Side Hustle 2022: Start Selling Your Pre-Loved Kids’ Clothes Online
Are you searching for ways to earn some extra cash for yourself in 2022? Then you should definitely look into selling pre-owned kids’ clothes as one of your options. Parents who are always on the lookout for well-made and stylish outfits for their children are the top demographic that will be spending more on secondhand clothing items.
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According to Thredup, the fashion resale market as a whole is expected to reach annual revenues of $77 billion, and moms more than any other demographic plan on purchasing more thrifted items for their kids at a higher rate.
I’ve found that selling clothes is an awesome way to earn extra income. When I first started, I sold my clothes to brick and mortar stores around the DMV- like Buffalo Exchange and Current Boutique. It used to be really disappointing watching while someone passed over great items. But, selling apparel online has been a more convenient avenue for many and online sales for kids clothes have been on an upward trend surpassing men’s and women’s wear.
We’ve put together some ways to get additional income from those children’s clothes that are either brand new or that have barely been worn. As with anything make sure you do your research to see which site is best for you and gives you the most profit for your items.
Quick Tips For Better Sales
- Make sure the clothes look their best.
- Be honest about any stains and the overall condition of the clothes
- Use catchy and attention grabbing titles to describe what you are selling
- Be super responsive to any questions from a potential buyer
- Post a size chart from the brand of the clothing
Yuri’s Market
“My mom bought me my first piece of designer clothing off eBay at the age of 11, it was a Dolce&Gabbana set and I’ve been in love ever since.”
Heather JOnes
Heather Jones created the digital marketplace Yuri’s Market to sell authentic, pre-owned vintage and archive pieces. When asked about being a black woman in the vintage and archive market place Jones stated, “I started this business because I wanted to bring archives to people who did not have the access. Black people are style.” Archive pieces that are accepted by Yuri’s Market are rare pieces from a particular designer’s collection. Currently, a John Galliano Kids Newspaper Jacket is featured in the kid’s section. If you have some rare designer kid’s finds, Yuri’s Market is the best bet for you. Because it is a niche section of the resale market please check out the website to get more of a feel of what will get accepted.
The social media site has been an amazing platform for side hustles such as selling clothes and everything you can imagine. Connecting with users can be the biggest hurdle, and Doreer Shrafrir suggests using the followers that you already have instead of creating a separate page.
When I see sellers on IG, I am always trying to figure out if they are transparent about any defects or anything else that may not be seen in the photos. Well-lit photos and clothes that are not wrinkled make me, as a possible buyer feel like the seller has tried to put forth an effort with a much better presentation. I have come across photos on different platforms where people have just taken photos of wrinkled clothing and I’m like really? To me, that reminds me of people who post photos of their homes that are for rent and the place is a mess. You may or may not agree and that’s totally fine but even in the re-sale market presentation is everything.
thredUP
The online consignment shop and thrift store created in 2009 by James Reinhart is a mainstay in the digital re-selling universe. In 2010, the company introduced the kids resale option which remains one of the first options for sellers. The company is super passionate about sustainability which is an important topic in the fashion world. To get your stuff sold on Thredup, you request a clean-out kit from the company and they decide which items are re-sellable. They do let sellers know that normally only 50% of items meet their standards and you can also request any clothing that isn’t chosen gets donated. Be sure you do your homework since there are a lot of people that have had issues with the company’s payout policy.
Kidizen
The digital platform itself was started by moms in 2013, and created to be a marketplace for other mothers who wish to be involved in a close-knit peer-to-peer community. Their focus is to emphasize community over closets which is one reason that they added space for moms to re-sell their items on the site. All purchases from the site are final sales.
From what I saw on the section where moms sell their pre-owned clothing many of the selections are not super stylish. If you want to add some basics to your wardrobe then it will be okay. This is not the best place for moms who are super glam and love to be on-trend, but make sure you check it out for yourself. The company has also launched an initiative with other businesses called the ReWear Collective. The site explains that it’s a collaboration with innovative, eco-conscious brands, committed to the creation of quality products. With sustainability at the forefront, Kidizen’s vision for the collective is to circulate high-quality clothing among their customers, and as a buyer you can earn points towards future clothing purchases.
Poshmark
The online resale website has been a huge player in new and secondhand kidswear. The company boasts 80 million registered users across the U.S, Canada, Australia, and India. To be honest, I read quite a few negative online reviews about the company’s return policy so please definitely read the fine print on that. What I will say is I spent some time going through Poshmark’s ambassador profiles- sellers who have been specifically picked by the company as representing the best in class in the marketplace. I was pretty intrigued with them. Some looked better than others, but make sure you do your own homework as to what top sellers are doing. You basically take photos of your items with your phone and post them in the online shop that you have created. Poshmark states that it gets a fee of $2.95 if you sell something under $15 and then for anything over $15 you keep 80% and the company gets 20%. Their Meet & Greet connection tool is also supposed to help you as a new Posher grow your network to eventually achieve more sales.
Final Thoughts
I cannot re-iterate enough for you to do your research before opening any shop on these platforms. To start try and see how a few items sell and then see how more successful shops are attracting customers- from quality images to catchy descriptions of the garments, take your time to study. Since more of us are now deeply committed to establishing multiple streams of income, if you have quality kids wear go ahead and take the risk to start selling them. Who knows, at the end of 2022 you might look back and be super glad you did!
