2nd Time Around

There are three of these stores on Newbury Street, but this is my favorite (the most high-​end merchandise). Right after Christmas I got an amazing D&G wool coat and a beautiful shift dress. I can’t wait to come back on my next trip to Boston! This is one of the best consignment shops! Janea

I’ve consigned with a number of different 2^nd Time Around locations, and this is by far the worst. I picked up a few items that didn’t sell at the end of their duration at the store, and when I got them home, I realized that one item, a sweater, had two huge holes ripped in it that were absolutely NOT there when I dropped the item off. Now it is worthless and can’t even be donated. I will never consign here again.

Alert to everyone — this is no longer the place to find solid brands like Banana Republic, JCrew, and Madewell.
When I walked in today, the store was oddly empty. I asked the woman at the cash register why, and she told me that they’d recently gotten rid of a lot of brands that they had decided to no longer carry. Apparently from now on, they’re only taking «high end brands» — which apparently means designer.
This place was on the expensive side before, but I could deal with it and justify it because you’re basically paying for someone to ensure clothing quality and to sift through all the trash you have to sift through on your own at other places. Now, however, it is just another high end consignment store, hocking used clothes for more than they are worth.
I hope that this place burns and a new, better store can rise from its money grubbing ashes.

I recently brought in a few things to consign for my first time at the Philadelphia location and while I was there, the sales girl suggested I follow STA on Instagram to get first access to the best items. I followed a few of the locations in the Northeast, including this Boston location.
Yesterday, while looking through my IG feed, I saw a photo of a gorgeous 2.55 Chanel quilted bag on sale (they are currently having a wonderful 20%off accessories event). I called and asked for more photos. They sent them to me immediately and when I called back to request more photos of certain particular details I wanted to see to ensure the bag was authentic, they did so promptly.
I purchased the bag and they sent it to me overnight with a sweet personal note of thank you.
I am so impressed not only by the gorgeous bag that just made all my dreams come true, but also and more importantly by the patience and sweetness of the girls I spoke with over the phone. I called them multiple times yesterday and probably drove them crazy, so I really appreciate it!!! Thanks Chloe and Courtney! My new bag is stunning!!!

I’ve read some of the other lower starred reviews on here and maybe I am just a consigner newbie with no clue, but this a great STA location. I made an appt (I know they often say drop off is fine, but I don’t want to be that person who holds everyone else up because I couldn’t organize myself) to consign two items — a seriously twice worn pair of Steve Madden black cowboy boots, and a floor length wool/​acrylic cardigan. The girl who assessed the items was really nice, took both and the boots have already gone less than two weeks later! And while it’s certainly not winning the lotto, it’s more than I would have received had I just dropped them at Goodwill AND they’re out of my closet! I have also found some really great items here in the past year, especially jeans. Staff are always friendly, even when a little rushed up, nice big dressing rooms, and things are organized by size and color, making it easy to pin point what you are looking for. Climbing into my closet now to retrieve some other potential consignment items. ..

This store «lost» several items that my friend and I consigned. Absolutely unacceptable and all they had to tell me was that I signed a contract so it’s not their responsibility to compensate me for my lost items in any way.
I consigned six items and one item that was a brand new gorgeous dress still with tags ($ 140) just disappeared. I highly doubt customers are stealing from the store… so I can only guess what happened to it.
At first I thought this was a fluke, but then my friend who also has nearly new clothes from very popular brands had several items go missing and they were never able to locate her clothes again.
If signing a consignment contract means that I should expect to lose a portion of my clothes with no compensation then I will never be consigning again. Never coming back to this STA. Questionable trustworthiness.

I can only speak from a shopper’s perspective but I’ve found some really great things at this STA. I was in a pinch the other night and needed a black skirt for an interview. Lo and behold — this STA had a Calvin Klein business skirt on sale for $ 10 and in my size. I’ve found a few dresses and sweaters here before too.
There’s only one or two racks for super «high end designers,» but if you’re looking for mid range clothing (with some low range Forever 21, etc thrown in) STA is a good place to start.
The only thing I’ve never managed to find at STA are formal dresses. I wish they’d expand their selection of semi-​formal dresses to include more long, traditional formal dresses.
I also quite like the atmosphere; STA is a peruse-​clothes-​in-​peace type place, whereas Buffalo Exchange has been in my experience an ear splitting cacophony of hung over college girls.

