How to Sell Used Kids Clothing
Manage your expectations., Select clothing articles in good condition., Determine reserve prices for any important pieces., Wash and fold all the selected clothes., Find a local secondhand store that accepts children’s clothing., Donate rejected and...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Manage your expectations.
While resale shopping has become increasingly popular over the last few years, you should know that selling your clothes to a buy/sell/trade outlet won’t recover the money you spent in the first place.
Rather, think of it as a good way to make some pocket money while thinning out your brimming closets and bureaus.You can make your modest money-making venture a parent-child activity! Make a deal with your child that, if they help organize the old clothes and clean them, they can earn all or part of the proceeds. -
Step 2: Select clothing articles in good condition.
Thrift stores need to make a profit off used clothing, so they have to be selective when deciding whether to purchase or pass on presented items.
This means that you need to choose only gently worn articles from your kids’ old clothes.
You can try to salvage minor signs of wear and tear like missing buttons or slight frays, but you should discard any soiled, ripped, or discolored items.While trends and seasons are less important for children’s clothing, you should give at least a bit of thought to how relevant your selected items are.
For example, clothes bearing the logos of recent Disney movies like Frozen will sell better than those with outdated cultural references or labels, such as Warner Bros.In the same way, currently fashionable designers, such as Little Marc Jacobs or Missoni will be considered more desirable and sellable than labels associated with the '90s or 2000s, such as Abercrombie Kids or FUBU., Most old, outgrown clothing is useless, so you’ll be glad to earn even a couple bucks from it.
If any of the items you’re considering selling are particularly expensive or sentimental, though, you should take some time to think about the lowest price you would accept for them.
For example, your daughter’s old Easter dresses might be unwearable, but they still evoke cherished, family memories.
If this is the case, ask yourself what price would make giving them up worthwhile.
Consider whether or not you have any photos of your daughter wearing the dresses, or if you have any relatives or friends to whom you might want to give them.
For expensive, designer pieces, consider the piece's condition and age.
If it's still in good condition and relatively on-trend, you can try to sell it for around 70% of the original price, but you might need to go to a specialty online reseller or consignment shop, such as thredUp or consignmentmommies.com. , Most secondhand stores don’t have the time or money to wash or spruce up their stock, so they need to be able to sell the items they purchase ‘as-is.’ You can help persuade the buyer to accept your items by presenting them in a clean, polished condition.
Even if all your kids’ old clothes are clean, chances are they’ve been sitting around in storage for a while.
Giving them another wash will make them smell fresh and shake out any limpness or wrinkles. , It might seem silly given the high turnover and constant demand for kids’ clothing, but many thrift stores don’t sell kids’ or juniors clothes.
Save yourself some time and a wasted trip by calling ahead to prospective shops and asking whether or not they accept children’s items.
Look for shops with references to children in the title, such as Trader Tots, Little Darlings, and Once Upon a Child., No matter how posh and well-preserved your child’s old clothes are, chances are that not all of your items will be purchased.
Make the best out of the situation by giving the rejects to a philanthropic organization of your choice, or allowing the thrift store to channel them to their go-to donation center.
Salvation Army, Goodwill, Vietnam Veterans of America, and Cancer Research UK are all large organizations which accept clothing donations. -
Step 3: Determine reserve prices for any important pieces.
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Step 4: Wash and fold all the selected clothes.
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Step 5: Find a local secondhand store that accepts children’s clothing.
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Step 6: Donate rejected and well-worn items to charity.
Detailed Guide
While resale shopping has become increasingly popular over the last few years, you should know that selling your clothes to a buy/sell/trade outlet won’t recover the money you spent in the first place.
Rather, think of it as a good way to make some pocket money while thinning out your brimming closets and bureaus.You can make your modest money-making venture a parent-child activity! Make a deal with your child that, if they help organize the old clothes and clean them, they can earn all or part of the proceeds.
Thrift stores need to make a profit off used clothing, so they have to be selective when deciding whether to purchase or pass on presented items.
This means that you need to choose only gently worn articles from your kids’ old clothes.
You can try to salvage minor signs of wear and tear like missing buttons or slight frays, but you should discard any soiled, ripped, or discolored items.While trends and seasons are less important for children’s clothing, you should give at least a bit of thought to how relevant your selected items are.
For example, clothes bearing the logos of recent Disney movies like Frozen will sell better than those with outdated cultural references or labels, such as Warner Bros.In the same way, currently fashionable designers, such as Little Marc Jacobs or Missoni will be considered more desirable and sellable than labels associated with the '90s or 2000s, such as Abercrombie Kids or FUBU., Most old, outgrown clothing is useless, so you’ll be glad to earn even a couple bucks from it.
If any of the items you’re considering selling are particularly expensive or sentimental, though, you should take some time to think about the lowest price you would accept for them.
For example, your daughter’s old Easter dresses might be unwearable, but they still evoke cherished, family memories.
If this is the case, ask yourself what price would make giving them up worthwhile.
Consider whether or not you have any photos of your daughter wearing the dresses, or if you have any relatives or friends to whom you might want to give them.
For expensive, designer pieces, consider the piece's condition and age.
If it's still in good condition and relatively on-trend, you can try to sell it for around 70% of the original price, but you might need to go to a specialty online reseller or consignment shop, such as thredUp or consignmentmommies.com. , Most secondhand stores don’t have the time or money to wash or spruce up their stock, so they need to be able to sell the items they purchase ‘as-is.’ You can help persuade the buyer to accept your items by presenting them in a clean, polished condition.
Even if all your kids’ old clothes are clean, chances are they’ve been sitting around in storage for a while.
Giving them another wash will make them smell fresh and shake out any limpness or wrinkles. , It might seem silly given the high turnover and constant demand for kids’ clothing, but many thrift stores don’t sell kids’ or juniors clothes.
Save yourself some time and a wasted trip by calling ahead to prospective shops and asking whether or not they accept children’s items.
Look for shops with references to children in the title, such as Trader Tots, Little Darlings, and Once Upon a Child., No matter how posh and well-preserved your child’s old clothes are, chances are that not all of your items will be purchased.
Make the best out of the situation by giving the rejects to a philanthropic organization of your choice, or allowing the thrift store to channel them to their go-to donation center.
Salvation Army, Goodwill, Vietnam Veterans of America, and Cancer Research UK are all large organizations which accept clothing donations.
About the Author
Larry Taylor
Committed to making organization accessible and understandable for everyone.
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