To not see why buying 2nd hand DC clothing is worth it?

[ClawHandsIfYouBelieveInFreaks]

At least on Ebay. My friend swears by it...she buys most of her children's clothes on Ebay 2nd hand and is always telling me about her bargains.

I've just spent ages going through it all and the few things I found which were nice and in good condition were already bid up to silly prices for what they are...15 quid for a 2nd hand Next frock and 3 quid postage?

Where's the bargain? All the things I liked were the same...already had 12 bids on them and postage is high anyway isn't it?

I can't see the worth in it....I can buy a nice, new dress for the same amount on the high street! Am I missing something?

[hollie84]

I don't know, I tend to buy stuff on ebay but never for as much as £15 - £5 max including postage.

[maddening]

The clothes bundles can be good and if you sort by nearest first then you can save on postage

[ClawHandsIfYouBelieveInFreaks]

I never saw one thing that was that cheap Hollie....maybe it's because my DC are older? They're 10 and 6 but both in older clothing...so 11 and 8 sizes.

[ClawHandsIfYouBelieveInFreaks]

Maddening the bundles were a mickey take too! I saw one that said "Monsoon Bundle" and it was buy it now for 25 pounds and all it had were two pairs of faded jeans and some nasty looking generic denim skirts!

[Haggisfish]

Yabu -bundles are hhe way to go, collect only! Although I find (whisper) netmums local a better source of clothes bundles than eBay.

[DizzyKipper]

Were you doing searches for bundles or singular items? From my experiences you won't get the value unless bidding on bundles and therefore possibly compromising on how much you necessarily like each item you're getting.

[hollie84]

I reckon it's an age thing Claw. Older kids are more likely to wear clothes out whereas baby/toddler stuff is often outgrown but still in good condition.

[DizzyKipper]

Also are you sorting by relevance or P&P (lowest first)? Though yes probably the ages you're looking for are a factor.

[avocadotoast]

I think it probably depends on age and where the clothes are from. I've been looking at baby bundles from John Lewis, M&S etc that look like they're definitely worth it. But then some are from Tesco, Primark etc, so they're not so good.

[Bellerina2]

I've bought quite a few nice baby things for DS from Ebay, all in v good condition. Most recent purchase was a lovely navy snowsuit from M&S that cost £40 new. I got it for £7.90 (inc p&p) and it looks brand new.

[Betsy003]

I buy second hand all the time but wouldn't bother with ebay second hand. Car boot sales, jumble sales, free cycle and charity shops are all much cheaper

[stargirl1701]

It does depend on age. As DD1 gets older, there are fewer and fewer bargains. Polarn O Pyret is a good one though.

[nochangewanted]

I got some great stuff for my DS when he was a baby esp bundles that were local so saved a fortune on postage.


I don't tend to buy him anything now he is older.Last time I looked for tops like you say they were bidding past reasonable price

[VoyagesOfAStarship]

I buy boden and other nice kids clothes on eBay. Once you get used to it and check regularly, you get good at spotting the things you want and you just bid what you're prepared to pay, so I'll pay something like 5-7 for boden trousers that would be 20-25 new. You'll often get outbid, but once in a while you won't, and you'll get your bargain.

[ClawHandsIfYouBelieveInFreaks]

I tried to search bundles in my area and all there were were baby bundles.

I do think it must be age. I'm tired of them blinking growing out of or putting holes in everything!

A pack of tights of good quality can be almost 15 quid and DD2 can massacre them all with a week!

She likes tights but I think she's going to have to wear...I dunno...leather pants or something with more strength!

[IgnoreMeEveryOtherReindeerDoes]

I won't entertain buying 2nd hand kids clothes on eBay I've fallen too many times for the 'good condition' bullshit that I wouldn't even give to charity shop. I'm lucky though that a friend has passed me down some clothes also I've started buying in sales for the year ahead

[TheDogsMissingBollock]

Think overall it's worth doing from 100% feedback seller with loads of sales. Can be random though. I have fallen for a couple of duds but got some real bargains such as a )new) Gap winter coat for teen dd for £15 rather than exact same model on high street for £35.

[ClawHandsIfYouBelieveInFreaks]

I've just seen a nice dress, buy it now for ten pounds but I just can't bring myself to do it...ten pounds seems too much for a child's dress that's not new.

I like it but the thought that it's not new isn't bothering me...it's the thought that I'm having to pay almost full price when it's been worn and washed!

[TheDogsMissingBollock]

Yeah, that doesn't sound worth it. Keep searching, can be v random!

[ClawHandsIfYouBelieveInFreaks]

I think I'll just accept the fact that they both need new clothes and go out on Monday to do it on the High Street. I'll probably go to H&M who are always good value....little jersey dress in there for about 6 quid for DD2 and lots of choice for older DDs too.

[wobblyweebles]

After a certain age eBay is crap for clothes. We buy secondhand from a friend with slightly older kids.

[BackforGood]

I'm with Betsy - Charity Shops are the way to go.

[Bellerina2]

Yeah, I agree that the baby stuff for small babies is fine but once they get mobile the wear and tear on their clothes gets upped so I probably wouldn't bother.

I swear by Gumtree for toys and furniture though. We got a lovely Jumperoo for DS for £25. It's £80 new.

[MrsCakesPrecognition]

I've bought Gap and Abercrombie jeans for DD on ebay for about £10 incl the P&P. It's about all I can afford, is roughly the same as new from Tesco, but at least she can wear a mainstream brand with a half decent cut. But I wait, look for poorly worded/categorised items or ones where several similar items are ending within a short time frame.

DD is in a funny no man's land at the moment, having outgrown most children's ranges but not quite the right shape for ladies stuff. So we have to try everything on before buying and we are taking a break from ebay. it's a PITA as 6yo DS has to come along too and he hates shopping for even 30 seconds.

As soon as she's settled into her new shape, I'll be back on ebay for at least some of her bits and pieces.