If you had asked me to write a review for this store before they became a chain and the great former young owner, Jeff, sold out, I would have told you it was the BEST from a buyer’s point of view. I have found gems and treasures there for myself and my daughter over the past 20 years and the staff was always pleasant. However, following one bad experience consigning years ago, where they «lost» some of my jewelry, belts and silk jacket (to a suit), I decided I would try consigning again, because I just returned to Boston from living in Paris for years, and menopause-​oblige, all the tops of my gorgeous Mugler, Lacroix, St. Laurent, Escada, Moschino, Cache, Ralph Lauren, etc. are too tight! And many of my clothes are unworn or rarely.
SOOO…I went over to the 176 Newbury St. store, showed them a book of digital photographs of the items I wanted to consign, asked if they could possibly go through it and let me know which ones were of interest to them (far too many for me to carry in, not knowing what they would take!). They said «yes» and asked that I call to check which clothes to bring in and make an appointment. I did — I called a week later and they told me which ones to bring in, including my beautiful Parisian mink (which they said was worth $ 2,000). I made an appointment for a week or so later and brought in all that they had indicated they were interested in.
Fast forward to the appointment with the manageress (whose name I have chosen to forget). Not only did the rude woman totally ignore me, after one of their salespeople had introduced me for the appointment, but she very gruffly told me to get lost for half an hour or so whilst she went through my stuff.
When I returned, POOPOO my mink, POOPOO my black sexy Thierry Mugler jumpsuit and Christian Lacroix linen top, POOPOO almost everything, …she only wanted 2 or 3 of the 20 items they had said to bring in (including Joan and David shoes, Chanel handbag, Chantal Thomas etc. etc.). So I said «thanks but no thanks», I just dragged all this stuff in at your request, it’s taken a month to get an appointment with Madame-​rude-​manageress and I am terribly disappointed in what used to be my very favorite resale shop… so go there to buy if you want, don’t consign, you will be treated like your stuff is garbage by an ignorant and anti-​social person.
I now consign at Redress in Brookline Village who is the total antithesis to this place and where the owner, Therese, is a positive and pleasant joy to deal with.

As a shopaholic, I’ve always wanted to get into consigning so I can ease the buying guilt a little bit. For years I’ve just donated clothing to local thrift stores or dropped off bags for the Red Cross or Salvation Army, but a friend recently convinced me to try STA and «join the cult,» as she put it.
I’ve shopped at various STA locations and had some hits and some misses. A silk Joie top and a few Anthropologie items here and there, but never an «OMG I am so in love with this, I have to have it» find. As a shopper who is typically very patient and committed to flipping through racks, STA just isn’t really on my radar so much as a regular go-​to place.
However, back to my friend who convinced me to consign. I finally psyched myself up for it, which included hauling three huge shopping bags to a *different* STA location on Newbury – not this one. My bags contained what I thought were a few treasure troves: a J Crew bathing suit with the tags on, a Coach purse, and a classically cut Ann Taylor suit in perfect condition. The rest of my items were all over the map, but basically mall store purchases. Every single item was rejected. The reason scrawled on the sheet of carbon paper that was mailed to me a week after drop off? Brands. Wow, really? I must have mistakenly gone to the «high end» STA without realizing it.
Flash forward a year and I finally drop the STA chip on my shoulder and try the location my friend swears by, her beloved store where she constantly runs in to pick up her latest check and say hi to the friends she’s made there over the years. Once again, I drag in three huge shopping bags and leave (yes, that’s really all you do after you give them your name – no receipt, nothing to show what you dropped off). Five days later, I get the envelope in the mail. I joke to my husband, «Thick or thin?» feeling like a high school senior waiting to see if I got accepted to my top pick. Turns out it’s still just the single sheet of carbon paper, but this time, at THIS STA, they took 20 items. One even sold the very next day. I feel like a success story! And the moral to that story? Go to 324 Newbury if you want them to accept your brands.

I would NEVER go here again. I heard that this was a new location and I had never consigned here before. I have, however, consigned at 219 Newbury Street since 2008. I heard the 324 location accepted mens and since I had never been there before, I decided to give it a shot! I went in a week prior to check it out and take a look at the brands and styles they carried. I wasn’t impressed with the basement location or any particular style. I had already made an appointment weeks in advance. They could only take me 3 weeks out and at a very specific time. I set my caldendar! I made a SPECIAL trip on this day and brought in my bags of items, rushing to make it right on time. The store was dead… I don’t know why I had to be there at such a specific time. I left my bags with the short haired burnette girl… she didn’t tell me a time to come back (which was strange because the other locations always give a time). I came back in about an hour and a half to find my bags were sitting there and the girl was no where to be found. The man working was confused and couldn’t find my paperwork. which I still don’t have. He called her only to find out that she didn’t accept anything! She told him they were «out dated», as other reviews below me have stated as well.
I find this hard to believe. It is fall and there are sweaters with TAGS ON THEM and they are out dated? Basic Pagie jeans are out dated? Mens jeans and white dress shirts are out dated? Brand new with tags on them? I find it hard to believe that she didn’t pick ONE thing from the bags I brought in. I even had jewelry from this year! I honestly don’t even think she really looked through the bags. It makes me angry and disappointed because I made a SPECIAL trip to drive in to get there at their specific time and go to THIS location. Waste of time and money!
Not to mention, before I booked this appointment and made the trip in I CALLED this store and ASKED SPECIFICALLY what brands they take, what styles they are taking, and even listed off brands that I was thinking of brining in JUST to make sure the trip would be worth it and they assured me it would!
In my fury I looked through the racks and they had things that looked extremely old, faded, and worn out! Items from H&M were hanging there! They are pretty much a glorifed good will.

