To think selling used clothes is unnecessary?

[Mummynotmama]

I understand selling the odd nice bit or bundles on eBay but people trying to sell EVERY old babygro, jumper etc for 50p or £1 on social media seems odd? Why not give a bag of clothes to charity shop or to friends who have younger children? Seems greedy to me

You don't know if someone is hard up. People tend to hide it, even from close friends and family.

What a horrible judgmental post.

Your friend might have plenty of money BECAUSE they don't waste it, and instead of chucking perfectly good baby clothes, they sell them on.

To give to a charity shop, you need to be available during their opening hours and hope they won't bin the donations - it happens all the time, people rescue items from charity shop bins!
Giving away free clothes mean you will be wasting even more time with time wasters.

If you can work an extra hour or so in your job and earn £100 or £200 AFTER TAX that way, then it's a waste of time to spend hours making the same amount on Facebook or ebay or car boot sales. Most people don't earn that much.. so yes, it can make a lot of sense financially.

I think trying to find clothes in charity shops is a complete waste of time. If you are browsing to buy extra things you don't need, fine, but for the basic items for your and your kids? Totally unnecessary, when you can find cheaper in Primark. Do you get my point?

It's not always about the money as some other people have pointed out. It's probably more that they care about reusing perfectly good items and to offer people items that they are are looking for in particular. I know I can't make it to the shops in general very easily, and half the time I get there they don't have what I am looking for. Selling like this is more of a community service.

i got a lot of clothes passed on to me, and was very grateful (and passed them on in turn, when DS had grown out of them). But I was also very grateful for the women who sold on used children's clothes at NCT sales, etc, as when the baby clothes doing the rounds became too small, it was these who filled the gap! It's a win-win, IMO.

And yes, some mums really do need the money.

(Only caveat is I do think it's wrong for those who have been recipients of the free clothes doing the rounds who don't pass them on but sell them.)

Having seen some of the stuff for 50p some of the regulars on the local FB group are offering, I've always just assumed it's less about the money and is more some sort of hobby for some people.

And why not? Whatever keeps one off the streets.

Just because a DH earns a good wage, it does not mean that his partner has access to that money. Many women are financially abused, and so yes all appearances aside, do need the money.

You'll hate me - I just made a fortune reselling clothes on ebay - the charity shop gets what I cant sell. But only buy lasting quality, therefore they hold their prices and in some cases command more than the purchase price. I also frequently buy from charity shops.

I'm afraid FB Marketplace is my current source of amusement with the old tat they hope to sell on

Hadn't thought about the hobby side and the community side of it. Thank you Mumsnetters for pointing those things out to me! I truly am not being judgemental about my friends haha I love them dearly - just didn't get the selling stuff thing! My eyes have been opened

Because i need every penny (end of maternity no money coming in now) and tbh im grateful when someone sells 8 next t shirts for £4. (Latest item ive bought). Works both ways. I sell the clothes shes outgrown and buy the next stage. One t shirt in asda £4 or 8 from next second hand....i know what id choose.

Also meet some lovely mums..some now with dd 6 months older come straight to me first to ask if interested and those with dd 6 months younger i know offer dd clothes to them before putting on fb. Recycling at its best!!

I never understand why people on MN are so obsessed with other people’s finances. MYOB.

Also better for environment - we could all do with less stuff being produced and used until it can be used no more rather than discarded. Greedy is the last thing it is.

I truly am not being judgemental about my friends haha I love them dearly - just didn't get the selling stuff thing!

Why do you need to ‘get’ it? It couldn’t have less to do with you.

I do this - it all adds up - probably make an extra £250 per year on it and I like to see things being reused. I then use the PayPal balance to buy more stuff the kids need - coats are always good on eBay.

Because like me you have 0 money

Yep it is a horrible judgemental post, and I bet the OP wishes she hadn't put it now because she has come out of it looking ignorant at best, and rude and obnoxious at worst.

Even if people DON'T need the money, it's got naff-all to do with you if they sell their baby clothes for a bit of extra dosh. And I agree with pp that you can't possibly know if people are well off (financially) or not. Some people who have a 'big house' and a 15 registered car, and holidays abroad, and expensive gadgets and so on, have everything via finance and loans.

I have known many couples over the past 20 years who have flashed the cash for 7-10 years or so, and then suddenly, out of the blue, they have gone bankrupt, had their home repossessed, their car repossessed, and fled the area, never to be seen again!

DON'T JUDGE! @mummynotmama

I've found the same Mrscog, if I do a round of e baying after each age range of clothes that are no longer I often end up with £50-60 extra to go towards new (or more often second hand!)clothes.

I’m glad that you can afford to give things away OP. Unfortunately many other people are in dire situations that mean they cannot do what you choose to do.

Come on OP, use your imagination!!

Clearly there are lots of people who will be selling for the money. If they need it/ want it and aren't doing anything else (paid) with their time, then it is better than nothing.

However, there are also plenty of people who don't give to charity when they could because they also want the money, but also some people also just aren't charity minded and/or don't think about the hardship of other people's lives or just don't care.

Very simple really and surely not worth starting a thread over. Same logic and reasoning applies to all sorts of behaviour.

Personally I’m lazy so if I don’t want to save it for my second baby I either donate it or bin it depending the condition.

However, I also am lucky enough I don’t need the money, I do remember the times I was selling my own stuff for 50p/£1 just to be able to afford petrol for my car so I could actually work.

When times are hard, you do what you have to do, no matter whether anyone understands it.

I don't have a lot of money so get my kids clothes from charity shops and would feel cheeky selling them on!
So really you're feeling peeved that more people don't give directly to charity shops which would increase the available stock for you?

By the time your baby is 1 you could have 40 babygrows, 40 vests, a zillion bibs, socks, mittens, hats, outfits, coats etc. Even if you only get 50p for each item you could have a couple of hundred quid for Xmas by selling them all.

ivenoideawhatimdoing the bad condition ones can also be donated! A lot of Red Cross charity shops take what they call "clean rags", and sell them on to be used for god knows what. Anyway, it makes the Red Cross money, and puts those stained-but-clean babygros and worn-out school trousers back into recycling, somehow.

We sell the stuff DS grows out of to fund the stuff he he needs now. Anything that doesn't sell is given away to a friend or charity.