I recently purged all the clothes my daughter has outgrown over the last 6 years. I don’t know whether it was laziness or not wanting to let go of my baby, but I’ve kept pretty much everything from when she was a newborn. Not gonna lie. It was kind of excruciating. Hard to believe that my big girl used to fit into these teeny tiny onesies. How could this be?! Oh right… kids grow up. And they grow up fast! Once I got over the shock of how quickly time had passed, another wave of shock hit me.
This was a MOUNTAIN of clothes. I could not believe we had accumulated this much for one kid in six years. According to Re/Make, a nonprofit leading the charge towards conscious consumerism, the US send 21 billion pounds of clothing to the landfill each year. The vast majority of donated clothes (around 85%) eventually end up in landfills. Seeing the humongous pile before me made me really think about what I could do to stop contributing to the huge and growing problem of clothing waste in landfills. One of the first ways I thought of was buying more second-hand clothes for kids.
Second-Hand First
In the past, if I needed something for my daughter, my default would be to buy it new. However, there is a huge second-hand kids clothes and accessories market that probably has the item I’m looking for (or something close to it).
A few years ago, it would never have occurred to me to buy second-hand. I grew up in a household that had a deep mistrust for used items, whether it be cars, furniture or clothes. Attitudes are shifting though. People are embracing the benefits of the circular economy, where reusing and recycling reduce the environmental impacts of our consumption. Plus you can save a few bucks! I became more open to buying second-hand clothing for kids when I saw I had tons of clothing in great, barely used condition. I’m sure other people felt the same, so I decided to give it a shot.
My first foray into second-hand shopping was when I went looking for a pair of rain boots for my daughter. I knew she would outgrow them in a couple of months and I didn’t want to spend a lot. This is what I found:
Where to Buy Second-Hand Kids Clothes Online
Now that I’ve hopefully piqued your interest, here are my picks to start your second-hand shopping:
ThredUP: In my humble opinion, this is the gold standard for purchasing second-hand clothing online. ThredUP does a great job creating an online experience similar to buying from a regular retail shop. They have an amazing selection of brands and sizes. I love that ThredUP, and not the item’s owner, vets the condition of each piece. Plus they have a fantastic and easy return policy.
Kidizen is a social commerce marketplace where individual sellers can post their own listings and sell directly to buyers. They also have a great selection of brands and a really intuitive user interface for browsing. You can message the seller if you have questions. The only downside is if you are purchasing from more than one seller, you will need to go through the checkout process for each individual seller. Fortunately, they pre-populate the form fields after your first checkout, which makes it much less annoying.
Schoola creates a second-hand clothing marketplace that helps schools raise money for art, music, and other programs. They receive the clothing they sell through school drives or from individuals. Each piece specifies what school you will be helping when purchased. While Schoola does not carry as much inventory, they have a great mission and carry a solid variety of brands and sizes at excellent prices.
Kids on 45th is a great service for anyone who isn’t a fan of shopping or doesn’t have the time or patience to sift through thousands of options. You specify the kids’ sizes, styles, and what items you want. Their stylists shop for items that meet your preferences and it all get delivered to your door.
Keeping it Local
You know who else might be looking to get rid of their gently loved kids clothes? Your neighbors! If you want to stay local and get to know your neighbors, check out these sites:
Nextdoor (For Sale & Free) – skip the shipping fees and pick it up at your neighbor’s door! I have actually sold several items (including the boots above) on Nextdoor and it was great to meet my neighbors.
Buy Nothing Project – a friend recently introduced me to this project and it is awesome!! It’s all about giving away things for free to others in your community. If your neighborhood has a good number of kids, chances are there are some great free items just around the corner from where you live.
Tips for Shopping Online for Second-hand Items
Online shopping for second-hand stuff is not quite like regular online shopping. It does require a little more time and work. However, the payoff is giving a perfectly good item a new home AND getting it at a deeply discounted price. So, before you start shopping, here are some tips for buying second-hand kids clothes online:
- Use the category filters often and mightily. There could be thousands of pieces per category, so filter by size first. Don’t waste your time browsing through items your kids can’t wear. Or worse, finding something you love only to discover it’s not the right size.
- It’s better to have a specific item in mind than to go in cold. For instance, if you’re looking for girls rain coat in a size 5T, you can filter that down to a page or two, rather than sift through a kajillion of outerwear options.
- Stick to brands you already know since you will be familiar with their quality and sizing.
- Second-hand is a great way to try out pricier brands without breaking the bank.
- Always check the return policy for each website before purchasing.
Happy Shopping!!
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