Consignment is an arrangement where you give your possessions to someone else to sell for you, and they take a share of the money when the items sell. When your family takes old clothes to a consignment shop, the shop displays them alongside items from other families. If someone buys your jacket, the shop keeps part of the sale price as payment for their work and gives you the rest.

In consignment, you still own your items until they sell. You're trusting the shop to find buyers and handle the transaction.

Many families use consignment shops to sell outgrown clothes, sports equipment, or furniture they no longer need. Artists sometimes sell paintings on consignment through galleries. The arrangement helps sellers reach customers they might never find on their own, while shops get inventory without paying for it upfront.

You might hear someone say their items are on consignment at a shop, meaning they're displayed and waiting to be sold. If the items don't sell after a certain time, the shop returns them to the owner.