We’ve all done it: You buy children’s clothes a size ahead – the perfect thing for summer, now bargain-basement priced because it’s fall. Then summer rolls around and (assuming you remember where you put them), you get the clothes out, only to discover they are already too small! Or worse, they fit perfectly, but now your child would not be caught dead in that style! (Don’t ask about my painful personal story involving a Buzz Lightyear sweatsuit!) As frequently as children’s clothing sizes change, their tastes can changes even faster and less predictably. So it doesn’t make much sense to spend a lot of money on their day-to-day clothes.
On the hunt for bargains, specifically for cold-weather gear like snowpants and buntings for my two little boys, I decided to pay my first visit to Once Upon a Child. But of course, I couldn’t just shop there, I had to trade in some baby stuff and spend only what I had as a store credit. Because why? Because I give myself limits like that.
So I traded in a box of children’s clothes, a swing, bouncy chair, and a Boppy pillow. Everything perfectly clean and in beautiful condition, except for some of the clothes being a little worn. Shopped for a while, and then groaned and made pained expressions while pacing in front of the registers with my 9-month-old baby, for 30 minutes beyond the 1-hour estimate for my “buy” to be ready. Finally I heard my name called, and was offered a credit for… (drum roll please)… that’s right, $26.41.
Wow. That doesn’t even begin to cover the 90 minutes of waiting, let alone all my precious, perfectly-cleaned adorable children’s clothes and baby stuff. But whatever. I decided to go for it anyway, because if I walked away, I would still need to figure out what to do with my stuff. And, all that time would have been wasted. And, I wouldn’t have had $26.41 to spend on baby and kid stuff!!!
My objectives were:
- Size 18mo bunting to keep baby cozy on stroller rides from October to April.
- Size 18mo navy snowpants to match coat I already have for baby, OR a complete waterproof snowsuit for playing in the snow.
- Size 5 black or grey waterproof snowpants to match coat I already have for my 4-year-old, who will be learning to ski this winter.
- A freestanding high chair. (We had only used a strap-on booster/ high chair with our first baby.)
In the coats section, I found exactly zero buntings, snowpants, or coveralls that were both the right size and acceptable to my aesthetic guidelines. (Okay, okay! Kids aren’t the only ones who are picky about their clothes!) Actually, there was one full toddler snowsuit by Lands End (with some wear evident) that I would have bought for around $10, but they were asking $40. No way. I did find some snowpants for my big boy, but again, they were asking too much: $15 for USED snowpants.
The used high chairs started at $35 and went up from there. The only one that I considered to be both a cute style and in acceptable condition was clearly for girls. Pink and brown. So I struck out there, which was just as well, because I didn’t know it yet but my credit would not even have covered the cheapest high chair.
Second-Hand Successes:
- In the over-full racks of children’s clothes I found one very cute fleece bunting by Patagonia. It looks like it has never been worn, and cost $10. It is 12 months instead of 18, but is generously sized. Love it! We’ll see how long it fits!
- I also found a cute new-looking button-down for my 4yo for $3.50.
- Got a lion push-and-ride toy ($12.50) for our little pre-walker.
And that was it! My credit was used up on three little items. But I was perfectly happy. I had traded in stuff that was now useless to me – just taking up space and clogging up my energy – for stuff I really like and can use right now. A couple of days later I went to Target and bought two pairs of coverall snowpants: one in navy for baby, and one in black for big boy. $12.50 each! Actually, my mom bought them for the kids. And I went to Walmart and spent $33 on a beautiful (if minimalist) new high chair that my baby loves!
My Ever-So-Humble Opinions:
- Second-hand stores are not the place to go when you need specific items. They are great for browsing and discovering some good finds that you wanted but didn’t know it yet!
- Once Upon a Child would do well to price their children’s clothing a little cheaper. It seems like they could do more volume and make more money in the process. The racks were STUFFED with used clothing for near-retail prices.
- Giant retailers like Target and Walmart and Costco, because they deal in such incredible volume, offer incredible value. Just avoid impulse buys and stick to what you are really looking for.
- Hooray for options. So many options to suit so many folks! What are your experiences with Retail vs. Resale?
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