Ahhhhh spring, my favorite time of year. Not only does it mean beautiful weather and playing outside, but it’s also the time of year I go through and gut my children’s’ closets. Since our temps can go from cool to down right hot in the matter of a week it seems like by mid-March I’m ready to pack away the winter clothes and bring out the bathing suits and shorts for the season. But once the closets have been cleaned out, what do you do with all the extra clothes? Since I have a boy and a girl (and no plans of adding any additional kids to the family) I rarely save items to be passed down. What’s a mom to do with all those outgrown clothes? Oh, and don’t forget all the toys and baby gear. So much stuff to get rid of, where should you start?
Sell it Yourself
Selling items yourself through eBay or craigslist or even at a garage sale will probably yield you the most bang for your buck. Without having to pay a consignment fee you’ll recoop the most money for your used items.
Pros: Consignment shops will usually only take items in excellent condition, if you sell items yourself you can get rid of all your clothes or gear or toys regardless of their condition.
Cons: Garage sales require lots of prep work and you always have to consider the weather when you want to hold one. When you sell online you’ll have to ship the item or meet someone to make the sale. Safety can be a big concern when meeting someone you don’t know.
Try it yourself: A quick search of facebook will find you plenty of local buy/sell/trade or swip/swap groups in our area. A community garage sale, with several houses on your street will typically get you the most traffic and you can always participate in a garage sale event, like The Mommy Sale, where you pay a small fee for a table and then sell your items yourself.
Local Consignment Shops & Events
Jacksonville has tons of consignment shops around town. Typically, the way they work is you drop off your items in a bin, at a designated time and the store will go through your clothes, toys or gear and tell you how much they’ll pay you for your items. Be sure to call before you show up, many consignment shops require an appointment. Consignment events occur a few times a year. Moms register and price their own items and earn a set commission on what they sell.
Pros: With lots of stores in Jacksonville you can typically find a shop near you.
Cons: Most consignment stores will only accept items in excellent used condition. It can also be cumbersome to transport oversized toys or gear yourself.
Try it yourself: The Growing Tree is a great consignment shop that will not only accept your children’s clothes, toys & gear, but they also sell locally crafted items. If you’re looking for a great consignment event, try Wee Trade. They have sales events several times a year. You price your own items and earn 66% commission on them.
Trade It In
Several times a year Toys R Us and Babies R Us hold their Great Trade-In Event where you can trade in used baby gear and you’ll earn a coupon for 25% off participating products.
Pros: This is a great program if you were going to purchase a new item anyways.
Cons: Prices at Toys R Us/Babies R Us are often higher than those found elsewhere. Also, the 25% off coupon excludes certain brands and can’t be combined with other discounts.
Try it yourself: The first Great Trade-In Event for the year just ended, but check the Toys R Us website and facebook page periodically to see when the next one will take place, they hold them several times a year. In my opinion this promotion is really valuable if you’re in the market for a new carseat. Carseats are almost always bought new and should never be used after the expiration date or after an accident.
Online Consignment Shops
There are several online consignment boutiques that allow you to ship used clothing to their warehouse, where they will inventory your items and issue you a payout. Payouts can typically be redeemed at the online store or cashed out for real money or gift cards.
Pros: You can earn money selling your used clothes and never have to leave your house.
Cons: All of the shops I’ve found deal with used clothing, but not toys or gear. Also, shipping is typically free to send your items into the warehouse, but if you’re not happy with the payout you would need to pay return shipping to get your items back.
Try it yourself: If you want to try consigning online you’ll need to visit the sites listed and create an account. Then you can request a bag or selling kit. These will be shipped directly to you. When you get the bag, simply fill it up and send it back. thredUp is my favorite online consignment store, they accept gently used kids & women’s clothing as well as purses and shoes. Be sure to check out their list of brands they accept before filling your clean out bag. Schoola is another online consignment boutique I like but they work a little differently because you don’t actually earn a payout. With Schoola you register your bag under a school and when your items sell the school earns money.
Donate Your Stuff
Donating used items is typically the easiest way to get rid of it. But before you donate, make sure it is something the organization can use.
Pros: Donating is a sure fire way to get rid of everything.
Cons: You won’t make any cash on the donation, but be sure to get a receipt for your taxes.
Try it yourself: The Vietnam Veterans Donation Pick Up and Northeast Florida Community Hospice Thrift Shop are two of my favorite way to donate, simply because they come to my house and take everything away. You can schedule a pick up online through their website for a pickup time that’s convenient to you. Other charitable organizations in Jacksonville are always looking for donations so ask around. You may just have something that your local church, school, or community organization can use.
So what are you waiting for? Start clearing out the kid clutter today and make a little cash while you’re at it.
