Q. What items are you taking?

A. We accept anything related to babies, children or maternity. The clothing must be current season. For our Spring sales, we will be accepting only Spring/Summer clothing. For Fall sales, we accept only Fall/Winter items. Other great items are toys, books, videos, strollers, baby equipment, nursery items, large play equipment, bedding, cribs, changing tables, etc.

Q. What about shoes?

A.  Please bring only your best shoes. These items are easily worn out and will not sell if they are worn. Sorry, no over worn tennis shoes. Wash all tennis shoes and laces. Polish other shoes and clean soles on all shoes with a toothbrush. We want to keep our standards high.
No sandles for the fall/winter sale and no winter boots for the spring/summer sales.

Q. What about stuffed animals?

A. Yes.  But we only accept quality name brand stuffed animals (lights, sound, movement animals sell best), Disney, Sesame Street, or Beanie Babies.

Volunteer Questions

Q. Can anyone sign up as a volunteer and attend the volunteer presales?

A. Yes, anyone may sign up to volunteer on a first come/first serve basis. You do not have to be a Consignor to volunteer.

Q. Can I bring a guest to the volunteer presale?

A. Volunteers may NOT bring guests. Volunteer guests can earn their own presale pass by volunteering too.  Each presale pass is good for one person to enter the presale.

Q. How long are the shifts?

A. Volunteer shifts vary and can be combined to add up to 24, 12 or 5 Hour presale pass credit. Check out the available work times on our "volunteer" page.

Q. Do you provide childcare for workers?

A. We apologize, but we do not offer childcare at this time.

Q. I'm pregnant or have a medical condition. Is it OK for me to be a volunteer?

A. If you are pregnant or have a medical condition, you will want to volunteer when the workload is less. We have several shifts available with jobs that can be done sitting down. If you need these positions, please email us with your request after registering and we will try to accommodate your request.

Volunteer/Consignor/First Time Mom, Dad Grandparent & Teacher Presale Questions

Q. Who is allowed to shop at the presale?

A. Volunteers shop first, then Consignors, Consignors Guests, and then First Time Moms, Dads & Grandparents and Teachers shop later that same day. Every consignor receives two guest passes. 

Q. Can I bring my child/children to the presale?

A. No Children under 18 years old are allowed at presales.  This is for their safety, your shopping pleasure and the protection of the Consignor's items.  Nursing infants are allowed any time but must be carried on the parent in a front/back carrier.

Q. I am a First Time Mom, Dad Grandparent or Teacher, do I need to bring anything to gain entrance into the sale?

A. Yes, bring a copy of your Consignor Number confirmation email received when you registered for the JBF sale. Or, you can remember your Consignor Number to enter the sale.  FTMDG's & Teachers who pre-register will be allowed to shop at their designated time. Check the "i want to shop early" page for details. Sorry, only nursing infants at the FTMDG presale. Happy shopping!

Q. Can I bring a stroller to the presale?

A. No.  Due to the number of people shopping at our presale event, it will be easier to bring a laundry basket with a rope or belt attached to it to pull your "bargains" behind you.