Before sticking your head into one of the many consignment thrift shops around, there are some words and phrases that can be good to have defined. Many times people are confused by terms such as consignment, thrift and resale. What is the difference. Lets take a look at that.

One could argue that all shops that sell more or less used consumer goods are resale shops, but it is possible to clarify the distinctions here. A thrift shop is owned by a not for profit organisation. A consignment shop takes your merchandise and when it is sold you receive usually between 40-60% of the sales price. The so called resale shops on the other hand often buy the goods straight up front from the original owner, then sell it.

Lets look at some more terminology that will most likely prove itself useful when you enter consignment and thrift shops.

A closeout means liquidated merchandise that the wholeseller is no long manufacturing and therefore is interested in selling for a smaller sum of money.

When you see something that says discountinued items it refers to stuff that will no longer be manufactured and is sold for a lower price to create room for a new line of products.

Off-brand is another term that might show up in some consigment thrift shops. This refers to brands that you usually do not recognize, as opposed to Levis or Ralph Lauren. It is most of the time a copy or a cheaper quality.

When irregular clothing is mentioned in the consignment thrift shops this refers to clothing that might have a small flaw in the buttons, seams or in the fabric. A lot of the time the flaws are so small and practically invisible that you can get really good deals when you are thrifting for irregular name brand clothing.

When something has been cleaned up or reupholstered there is also a range of terms for this. Refinished usually applies to wood and furniture, refurbished and reconditioned usually goes for automobiles.

On a final note, when you head into a consignment thrift shop make sure to keep an eye out for the quality of materials and workmanship. It also helps to have an idea of what the regular retail price is for the item you are interested in. Know the policies of the resale store you are in and inspect anything you are going to buy carefully before buying it.