Award-winning Kids' Consignment Sale returns to Milford Oct. 2 - 4

MILFORD –Next Size Up - voted the best kids’ consignment sale in two regional contests - is returning to the John Smith Sports Center in Milford on the weekend of Oct. 2 – 4.

The event will feature more than 40,000 items for babies and children for sale at a fraction of retail prices: toys, clothing (infant – junior), baby gear (strollers, bouncers, etc.), Halloween costumes, books, décor, furnishings, DVDs and more. All items will be inspected for quality, tagged, and displayed by size, gender and interest.

The sale will be open to the public with free admission 9 AM to 8 PM on Friday, Oct. 2. More merchandise will be brought in before the sale opens again Saturday, Oct. 3, running from 9 AM to 6 PM. Many items will be marked ½ price on Sunday, Oct. 4, from 10 AM to 2 PM. Anyone bringing at least two items for donation to the food pantry on Sunday can gain early admittance at 9:30 AM. Cash, Mastercard and VISA are accepted.

Next Size Up, which has been operating sales in the spring and fall since 2009, was named Best Consignment Sale in the Greater Boston area by voters at ConsignmentMommies.com, a national children’s consignment resource, and was selected as the favorite sale of readers of the Marlborough-area parents’ newsletter, Macaroni Kid.

Since Next Size Up was founded, more than 1,000 area families have consigned their children’s items through the event. This season, more than 250 consignors will be participating.

Consignors register via the website (NextSizeUpKids.com), enter their items into the online inventory system, prepare and tag them and bring them in by appointment for inspection. They receive at least 60% of the sale price of their items, and can increase that to up to 75% by volunteering. Traditional consignor slots are now full, but restock consignors, who drop off their items on Friday, Oct. 2, are still being accepted.

Consignors and volunteers shop early at a private presale on Thursday evening, Oct. 1 (the more shifts worked, the earlier the admission time). There are also a limited number of $5 passes available to shop at the presale, and free passes are available for parents serving in the military.

Vendors from a variety of local family-oriented and home-based businesses will be on hand for each day of the sale, and non-perishable food items for the Daily Bread Food Pantry will be collected.

Next Size Up has always benefited charities. In addition to the food drive, many unsold items are donated to Cradles to Crayons, a Boston charity that gives the items directly to families in need.