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Original poster

Party Bag Business

39 replies

MommaTonda · 08/02/2024 13:59

Hello! I am in the process of setting up a party bag business where I will be selling pre-filled, plastic-free party bags /amongst other things!

I've got lots of ideas for unisex bags and some ideas for more 'girlie' things such as hair clips etc but I'm struggling to think of ideas for more boyish things. I will obviously try and do most of the bags as unisex as poss as I know boys and girls can wear / play with anything. It is just that where I make my own pretty hair clips that I can use for more girlie bags, I need some ideas for a 'boy' equivalent.

Hope that makes sense.

Thanks!

OP posts:
Danikm151 · 08/02/2024 14:13

Slap bands 🙂 can be decorated easily

Original poster
MommaTonda · 08/02/2024 14:25

Danikm151 · 08/02/2024 14:13

Slap bands 🙂 can be decorated easily

Thank you! Aren't they plastic though? I love the little planes you can make yourself too but the nose on them is also plastic...

OP posts:
DelilahBucket · 08/02/2024 20:31

Really the premise of party bags is sweets and plastic tat with a slice of cake thrown in. You're going to struggle to have a viable business beyond that.

Original poster
MommaTonda · 09/02/2024 09:32

DelilahBucket · 08/02/2024 20:31

Really the premise of party bags is sweets and plastic tat with a slice of cake thrown in. You're going to struggle to have a viable business beyond that.

Ahhh thank you but I disagree. I know a lot of parents that hate the plastic tat and are looking for alternatives. There's definitely a gap in the market! I will keep researching. Thank you.

OP posts:
shreknjumps · 09/02/2024 09:34

Good luck but I don't think I know anyone that would pay for this. Nobody wants a load of paper shite any more than they do a load plastic shite.

10ThousandSpoons · 09/02/2024 09:37

No one wants tat plastic or non plastic. You go to a party and the best things to get are a slice of cake and possibly a balloon or some flower seeds.

Too much stuff is a bad thing.

If you go to every class party your child could end up with 20-30 odd bags of crap

StopTheBusINeedAWeeWeeAWeeWeeBagOChips · 09/02/2024 09:39

I thought party bags were going out of favour a bit? The last few I've hosted and been at have had one of the 10 for £10 books from the works and a bit of cake handed out.

Even before that people have stayed away from boy and girl party bags.

Have you done a lot of market research op?

10ThousandSpoons · 09/02/2024 09:40

Even before that people have stayed away from boy and girl party bags. there's that too. People are moving away from gendered tat

Cattenberg · 09/02/2024 09:46

No one wants tat plastic or non plastic

The kids do, even if the adults don’t! It would be lovely if the kids were happy with a piece of cake and some flower seeds, but they seem to expect their little bag of knick-knacks.

Bumpitybumper · 09/02/2024 09:51

I think there is definitely a market for this kind of thing because I have seen lots of parents in my children's school using businesses like Craft and Crumb to avoid the tat element and for environmental reasons. These party bags have gone down pretty well with the kids so I would say it's a growing trend. I would caution against creating party bags with non-plastic 'tat' though as I think parents have an issue with the idea of waste, whether it's plastic or not. Lots of small items are usually viewed quite negatively versus fewer or even one bigger, better quality thing.

Sorry I can't really think of something for boys that would be considered the equivalent of hair clips but wouldn't be viewed as tat.

TheWonderSpot · 09/02/2024 09:57

Bubbles? Books? Bouncy balls? Clay? Small magic tricks? Seeds to plant?

10ThousandSpoons · 09/02/2024 09:58

Cattenberg · 09/02/2024 09:46

No one wants tat plastic or non plastic

The kids do, even if the adults don’t! It would be lovely if the kids were happy with a piece of cake and some flower seeds, but they seem to expect their little bag of knick-knacks.

Only because everyone keeps doing it. If everyone stuck to a slice of cake and a balloon the world would be a better place

Stoufer · 09/02/2024 10:02

Those little metal interlocking puzzles always go down well with boys and girls (I have used these in party bags lots of times). You just buy a large set of them and split them up.

