Second hand clothing business

[Pip1975]

I started up my second hand clothing business nearly a year ago selling premium branded children's clothes on behalf of parents and taking a small percentage. I am reviewing the age range (currently 0-12 years) and the brands I take. My thoughts are to end at age 7 as I find I don't get a lot of stock for older children and I'm actually not selling much of it. Brand wise the obvious ones are selling like Boden, Little White Company, Joules but beautiful European brands just aren't selling. I also phasing out Gap, love their stuff but just can't compete with the prices.

Running your own online business is great because being on my own during the week it means I can focus on the children in the day and work at night. But it isn't half lonely and I really miss a working environment and being able to 'brain storm' with others.

I'd be really grateful for any opinions on the site kitandboo.com

Thank you! x

I think most people can get second hand stuff from eBay so it is hard to compete

I don't think you are supposed to use this forum to advertise your own site (which is essentially what you're doing). I agree that if I wanted to buy second hand children's clothes I'd go to eBay and cut out the middle man!

Yes, agreed but the reason I started it up, as well as being able to work round my children, was to help parents who didn't have the time to do eBay plus the idea is that my website you can trust what you buy. I have bought great things from eBay I have also been sold some real duds!

Yup eBay if I wanted secondhand stuff.

Hi, I've just visited your website & I think you've got a great little business going & congrats for setting something up around your children. I really know how hard that is!

Yes, like the others, I agree about ebay but, having said that, I've stopped using it to buy clothes after some v disappointing buys. I'd much rather buy from somewhere like your site.

I don't know about age range - I only have pre-schoolers so I've no idea about 7+ like you mention. Maybe there isn't a 2nd hand need for post 7 as much as there is for littleuns? My only comment would be regarding boys clothes. ALL my friends who have boys say they really struggle to buy different/unique/classic boys clothes so if you could focus on that, you could find a little niche? My boy's only a baby at mo so not an issue but I'm already kind of seeing what they mean when I'm looking at the toddler boy range.

Anyway, I think you should focus on marketing as it's a really great site - are you known in your local area/advertising in all the right places? Best of luck with it. Hope this helps a bit - it can be quite lonely working for yourself & then a bit disheartening to ask for feedback here only to get a bit knocked down! I think it's fab.

Think of maybe targeting the overseas market. I am from Australia and currently they don't have a great mid-range market for kids clothes (like H&M, Zara). Not sure how you'd do this though...

Marketing with your niche - and that would be lower prices without the bollocks of eBay.

I didn't even know your service existed tbh but would be interested IF I knew!

I for one am utterly done with eBay, good stuff selling for pennies, people complaining and selling utter tosh - eg I bought a designer wrap dress bnwt to replace one I ruined and the nutty seller had seen it up at the front and cut the straps off wtf? As I'd told her it was a replacement she must've known I'd notice. Grrrr!

Get marketing - I think it's a great idea and as I said you've got to go hard on the fact that your stuff is checked for quality and doesn't roll up stinking of fags or as old as the hills.

I love your website, and it's a really good idea. I'd definitely consider using a business like yours.
I agree that marketing is the way forward, but beyond that I don't have much specific advice to give I'm afraid (I am struggling to market my own business at the moment!).
Good luck and keep going!

The website looks nice. I am also in the second hand baby business and there is a huge demand for good quality secondhand baby and children's goods.

We run baby and children's nearly new sales and there are quite a few websites like yours that are really struggling to sell their stock and have regular stalls at mum2mum markets. We get huge crowds of buyers so they can shift an awful lot in a short space of time.

I do wonder why people would sell through a website and lose a chunk of the proceeds and have to wait months for the money to filter through in dribs and drabs when they could sell with us and shift the lot in an afternoon..... I guess some people just like things done for them!

That's true of a lot of things, if not ALL of the service market.

Why get a cleaner?
Why get a pizza delivered?
Why get an ocado delivery?
Why use an travel agent?
Why employ a receptionist?
Why send your children to a school?
Why buy cut fruit?

The list could go on forever - we all embrace convenience.

I would love to send a big bag of stuff somewhere like OP to have her deal with it. I just don't have time or inclination to mess around with eBay and run up and down to the post office for 99p and then spend a few days waiting to see if the buyer is happy or not.

Hi, I love your website and I think you should be proud of what you have achieved so far.
Having said that, have you thought about setting up an Ebay store in addition to your website. Personally I feel safer buying on Ebay than on websites that I don't know because you have protection as a buyer trough the Ebay compliant process if the item is not as described or through Paypal if you don't receive it. Also, you could use your Ebay as a platform to advertise your website.
Other than that, I'm really not sure about your prices if I may say so. I know that you're selling your quality stuff but people want to pay next to nothing for second hand baby clothes! I've tried to sell a whole load of Boden/BabyGap nearly new lovely clothes at my NCT sale and I priced them similarly to you but sold very little. Also, that mini boden whale top that you have on your website at £7 is pretty much the cost of buying it new if you have a 20-30% off discount code.
Good luck though

I can understand you not taking supermarket and budget brands as they are exceptional value new but why not Next and M&S?