Everything You Need To Know About Reselling or Resold Baby Gear
It's okay to save now — they have their whole lives to spend your money.
Buying “lightly used” baby gear and clothes doesn’t mean you’re an unfit parent. It means you recognize that your kid has a lifetime ahead of them of spending all your money. Some things are better bought than borrowed, but plenty of stuff can be bought from someone who already bought it once. And, even if the thought of handing Junior toys that may have been puked on by another kid is too freaky for a germophobe like you, you can still make resold baby gear work for you by reselling yours. The premium stuff still fetches a premium when you flip it, so you’ll actually save on that brand new stroller in the long run. Just like a mail-in rebate, only the payoff is even more delayed. Sweet!
RELATED: How To Buy And Sell Your Kid’s Clothes While Keeping Cash In Your Wallet
Here’s a quick rundown of online classifieds, consignment shops, and apps to help you save money and make money on used baby products.
Kidizen
Kidizen is Pinterest meets Etsy meets Ebay. Real-life parents buy and sell their used baby stuff gear through their adorable, personalized micro-shops, or just inspire each other to dress their kids like they just walked off a tiny GQ shoot. It’s all instantly searchable, with credit card payment support (and fee-free), all in your pocket.
Trading Cradles
The Trading Cradles marketplace for used baby products is organized regionally, has no fees for buyers or sellers, and doesn’t require banking services like PayPal. Just hit the site and start saving as much as 60-percent off retail.
Built By Kids
Builtbykids.com is a great DIY activities site with huge classified section devoted to gear like strollers, bassinets, and toys. Sellers can build personalized storefronts, while buyers can get to know the source of their gear and rest easy knowing all purchases are fully refundable if the desired item doesn’t show. Searching for a race car bed on Craigslist will definitely not yield the same sort of experience.
Swap
Swap calls itself the “largest online consignment store,” so there’s a pretty good chance they have whatever your nosy-ass sister-in-law is telling your partner your kid needs. They’re also the US subsidiary of a Finnish company, so at least some small portion of your money will eventually make it up the chain to help those kids continue to enjoy awesome educations and heavy metal dinosaurs.
Flip Size
“Quality clothes. Bargain prices. Period.” Tough to argue with that strategy when the alternative is an overflowing dresser full of right-size-wrong-season outfits, or vice versa. They also have some nice perks like free shipping over $50 and a money-back guarantee that the clothes will show up sans stains and holes. Your kid will take care of those in no time.
Once Upon A Child & Kid To Kid
All of the above, only in a brick-and-mortar location so you can show your kid what shopping was like in the Stone Age. These two competitors have hundreds of franchises in cities across the country, and both allow you to pop in, sell your used baby gear, shop around, and leave with a bunch of new old stuff. Your kid is still not eligible for return or exchange.
Baby Buggy
Money is cool, but karma earns way better interest. Baby Buggy makes it simple for you to donate used baby gear you don’t need to families who truly do, and incentivizes the process; access to donated gear is dependent on parental participation in poverty-curbing programs like job training and fatherhood classes. So you clear your closet, do good, and help make sure the future owner of your high chair is as amazing a parent as you.
