Consignment vs Thrift vs Resale: What Is the Difference?
The difference is who owns the goods and when you get paid: thrift stores sell donated items and pay nothing, resale stores buy from you outright and pay cash now, and consignment stores sell your items for you and pay a share after the sale.
| Thrift store | Resale (buy-outright) store | Consignment store | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the items come from | Donations | Bought from you on the spot | Left with the shop by you |
| Who owns them until they sell | The shop or its charity | The shop | You |
| What the seller gets, and when | A tax receipt | Cash or store credit today, a fraction of the resale price | 40 to 60 percent of the sale price, after it sells |
| Prices for shoppers | Lowest | Low to mid | Mid, with markdowns after 30 and 60 days |
| How picky the shop is | Takes almost anything | Picks what it can resell this season | Picks what its customers buy, often turning down a third or more |
| Examples | Goodwill, Salvation Army, hospice and church shops | Plato’s Closet, Buffalo Exchange | Independent shops in every state |
Thrift stores
A thrift store runs on donations. Goodwill, the Salvation Army and the church or hospice shop down the road take what people drop off, price it low, and put the proceeds toward a cause. Because the stock costs the shop nothing, prices are the lowest of the three, and quality is a lottery: a good jacket can hang next to a stained one. You never get money for what you give. You get a receipt for your taxes and the knowledge that the item went to a good place.
Resale and buy-outright stores
A resale store buys from you. You bring a bag in, a buyer goes through it while you wait, and you leave with cash or store credit for the pieces they wanted and the rest of your bag. The offer is a fraction of what the item will sell for, because the shop is taking on the risk that it never sells. The trade is speed and certainty for money.
Plato’s Closet and Buffalo Exchange work this way only, which is why they are not in this directory. Crossroads Trading mostly buys outright but also takes some items on consignment, so its stores are listed. Many independent shops do both; where a shop says so, its listing here is labelled “Consignment and resale”.
Consignment stores
A consignment store sells your items for you. You stay the owner until the sale, the shop provides the floor space, the pricing and the customers, and when a piece sells you get a share, usually 40 to 60 percent. Prices start higher than at a thrift store and step down over the consignment period, typically 20 to 25 percent after 30 days and again after 60. At the end of the period, often 60 to 90 days, you collect what is left or the shop donates it.
This is the best money for good items and the slowest way to get it. You are paid on the shop’s cycle, usually monthly, and only for what sells. It suits brand-name clothing in good condition, solid furniture and designer accessories. It does not suit anything you need gone today.
Is a consignment store a thrift store?
No. People use the words interchangeably, and Google Maps blurs them, but the business models are different. A thrift store sells donated goods and the donor is never paid. A consignment store sells goods it does not own and pays the owner a share. The two can look alike from the pavement, since both sell secondhand items, which is why the rule for this directory is the business model, not the look of the shop: a store is listed if it takes items on consignment, and a donation shop is not, however nice its racks.
The confusion runs the other way too. Some shops call themselves thrift stores and still consign a few categories, and some “resale boutiques” are pure consignment. Read the shop’s own terms, or its page here, rather than the name.
Are consignment shops more expensive than thrift stores?
Yes, usually. A thrift store got its stock free and prices to move it. A consignment shop has to pay the consignor 40 to 60 percent of the ticket, so the ticket has to be higher. In return you get a curated rack: the shop has already turned down the stained, dated and broken pieces, and it tends to price by brand and condition rather than by rail.
The gap narrows as items age. Consignment prices drop in steps, often 20 to 25 percent at 30 days and again at 60, and the last weeks of a consignment period can undercut a thrift store for the same brand. If you shop consignment for price, ask when the shop marks down and come back then.
Is it worth selling to a consignment store?
It depends on the item and on how fast you need the money. Work it through:
- Consign when the item is worth the wait: current brand-name clothing in good condition, solid wood or mid-century furniture, designer bags and jewelry. You will get the most money, but weeks later and only if it sells.
- Sell outright when you need the space or the cash today, or when the item is good but not special. The offer is lower, but it is certain.
- Donate the rest, and anything a shop has already turned down twice. The tax receipt is the only return on worn, dated or damaged goods.
Store credit often beats cash: some consignment shops add a bonus percentage if you take your payout as credit. If you would shop there anyway, that is the better deal.
For what to leave at home, see the guide to how to consign clothes and furniture: it covers what shops turn down and why.
Find a consignment store near you
This directory lists consignment shops, with hours, what each one takes, parking and directions.
- Consignment stores near you, searchable by city or zip, or browse consignment stores by state.
- Furniture consignment stores for sofas, tables and decor, and kids consignment stores for outgrown clothes and baby gear.
- Popular cities: consignment stores in Austin (19), consignment stores in Charlotte (14), consignment stores in Atlanta (16), consignment stores in Richmond (9), consignment stores in New York (36), consignment stores in Houston (35), consignment stores in Portland (33) and consignment stores in Seattle (29).