in layman’s terms, a clothing consignment shop sells clothes that are owned not by the shop’s owner but by the individual who had given (or consigned) the items to the shop for the owner to sell. the shop owner/seller is the consignee and the owner of the items is the consignor. both the consignor and the consignee receive portions of the profit made from the item. however, the consignor will not be paid until the items are sold. therefore, unlike donating clothing to charities, people who consign their clothes to shops can make profit.