FAQs

What hours are you open?

Weekdays 10-5:30, and Saturdays 11-5 local time. We are closed most major holidays.

Where are you located?

520 Mineral Avenue, Libby, Montana (the former Sears building).

What days do you accept consignments?

We accept consignments most Fridays; however, depending on available space on the showroom floor, seasonal foot traffic, and space in our warehouse, we may have to limit the number of days each month we are able to accept. Contact us at 406.293.9295 (voice or text), or visit us on Facebook to learn more about when and what we’re accepting next.

Why did your name change from Stytches Consignment & Thrift to Stytches Bent West?

We opened at a new location in May 2023 - the Bent West building. Our new location is bigger and better than ever, and we wanted to present our fresh new face with a fresh new spin on our name.

What is the difference between consignment and thrift?

Consignment stores are a vehicle for selling your merchandise. You retain ownership of it while it is on consignment. We tag, hang, and present your merchandise to buyers in exchange for a commission split. Consignment stores typically focus on higher quality, like-new items that are seasonally appropriate and in-style. Merchandise donated to a thrift store belongs to the thrift store. It may (but not always) contain a wider array of items for sale that wouldn’t typically be present in a consignment store (items with condition issues, vintage or retro items, or out of season items).

Do you accept donations?

We do accept donations on a case-by-case basis, depending on our available storage space. For large quantities of donations, arrangements must be made ahead of time. Donations may be accepted Monday thru Saturday during our regular hours. To arrange for an afterhours drop-off, please call or text us at 406.293.9295.

Do you sell online?

We sell both online and in-store; however, our primary operation is our brick and mortar store in Libby. Occasionally we will post items for sale on various selling sites and/or social media. These typically include items of a higher quality and price point we find difficult to sell locally.

How does consignment work?

Consignors may bring in up to 20 items per month. All items must be freshly laundered, and free of any defects (no rips, stains, holes, missing buttons, broken zippers, excessive wear, pet hair, or fowl odors). We enter your inventory on your consignor account and place your items on the showroom floor to be sold for no more than 90-days. We do a 50/50 split with consignors, less $0.25 per sold item. As soon as an item sells, your commission automatically credits to your consignor account.

What can I use my commissions for?

We allow consignors to utilize credit earned from their sales to purchase merchandise in the store (both new and used). We also allow a once per month cash withdrawal (up to $100). Payouts are issued between the 15-20th of each month.

Do you ever buy clothing outright?

We are currently testing a direct-buy pilot program. This program will offer a set price-per-pound for clothing, determined by the current resale market. Higher quality and/or high-end brand name items may receive a separate buy-out price point, or may be consigned. For information on our direct-buy option, click here.

What happens to unsold items at the end of the consignment term?

Unsold inventory a consignor wishes to collect must be picked up at the end of the 90-day term. It is the consignor’s responsibility to keep track of that 90-day timeframe and promptly collect their items upon their expiration. Uncollected items are pulled shortly after their 90-day expiration date and treated as abandoned/forfeited. They are then disposed of at the store’s discretion with no further responsibility to the consignor. If you wish to have your remaining inventory pulled and available for pickup, you must contact us no more than 7 days prior to your anticipated pick-up date, and prior to your items’ expiration.

I brought in 20 items, but only 18 show on my account. Why?

We require our consignors to be diligent in inspecting their garments and/or shoes prior to bringing them in for consignment, and making sure they are in very good condition and seasonally appropriate. Our consignor agreement clearly states what is and is not acceptable condition, and our consignment calendar clearly identifies what is seasonally appropriate. Items brought in with condition issues, or seasonally inappropriate items, are rejected for consignment and disposed of at the store’s discretion. If you are unsure if an item meets the criteria for consignment, it probably does not. When in doubt, leave it out.

How do you determine what is right for the store, and what is not?

We have a three-stage sorting process. The first sort starts with you, the consignor, going through each of your garments and inspecting them for defects, excess wear, seasonal appropriateness, and current trends. This stage of the sort always requires all consignments to be freshly laundered (if it’s been on a hanger or in a drawer for any length of time, it needs to be rewashed before being brought in. If we have to launder it, we own it - no exceptions). The second sort is our quick, initial inspection of your items post-dropoff, where we look for the same things. The third sort happens when we enter and prepare your items for display on the showroom floor. This sort is slower and more meticulous, and where we find 90% of defects - from pinholes to stains to that dreaded neck ring. We are in the business of making money, so it is HIGHLY unlikely we would ever dispose of something of good resale quality. If your item(s) did not make it to the showroom floor, it is because they had a defect that rendered them unsellable, or they were out of season.

I brought in Christmas shirts in February. What happened to them?

Just like a major retailer, the merchandise we sell in-store is rotated seasonally. Holiday apparel expires the day after the holiday, regardless of when it is brought in (see the consignment calendar for more information). These items would be stored or disposed of at the store’s discretion.

Why don’t you call each consignor to come get their stuff?

We have approximately 1,000 active consignors on any given month, and consistently carry around 15,000 items on our showroom floor. Managing each consignor’s inventory is already a very time-intensive process, and items are expiring daily. We work very hard to keep our costs low enough that we can continue to offer a 50/50 consignment split. To add a full-time person and dedicated storage facility just for this purpose would not be cost-effective, and would ultimately result in a consignment split skewed further away from the consignor. So, we ask the consignor to track the amount of time their items have on consignment, and to pick up any unsold inventory they wish to retain on or before their 90-day expiration. Expired items are forfeited to the store and may be disposed of at the store’s discretion with no further obligations to the consignor.

What happens if I forget to collect the funds from my consignor account?

Accounts that have been inactive for 12+ months (no consignment, payout, or purchase activity) will have their inventory switched from consignment to donation, and their funds forfeited to the store accordingly. We can be contacted by email, phone, social media, or text at any time to request a payout of your account. Any funds forfeited are applied to one of several accounts, such as accounts for needy school-aged children, indigent individuals, fire/trauma families or victims, etc.

What fees are associated with consignment?

$0.25 item fee for all sold merchandise. $0.50 check fee. $1.50 mailing fee. $2.00 per month account maintenance fee (AMF).

What is the Account Maintenance Fee?

The AMF was added April 2023, in lieu of decreasing the commission split consignors receive on their sold merchandise. It helps to cover the increased operating costs due to inflation - specifically hanging, tagging, and inventory control costs, as well as increased staffing and building maintenance expenses.

Why am I receiving a check in the mail?

Stytches reserves the right to paydown any account, at any time, via check to the address listed on file for the consignor. Beginning January 2021, Stytches implemented an automatic paydown policy in which any accounts above or near $200 would receive an automatic paydown via check.

Your door sign says ‘No Pets Allowed’. Does this include service animals?

A service animal means any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. Tasks performed can include, among other things, pulling a wheelchair, retrieving dropped items, alerting a person to a sound, reminding a person to take medication, or pressing an elevator button. Emotional support animals, comfort animals, and therapy dogs are not service animals under Title II and Title III of the ADA. Other species of animals, whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained, are not considered service animals either. The work or tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to the individual’s disability. It does not matter if a person has a note from a doctor that states that the person has a disability and needs to have the animal for emotional support. A doctor’s letter does not turn an animal into a service animal. (Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals, ADA National Network).