CINCINNATI — As their children start to grow up and grow out of clothes and shoes, many parents can feel overwhelmed by the massive amount of clothes they have that no longer fit.
Many parents know the pain of the never-ending bins, bags and boxes of kids clothes and gear. Resale and consignment stores like Once Upon a Child are tried and true solution, but local moms are trying new options to help find cheap gear and make some money off the stuff sitting in their basement.
Second Chance Outfitter
Amanda Fitzpatrick, a mother of two, said she accumulated 28 bins of boy clothes before her daughter was born and was at a loss of what to do with all of it.
“The thought of taking it into a consignment store and only getting a fraction of what I paid for my better brand items just made me want to cry,” Fitzpatrick said.
So about five years ago, Fitzpatrick started "Second Chance Outfitter."
It began as an in-person shopping day with 52 sellers. It’s now evolved into a massive, online only event with 200 sellers and more than 3500 shoppers.
“I think people prefer convenience, I think people prefer staying home,” Fitzpatrick said. “I think people have gotten used to the simple scroll, scroll, buy, pickup.”
The 3-day resale event is all done on Facebook starting Saturday, February 25 through Monday night.
“Something that does make us different than any of the others is that we’re a family resale. So, we have babies, we have kids, we have teens up to size 18, we have women, we have men,” Fitzpatrick explained.
It costs new sellers $40 to join, repeat sellers just $30. Those sellers then spend hours sorting, pricing, photographing and uploading their items to the Second Chance Outfitters Facebook page.
“You keep 100% of what you make, you do 100% of the work,” Fitzpatrick said.
Buyers are accepted to the page at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning.
“It’s a bit of a mad dash when the flood gates open.”
Fitzpatrick explained that many parents set their alarms and warn their families that they’ll be unavailable for those few hours.
Fitzpatrick said it can be overwhelming at first, all of the items for sale are sorted by category. But she suggests that shoppers look at the categories where they actually need stuff first and then shop the rest if they want to buy ahead for future sizes and seasons.
It’s a lot of work, but Fitzpatrick said she loves the camaraderie among the sellers.
“Something that far surpasses the sale itself is the community and the village we built out of this, to me that’s what I’m most proud of,” she said.
Sneak peeks are available on Facebook right now so shoppers can see what sort of deals and steals await.
Cincy Moms Sell, Scroll, Shop
The thought of going through all of your kid's clothes and gear, pricing it, photographing it, all sounds daunting to some parents. That’s where Chelsea Hadam and Jenny Geers come in.
“You don’t realize how much stuff you have just sitting in storage,” Hadam said.
Both moms with 2 kids, Hadam and Geers met buying and selling clothes from one another on Facebook.
They just launched “Cincy Moms Sell, Scroll, Shop” to put another twist on kids resale.
“People bring their clothes to us, we sort it, tag it, price it, photograph it, market it all on Facebook,” Hadam said.
Their first sale, which is also completely on Facebook, is set for April 1-3.
“We do clothes newborn to 8-9 years old,” Hadam said. “We also have maternity clothes, small toys, books and baby gear like carriers, bouncers and bathtubs.”
So far, the pair organizes clothes from about 40 sellers in Hadam’s basement.
But it’s Geers who sometimes does the bulk of the sorting - even taking it a step further and washing all the clothes that seemed like they were in storage for a while.
“We go through all the items and check for stains, holes, we hand pick out any of that stuff,” Hadam said.
They have a more traditional consignment model.
“The seller keeps 60% of everything that sells,” Hadam said.
Keep in mind, Once Upon a Child says they offer 30-50% of what the item sells for. But they do give cash on the spot.
The moms recognize the importance of helping out other moms.
Hadam takes things a step further by sometimes delivering the items.
“I like being able to just drop something off to a mom who I know is just snuggling their little baby at home,” she said.
The sale offers “Saturday Sneak Peaks” on Facebook so you can shop some of the best items early.
Collins Eliza Consignment
And if you do have a new baby at home, Collins Eliza Consignment is stocked full of precious baby clothes.
Started by Jenni Simon and Sarah Bextermueller, the pop-up consignment store also has its own take on kids resale.
“Being in person we think is important and being able to shop the items,” Simon said.
The in-person, one day sale is set for Saturday, March 4 in Indian Hill. The pair also does all the work for about 100 sellers.
“You’re just dropping off the items to us, you don’t have to sort, you don’t have to price, you just give us the items, we do all of that for you,” Simon said.
Collins Eliza Consignment only offers clothes, shoes and some accessories. So, you won’t find gear like strollers or car seats.
“Mostly upscale items like Beaufort Bonnet Company, Bella Bliss, Boden, Hanna Anderson, Tea Collection and Pink Chicken,” Simon said. And it’s a 40% split to consignors.
The bins and bags have taken over much of their houses. But both agree the bit of chaos is really fun.
“Hanging it, pricing it, it makes me excited,” Simon said.
The pair has seven children between them, so they really are experts on kids clothes and spotting a great deal.
Other Options
A newer trend online shoppers are starting to see involves name brands offering resale options through them.
For example, Patagonia offers a “Worn Wear” section. Some companies see it as a way to reward customers and maintain sustainability. In many cases, the big brands are making money on the initial sale and on re-selling your gently used items.
The local sales and pop-up shops are all within about a month of one another, just in time to revamp spring and summer wardrobes. Are they in competition with one another?
Fitzpatrick reiterated, there are enough clothes to let everyone have a piece.
“No matter where you are, no matter what your situation is, there’s a way for you to offload your items and a lot of these are just higher end, better brand…there’s a solution for you.”
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