Wedding Dress Consignment: How It Works
How consignment works for wedding dresses, what to check in an agreement, how to document a gown and how to stay safe as a buyer or seller.
Consignment is one of the most common ways to buy or sell a wedding gown second hand. A shop or agent sells the gown, keeps an agreed share of the price and pays the owner the rest. The guides on this page explain the money, the paperwork and the safety checks on both sides of a sale.
Read the consignment guide first
The main guide covers how consignment works in practice, what shops usually take, how to read a consignment agreement and how long a gown typically takes to sell. It also includes a calculator that shows what a seller keeps after the shop's share.
Check the gown before you buy
If you are buying from a consignment shop, the inspection checklist in the buying guide shows what to look for in the seams, the fabric, the stains and the hardware, and which questions to ask before you pay.
Read the used gown buying guide
Plan the alterations
A consigned gown rarely fits perfectly. Before you commit, get an estimate for the changes it needs. The alteration guide gives typical costs and a timeline for common jobs.