Got Good Kids’ Stuff? Sell ‘Em
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Making good use of good things is something Terrance Iwamoto believes in, and with the current economy, he is spot-on.
With his new business, Rhea Lana’s Children’s Consignment Events, Iwamoto is calling all folks who want to buy or sell gently used designer children’s clothes, furniture and maternity clothes. The hottest-selling items, he predicts, will be strollers, car seats and cribs.
“I found that, with this kind of niche, we get a lot of loyal customers,” he notes. “Everyone is helping each other.”
Baby Gap and Disney are among the brand names at the four-day sale at a location to be announced a month prior the event. In addition to clothes, there are books, videos, and toys for newborns to children in the early teen years.
People interested in selling their designer products can register online as consignors. The consignor inputs details of the inventory: size, brand name, asking price.
“We suggest people sell it for 20 to 25 percent of what they paid for it,” explains Iwamoto.
Consignors print the inventory list and drop off the items the day before the sale. From there, Rhea Lana will check the goods to be sure they are not torn, soiled or outdated. Anything that doesn’t meet the criteria is rejected. The consignor can go online to keep track of their account, as the items have a barcode. Then, at the end of the four-day sale, a check of 70 percent of the amount sold is made out to the consignor. A small fee is subtracted based on the number of items inventoried. Consignors can then pick up what wasn’t sold, or they can go online to indicate they would like to donate their unsold items and Rhea Lana will arrange for the items to be donated. For the inaugural sale, donated items will go to the Next Step homeless shelter in Kakaako.
“When I went to one of the events, women were going nuts,” observed Iwamoto. “They were rummaging through things, and they had a handful of clothes.”
Iwamoto says one of the challenges is getting people to know what this is about.
“Some folks are doing a wait and see, so they can understand the concept once they see it in action,” he notes. “So we are doing some community programs.”
Iwamoto can share with nonprofits how they can use the sale as part of their fundraising efforts.
Iwamoto joined the Rhea Lana franchise in 2008, as it matches the theme of a business he started in 2004, Mr. Ink Plus, located at 670 Auahi St.
“We recycle cartridges,” explains the McKinley High graduate about the inkjet, toner, fax and copy machine cartridges.
The Aiea resident says he got the Rhea Lana idea in part because his wife Judy had several bags of their children’s clothes she was going to give to relatives since they paid good money for them.
As the father of two sons, Zachary, 12, and Matthew, 9, Iwamoto says, “We know all too well that children grow out of their clothes so fast.”
Iwamoto encourages those interested in selling to log in now to start their inventory or join the e-mail list for more details on the next sale.
Oahu’s first Rhea Lana’s Children’s Consignment Event will be held July 23-26. For more information, call 306-5999, log onto Rhealana.com or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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