How To Sell Your Used Baby Items

Originally published on 29th August 2013. Last updated 10th April 2015.

Buggies, cots, bouncy chairs. Not to mention the clothes, toys & various other necessities useless accessories. Babies are big business! I've mentioned before how easy it can be to save money when dealing with a new addition by simply investing in second hand items instead of the brand-new but when you're done with your own baby items, how do you go about making some money back from them? Here's my guide on selling baby items, from the big investments to the small expenditures.

First you need to ask yourself, what am I selling? The most important part in making a profit is targeting the right audience, in the right place.

Clothes.
• Start by separating them into brands. Baby clothes from John Lewis, Next & Gap all tend to hold a good resale value. For this reason they're ideal for selling as individual items on eBay. Start your auction at 99p to attract attention (& look at similar listings for an expected final price). Just be cautious with your postage costs - too high and you'll put people off, too low and you'll end up making up the expense from what you sell the item for. A second class small package should be sufficient at £2.80 but if you're unsure use the Royal Mails postage price finder. It's also worth reading up on eBay seller fees as these seem to be ever-changing & ever-increasing; for the best success, aim to sell on weekends when they're offering Free Listings.

Top tip: For packaging, I buy a roll of bubble wrap and parcel paper from the Pound Shop. This will package more items economically rather than buying separate padded envelopes.

Top tip: Aim for your items to end on a Sunday evening, as this is the time that most people will have time to enter bidding wars or make impulse purchases. 

• You've no doubt got loads of sleepsuits, vests & cheaper outfits to sell as well. Fear not, people want these too! I find the best bet for these items is to bundle them up - either into age ranges (new born, 0-3 months 1-2 years...), item types (vests, sleepsuits, trousers...) or store brands and then sell them as a bundle. I think 10 items a bundle is a reasonable amount and depending on the condition of your items you can expect to make at least £5 a bundle. However due to postage costs, you are better targeting these bundles through Gumtree, local Facebook selling pages and even Baby Forum selling groups. This allows people to arrange collection as opposed to paying postage which usually ends up higher than that of the item they're buying.

Top Tip: It's worth researching courier costs too if you wish to open your items to a larger audience - this will undoubtedly work out cheaper than using the Royal Mail but it does involve more work on your part.

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Medium Items (eg. Bumbos, Jumperoos...).
• These items are always in high demand due to the high costs of buying new, teamed with the fact they only receive a few months worth of use. They're best collected by the buyer for the obvious reason of postage costs, however this can limit your potential market a little. Again local selling sites such as Gumtree, Facebook selling pages, etc...are ideal but eBay is also good for giving the option of local pickup (although if you're in a remote area the demand might not be as high). Again giving the option of courier can open up your market to a larger audience.
• The other option is to sell person-to-person. Nearly-new baby sales (eg. NCT, Jack & Jill...) are perfect for a guaranteed sale but you need to have enough items to make it worth your while in stallholders costs. Good old fashioned car boot sales are another good option if your stuck for baby items but also have other items you wish to sell.

Top tip: You can also try placing a good old fashioned ad in the selling newspapers.

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Big Items (prams, cots...).
• Like medium sized items, you ideally want the buyer to come collect these items from you. Again Gumtree, Facebook selling pages and eBay (for local pickup) are your obvious options. But some organised selling groups (eg. Jack & Jill) have the option to sell items through their websites, so why not take advantage of their already massive following?
• It's also worth considering eBay with the option of courier the item if your item is in high demand (eg. Bugabooo & iCandy buggies, Stokke high chairs...). These items are always desirable and people are usually willing to pay that bit extra if its for a good deal on an otherwise expensive item.

Top Tip: If you can, offer for you to deliver items for an additional cost to the buyer. Not everyone has a car or the ability to collect big items. Just be sure to cover your petrol costs.

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Nursery Decorations & Accessories.
• eBay is your best bet for these items, as long as you keep your descriptions clear & detailed, in particular using a descriptive title, teamed with a clear photo. We spent a small fortune kitting our nursery out in one of Mothercare's ranges and broke-even (if not even making a profit) selling on the items when we were finished with them. Like clothes, use a low starting bid, carefully consider postage costs and offer the option to combine postage on multiple purchases - this will encourage people to buy your entire range!

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Used Toys.
• Unless they're in immaculate condition, the best place for these is in fact the charity shop, or perhaps donated to your local Toy Library. Toys are a lot cheaper these days so unless they're in great condition you'll struggle to sell them. If you do have some toys worth selling, eBay is a good option but be wary of postage costs & seller fees as not to leave yourself short.
• Another option is to bundle your toys into character bundles (eg. Fireman Sam, Disney Princess...) and try your luck on your local Facebook selling page or Baby Forum selling page.

Top Tip: If you're taking part in a Nearly-new Baby Sale then be sure to include your toys as there's always wandering children who'll fall in love with second hand toys (much to their parents dismay!).

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Do you buy or sell used baby items? Care you share any of your own tips?

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