I Wasted My Time… this review is from a consignor perspective. i went through the trouble of bringing in 3 items to consign, their minimum is 3. a Cache evening dress, unworn with original tags, a Casual Corner floral, sleeveless pink shell and a sag harbor sleeveless cotton sundress
so the girl at the counter said she couldnt set up a consignment account for me because the Casual Corner pink (unworn without tags) was outdated. its not outdated. its actually really cute.
so i was really disappointed that i wasted my time. not 10 minutes later I saw the same girl in Trader Joe’s buying lunch. made me think she’d rather go to lunch than set up a new consignment account for me. whatever. i just hate wasting my time…

WOW what a scam this place is, DO NOT CONSIGN HERE!
I ended up with almost nothing for my high end almost unused clothing and getting paid for the pittance I was getting took FOREVER!
Funny thing is a friend was at a party and was telling my GF and i about a jacket he picked up for a deal at STA, turns out it was my jacket (The dry cleaning tag was still attached with my code on it) and the amount he paid for it was NO WHERE CLOSE to what the store told me it sold for!
Shabby and dishonest treatment, this place is not to be trusted!

Ever wanted to shop beyond your means? Well, here’s your chance to dress like the 1% without breaking your budget. I find everything at STA from Nanette Lepore to C&C California. I don’t always leave with a purchase, but I’ve had enough great experiences to keep coming back.
Tip: Pick up a (free) frequent shopper card to help you get discounts!

I like consignment shopping for certain items. STA is like any other consignment. Service at this location is always top notch. I’ve never consigned, this is strictly the purchasing process.
Their downfall: they don’t authenticate items. A recent example: they had an Hermes scarf for sale that clearly looked faked (the feel of the fabric, faded back side, the imperfect rolled hem, and an ink stamp that said small.). When asked about it, they said ‘no one ever mentioned it before’. I think they need to do more diligence before displaying the items. This is not some independent shop, they are a northeast chain, I expect better. I wouldn’t recommend them for high end things since they aren’t trust worthy.

Possibly my favorite of the three Second Time Around stores on Newbury. The large bit cluttered store makes it easy and relaxing to look for your next great clothing find. Also their sales on certain weekends are a steal. I got a great party skirt for $ 10 when it details for over $ 200.
It’s also a good place to sell your thinga. Just make sure to sell seasonal items. Extra bonus… anything they can’t sell will be automatically sent to Goodwill sparing you the trip.

I love this STA location. The staff is always friendly and helpful, they can make consignment appointments very quickly (usually within a week of my call), and my stuff really sells!
Like any consignment shops you have good days and bad days in terms of finds, but at this point about 60% of my wardrobe comes from this store. I love it.

Ugh, they’ve changed their policies so many times and even got rid of my favorite person there. If I dropped things off and they didn’t have time to go through it right away they’d call me and let me know they weren’t taking items so I could pick them up. Now they won’t tell you and they’ll just donate them. (If they’re getting donated I prefer to get the tax write off myself).
The more changes they make the more disappointed I become in the stores.

I was impressed with the quality and selection of clothes here. It took me awhile to figure out the sale prices, but once I did it was easy to navigate. (For those not in the know– there is a board up front with colors market on it that coordinate with the color of the clothing tags.)
Nothing was junky, everything was clean, and there was a good selection of brand name apparel at really reasonable prices.
My only complaint when I stopped by is that it was HOT outside, which translated to very warm and muggy inside. Not really an environment conducive to trying on clothes.

LOVE second time around… have found some great deals on designer stuff.
I go here mostly for dresses and blazers… I am not a fan of the shoe selection. I like that everything is neatly organized and easy to find. Plenty of dressing rooms and of course friendly /​helpful staff.

Today I did a little test to see how Second Time Around stacks up to Buffalo Exchange: I brought three bags to each shop that I thought would be appropriate given what each store sells, and I tried to see if they wanted any of my items.
I mostly have pretty cool, funky items, and I also have some nicer clothes from j. crew, h&m, etc. Buffalo Exchange made me wait a long time and didn’t accept a single item of clothing. Second Time Around took a ‘drop off’ and then evaluated my clothing, and I came back in to get the ones they didn’t take. They took a lot of my clothing, and I was pretty excited about that! I feel like my stuff is more valuable than something that is necessarily for good will, so I am glad to have found a nice way to recycle clothing that may not have fit me well anymore, or I had less use for them than I initially thought. It makes me feel better that they will find a nice home again.
I do also shop at Second Time Around, as I have gotten clothes there at some pretty sweet deals. If you are looking for unique clothing that is fashionable in its own way, but don’t want to spend tons of money on it, then Second Time Around is the place to go! This new store also sells a lot to the Berkeley School of Music crowd and a younger, hipster/​trendier audience, so they cater to that crowd, as opposed to say, the one on Beacon Hill, that caters to an older and more sophisticated kind of crowd. Either way, they are full of flavor, so it’s always fun to go look at any of their stores around the Boston area!