Our Policies

Our Policies as of January 2012

Welcome to Stone Soup!! We’re pleased you want to become part of our community. Our goal is to stock only the best kids and maternity clothing and accessories, and to sell them in a clean, comfortable and fun environment.

Just like you, we’re very picky -- that’s what makes our store so great! We carefully hand-select all of our inventory so everything is clean, stylish, and in great condition.

We stringently inspect each item so please allow time during your appointment to wait for us to pre-sort and return our initial "no thank you's" to you. We also no longer accept drop-offs without an appointment to do so.

Please read all policies before calling for an appointment. Our policies have changed and due to the increased time it will take us to inspect each item, these policies must be followed or we will not process your items!

• The Basics
• What We Buy and How we Buy
• How You Get Paid
• When We Buy

• Clothes need to be completely free of lint and pet hair, CLEAN and FRESHLY laundered. MOST SHOES CAN BE WASHED, EVEN ROBEEZ! Just don't dry them in the dryer. If you are unsure, check with the manufacturer. If they cannot be washed in the washing machine, please thoroughly clean them with a wet cloth, including the soles. Nothing will be accepted from smoking homes.
• NO STAINS, TEARS, MISSING OR LOOSE BUTTONS, FADING, BROKEN ZIPPERS ETC. Exceptions to this would be snow gear, which tends to get stained but still has lots of life left in it! Also, we will take some popular brands that may have small stains (Mini Boden, Patagonia, Gap, REI, etc). OUR GUIDING POLICY IS TO BUY ITEMS THAT, IN OUR EXPERIENCE, OUR CUSTOMERS WILL BUY.
• DO NOT BRING YOUR ITEMS IN PLASTIC BAGS! Boxes, bins or brown paper bags only.
• Rack Ready clothes, neatly folded or laid out flat.
• Nothing made of vinyl, no bath toys, bath books, dolls, pool toys, squeeze toys, pacifiers, teethers.
• Gear must be SQUEAKY clean! Every crevice cleaned and all cloth parts laundered.
• Gear must be complete, in working condition, with all necessary parts and pieces, instruction manuals, and any necessary batteries.
• Gear must be fully assembled.
Check your items for recalls and CPSIA compliance. Visit http://www.cpsc.gov/ to look up your items.

No more than ONE MEDIUM sized bin or 2 paper grocery sacks at one time! Please adhere to this policy or we may not be able to take any of your items.

Due to our customers’ expectations, we’re VERY selective about what we can accept and must limit our selection to brands with proven quality and durability. Examples of clothing brands we accept are: Tea, Gap, Gymboree, Hanna Andersson, Baby Lulu, REI, Lands End, Catimini, Columbia, Ralph Lauren, Oilily, Janie & Jack, Mimi and Maggie, Green Dog, Keen, Crocs, UGG, and Patagonia. Examples of brands we typically do not accept: Circo, Cherokee, Curfew, Sprockets, Faded Glory, George, and many other discount brands. We do make exceptions when it comes to winter wear, snow boots and some clothing items. OUR GUIDING POLICY IS THAT WE WILL PURCHASE ITEMS THAT WE BELIEVE OUR CUSTOMERS WILL BUY. We do not purchase any bedding. Please be understanding if we cannot purchase your items.

We purchase:

• Children’s clothing, sizes infant to 14 (approx. 10-12 years old). UPDATE: INFANT SIZES 0-2T, WE ARE TAKING A VERY LIMITED NUMBER OF ITEMS AS WE TEND TO GET A LOT OF GREAT ITEMS IN THESE SIZES (AS THEY GROW OUT OF THEM SO FAST!). WE'LL TAKE ONLY THE CLEANEST, NICEST ITEMS IN THESE SIZES AND ARE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT OF SPACE WE HAVE.
• Maternity/nursing clothing. We take very little maternity clothing, and only the most trendy, current styles.
• Very gently used wooden toys and puzzles, educational and activity-based toys. Books published after 1985. We do not accept children’s products that may contain lead, such as children’s jewelry and painted wooden or metal toys; flimsily made toys that are easily breakable into small parts, cheap flimsy plastic toys, stuffed animals or toys that have buttons, eyes or noses or other small parts that are not securely fastened and could present a choking hazard for young children.
• Baby gear. Strollers, highchairs, pack-n-plays, electric swings, exersaucers, Bumbos, etc. Instructions and product information needs to be included. Items need to be fully assembled. Please call us before bringing in larger items so you are sure we are accepting them at that time. Please check recalls before bringing them in. We do not accept car seats, play yards (we do take pack 'n plays), or cribs, nor do we accept most items that are more than 3 years old. We will either buy baby gear outright or consign it depending on demand. Read below regarding consignment.

Due to the number of items we process in a day, any items we don’t accept, or that you don’t want to sell for the price we’ve offered, need to be picked up within 24 hours after we make you our offer or they become the exclusive property of Stone Soup. We apologize for being so strict about this policy, but we do not have the room to store unaccepted items. Thank you for your understanding!

Also, please go through your items one last time with our guidelines in mind before bringing them in, to make sure they’re items we accept and that they’re in the proper condition.

Unlike consignment, we buy most of your items outright -- that means you get cash in hand or store credit immediately. No waiting and wondering if your items are selling, no keeping track of when you need to come in and pick up those items that haven’t sold (and then having to decide what to do with them).

We pay an extra 25% more of the cash offer if you choose to receive store credit in lieu of a cash payment. Store credit can be used to purchase anything in our store, including sale and clearance items!

We're now consigning most equipment items! That means you get paid 50% of the selling price in cash! Please call before bringing consignment items in. These items need to follow all our above listed policies and be squeaky clean and in mint condition prior to bringing them in.

We accept and price items according to brand, condition, and currency of style. We hope these guidelines answer all of your questions.

• ALL SELLERS: We will be taking APPOINTMENTS ONLY!!! Please CALL to schedule. You may schedule a drop off if you are an established seller, BUT YOU MUST ALLOW TIME FOR US TO PRE-SORT YOUR ITEMS BEFORE YOU LEAVE. All sellers are limited to 1 medium sized box or bin or 2 paper bags. Your name and phone number must be on all bins and bags.
• FIRST TIME SELLERS: We request that new sellers bring in no more than 30 items so they can get acquainted with our policies and pricing.
• M: 10-4:00
  T: 10-4:30
  W: 10-4:00
  Th: 10-4:30
  F: 10-3:00
  Sa: 10-3:00
  

WE BUY SEASONALLY! We take swimsuits year-round.
Mid-June - August: Fall, Back to School clothes, light jackets
August - December: Fall and Winter Items (Holiday only through November)
January - Mid-June: Spring/Summer Items (this still includes jeans, light pants, long sleeve tee's). Winter coats, boots, pants and snowsuits (only better brands and only through mid-Feb).

To schedule an appointment please call 541-323-7117.
If you have other questions please call or email
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