Checkeringin · 09/02/2024 10:02

As a PP said Craft and Crumb and Cotton Twist do these kinds of things but I've looked into them before and they are ££££ compared to making your own sweet cones. Maybe focus on crafting bits so you could offer something that is reasonably priced.

madderthanahatter · 09/02/2024 10:03

I know it has the optic, but do any dc really want a packet of seeds? Just wrap up a piece of cake in a tissue and be done with it. <Awaits fifty responses saying a packet of seeds was their dc's highlight of the year>.

Marblessolveeverything · 09/02/2024 10:07

I've seen a few people do this, unfortunately there is a move in our area to not do bags to reduce waste.

We were given a bag recently and 99% sadly went into the recycling pretty much straight away.

I would honestly focus on non gender specific bags there is a huge move to not shop that way.

Blankname22 · 09/02/2024 10:09

Great idea, I would buy if reasonable.
For boys, Friendship bracelets, made with leather cut offs, cheap and boys like those.
Tiny dinky cars, can be wooden or metal
Stickers
Rub on tattoos
Pencils and note books
Don't know the name of them, but those push out cards that are preferated and you can build a dice, or another 3d thing by pushing the card into slots.
Food obviously lollys or something similarly long life.

Stoufer · 09/02/2024 10:10

As mine got older, we changed what the party bags were. I ordered some of those very pretty old fashioned pink and white striped paper bags for sweets, some lovely printed stickers that said something like ‘thank you for coming to my party!’ to fold and seal the bags up, then bought lots of sweets and made up big bags of beautiful wrapped, personalised sweets.

mummymummymummummum · 09/02/2024 10:16

There is already a market out there. I’ve bought from Eco Party Bags before, they have ideas at a range of price points.

I don’t buy different things for boys and girls.

AgentPeña · 09/02/2024 10:21

If you're going to make it a business, surely you should be coming up with the ideas? Otherwise we could all just do it ourselves?

wubwubwub · 09/02/2024 10:23

There isn't a gap in the market - a 2 minute google search shows you there are already lots companies doing this.

littlemousebigcheese · 09/02/2024 10:26

I just wouldn't pay for this, I don't think? Lots of places offer party bags but the cost is so off putting. Terrible but lots of parents I know but cheap tat from Temu for party bags (stickers, little toys etc) or just do the books from the works. We did sweets in a themed paper bag and bulk purchased in Costco.

Looking at some of the sites doing this kind of thing, they wanted £3/4 + a bag, if you're inviting the whole class then it's just too expensive! I'd rather spend rye money on a bouncy castle or entertainer for the actual party. As children get older, the parties get smaller but then I wouldn't want a generic goody bag anyway as presumably only close friends would be invited so I'd buy something more specific.

I'm sorry to be negative.

YoungCuriousAndLookingForAnswers · 09/02/2024 10:28

I have to agree that I'm not sure you're going to make any money from this OP. I hosted my son's last party at soft play and they provided the party bags as part of the charge - I wouldn't be spending any extra when I didn't need to.

But, things my son would enjoy are: tattoos, bouncy balls, balloons, flashing toys and squashy toys.

Original poster
MommaTonda · 09/02/2024 13:56

Thank you all. What interesting and varied replies! Yes there are other companies doing something similar. Eco party bags and curious caterpiller to name a couple. The business wouldn't just be party bags, I have a whole host of other ideas for a environmentally conscious party business but the details aren't relevant to the post.

Yes I agree people are moving away from gender specific things. It's just that I already make my own crochet hair clips and I just wanted an equivalent for anyone that wouldn't wear flowery hair clips (most boys I imagine)....

Party bags still seem to be going pretty strong in the city I live in although people do seem to be giving out bags with fewer, higher quality, plastic-free fillers now.

Craft and crumb etc are fantastic but they're so expensive. It's tricky to find an alternative that's also not plastic tat.

Thanks to all replies.

OP posts:
shreknjumps · 09/02/2024 16:43

"Eco party bags and curious caterpiller to name a couple"

Have they spelt their name like that?! It's those details that would put me right off, the tat element is another thing.