Lots of Changes!

Okay, so here's the scoop!

After speaking with my tax guy Tom, we came to the conclusion that what we are doing now does not qualify for tax exempt status with the IRS.  What that means is that although we are operating as a nonprofit in the State of Washington, we would not be eligible to offer a tax deduction for donations or apply for federal grants for funding.  Without that tax exempt status, we cannot continue to operate in the same manner as we have for the past 6 months.

So, we have decided to go another route and become a regular for profit business.  We will be modeling our business after a consignment shop, but continue to offer a more valued service by trading at equal value and keeping our trading fees low.  All the changes will take effect in October.  The October schedule will be out soon!

There will be changes to the point value system, where items of the same category will have different point values based on size.  For example, a pair of size 5T jeans will have a greater point value than a pair of size 0-3 month jeans.  This will give parents with older children more credit points to spend and it will reduce the number of points needed to purchase infant items.

Another big change will be that all of the clothing items will now have "point tags" on them.  You'll be able to shop knowing how many points you are spending without having to worry about having enough at checkout!  Plus checking out will be a lot faster since we won't have to sort through all of the clothes and plug them into the system.

We will also be discontinuing trading the following items UNLESS they are part of a set:

• Socks
• Hats
• Bibs
• Mittens (Winter Gloves are Okay)
• Onesies that are LARGER than 12 months
• Larger bedding such as crib sets and large afghans (NB blankets and Swaddlers are Okay)
• Shoes larger than toddler size 11

***Remember, if you have these items that are part of a set, they can be traded.  Just make sure that they are placed together so that there is no mistaking that it is part of the outfit.

The last few changes will be on our "trader's" end!  Yes, that means you!  Real simple and a lot of you already do it, so don't freak out!  When you bring your items in for trading, they MUST meet the following additional criteria or we will ask that you come back to trade on another day.  To read over how to trade, which has the complete listing of trade requirements, please click on the tab at the top of the page labeled "How It Works".

1. Clothing must be separated by size.  This is a big one!  Since points will now be based on the size as well as the category, the different sizes must be separated before trading.  If you do not separate the sizes, you can still trade that day, however, everything will be given point values according to the smallest size in the box.  Shoes can be bunched together and we will go through them according to a generic size chart.
2. Sets must be put together.  Certain items are now no longer going to be traded unless they are part of a set.  To ensure that we assess the correct point value for your items, please group all of the pieces for your sets together.
3. We will only take ONE box of clothes per customer per trading day.  If you have tons of clothes that you want to trade, you will need to bring them in one box at a time.  We cannot make any exceptions.

Please email me if you have any questions regarding the changes that are not answered here on this website.  We want to thank you for your continued interest in the Kids Clothing Trading Post and hope to see you again soon!

As always, Happy Trading!
~Michele

We did it!

Phew!  The Garage Sale Fundraiser is finally over and we did great!  I want to extend a big thank you to everyone who was able to donate goods to sell at this year's fundraising event and to those that came out to shop!  We had about 200 shoppers and although we didn't make enough money to move the trading post out of my garage, we were able to reach our goal to take KCTP to the next level of tax exempt status! 

Once we have finished the tax exempt process with the IRS, we'll be able to apply for federal grants and corporate funding.  We'll also be able to offer a tax deduction for donated items, the same way Goodwill does, and hopefully that will attract parents of older children to donate their child's clothing to the trading post which will increase our inventory in the larger sizes! 

This process is long and tedious, but very exciting as it will benefit us all and will allow KCTP to grow into the community service we need!

Here is a short video of the sale.  Please enjoy and we hope to see all of you back next year!

Happy Trading!
~Michele

Garage Sale Fundraiser This Weekend!!!

We are almost there and believe me, I am ready to sell, sell, sell!!  We have collected some amazing items from amazing people in our community!  Thank you so much to everyone that donated this year!  Just to give you an idea on the amount of items we have to sell, we've rented a 360 sqft storage unit that is full, my downstairs bathroom is full, Holli's garage is full and we still have people donating items!  There really is something for everyone! 

Check out our listing on Craigslist and please tell all your friends, co-workers, family, church members, day care provider, grocery cashiers, neighbors (even the ones you don't like!) to come on down!

There will be lots of covered space to keep dry or stay cool and no reasonable offer will be refused!

We'll be taking pictures/video and will be posting them here on the blog as well as Facebook!  We plan to sell everything and have a good time doing it!

All the money that we make from this sale will be used to help us move forward and into a larger space! 

Thanks again for reading and I hope to see all of you this weekend!

~Michele

The Strawberries Are Here!

The Strawberry Bag is here!  Tuck it in its berry drawstring pouch. Pull it out for instant travel carry! A fun alternative to plastic bags, the EcoBerry is the stylish, foldable, stow-and-go tote for your errands. No fuss travel, the eye-catching EcoBerry is made of water-resistant material for rainy day trips. Durable and easy to clean, this Earth friendly accessory is 100% recyclable!

Now the next time you come to spend your trading points, no need for that plastic grocery bag, just pick up the EcoBerry and you're good to go! 

I just did a Google search and these bags go for as much as $8.95 online!  Get them from the KCTP on trade days for only $2.00!  I only have a limited number of bags and they are going quick.  Once this first order is gone, I'll be going back for more and then I'll make them available for purchase online with your Paypal account!

Thanks for reading and Happy Trading!
~Michele