[Anne1377]

Hi Friends,

I need some opinions. First, I need to admit that I buy WAY ( repeat...WAY!) too many clothes for Annie. She probably has more clothes than me and hubby and the boys combined ( I admit rather sheepishly!!) Needless to say, she has more clothes than she can possibly wear. I am just starting to go through her clothes from last summer. The majority are brand new with tags or have barely been worn. They are all from boutiques or Gymboree and Gap.

In the past, I have always listed them on ebay but I have had some bad experiences on ebay lately and I am kind of turned off by it. So..I am debating what to do. Should I bring them to a consignment shop or just try ebay again or is there something else I am missing? I would like to get some money for these clothes ( need it to buy more clothes for this summer for her!!) .

Any thoughts or suggestions???

PS: Hubby just looked over my shoulder as I was about to post this and he said, " Sure...I have a suggestion...Stop buying so many clothes!" Hmmm....I think he will never understand my addiction.....


Thanks,

Diane

[joepegcamp]

I recommend consignment shops.

With the economy being so poor, is there a way that you can donate them to a shelter or a Goodwill? So many people are suffering, and have little money for the extras in life--like clothes for their kids.

[angieandstever]

If it is new stuff and with tags I would think you would do best on ebay. I had some new items and our local children's resale shop gave me barely anything. Seriously I would say 5-10% of its value and a lot of it was Gybmoree, Gap, and Ralph Lauren. I do much better on ebay. So much better that even though I would rather not sell there, I do anyway so I also can buy her new clothes!!! Good luck!

[Slatond10]

Ok .. I do not have personal experience here except as buyer... But a friend GuatMom has a Blog site that she calls "DD Closet" and sales on it. I have purchased Hannah Anderson, The Children's place and Gymboree from her. I am willing to pay a little extra because I know that what I get from her is "QUALITY"and very clean.

MY friend is currently @ Pre-op w/ her daughter so I can't ask her for specifics or if I can share her info w/ you. I will ask later and PM u her info so you can get details if that is ok!?

Like you I have had a bad experience lately w/ Ebay. Ordered a product / paid and it is going on 6 wks w/ nothing rec'd.

Personally I use consignment and carry a credit there. But most of my clothing was purchased 2nd hand so not the quality of what you have.

[chazzeldy2]

How about Craigs List? Probably more hassle than EBay, for less $, but probably more profitable than consignment. Maybe you could "lot" the clothes by size/season.

We also have "Mom 2 Mom" sales here that are quite popular. Basically, they're large baby-and-kid-stuff-only garage sales sponsored by various fundraising groups at school gymnasiums, church halls, etc. You rent a table and sell your stuff. Certainly less payout than EBay, and probably Craigs List, but not sure how they stack up against consignment.

Good luck!!

[052001]

I like to pass things on to someone I know who can use it. There is a woman at church that I give our outgrown clothes to. She has 3 daughters and I don't think they have a lot of money.

There is also a pregnancy help center nearby - maybe you could find a similar place and donate the clothing?

[debhorner04]

I have sold things on ebay---sometimes you can get a decent amount for it and other times you are giving it away. Ebay takes some time, so if you have the time, it might be worth the effort. I have found a local consignment shop that pays you cash up front for the items. I don't get as much, but it is less hassle-----I drop off clothes and walk out with cash. I could probably do better on e-bay, but I don't have the time to take photos, write up descriptions, and then watch for when items need to be mailed. Guess it all depends on do you want to make more money or have more time.

[DeeVee]

Originally Posted by 052001

I like to pass things on to someone I know who can use it.

Agreeing 100 percent here. Having been on both the donating end, and during a real financial crisis in our family, the receiving end, I would pass them on to someone who could use them. I can't tell you how nice it is (and rare) to receive a donation or hand-me-down of new or almost-new clothing. There are many families struggling right now in this economy, and I know in our area donations are way down.

You won't get cash, but you won't have to deal with e-bay or craigslist, and you will still get a tax deduction.

[ana-mom]

Every June our church and child care center has a 'clean out your basement' sale. We donate outgrown gently used and never worn clothes and toys to the sale.

[0328Lisa]

Hi, Dianne.

I am a sucker for cute boys clothes. There aren't as many cute outfits for boys as there are for girls, so I too, am overloaded with clothes for DS. I participated in my first Mom-2-Mom sale this spring and was shocked at the reaction to my clothes.

The clothes I had to sell were all name brand, Hanna Andersson, Ralph Lauren, Gap, Janie & Jack, Gymboree, and other european boutique clothes, some costing in upwards of $70 new. I was asking $5 for shirts or pants and $10 for outfits which I thought was quite reasonable (in many cases, less than 20% of the retail price). There were no stains on the clothes and they were well pressed.

Granted, most everyone else priced their clothes at $1 or 50 cents, but they were dirty, wrinkled and smelt bad. Well, most people anmired my clothes, but didn't like the price and complained to me openly! I was shocked. So, after a short while, I wasn't afraid to tell complainers the original cost of the clothes and the bargin they were getting.

Well, long story short, just about everything sold. I guess the moral of my story is clothes are expensive and you shouldn't be afraid to ask decent prices for them, especially if they've never been worn. Good luck!!

[TerriBB]

Is there a "higher end" resale shop in your area? There is one that only takes Gymboree, Gap, Polo and better...if you turn things in, you can get credit...to buy more! This store carries many things that still have price tags on them.

Flora too has so many clothes that she outfits 2-3 other little girls. This is due to a very generous friend who has a well dressed Guat Tot about 3 years older than our Flora, we swap out clothes.

[amyfk]

Even before the economy tanked I took my child's clothes to the Goodwill. Many of her clothes are never even worn so I hope I am giving a nice "gift" to someone who can really use the clothes.
Amy K, NJ

[Dmitry'smom]

I have been struggling with this same issue. I do give a way some of my daughters stuff but my husband took a pay cut this past year so I need to sell the boutique items and use that money to buy the next years clothes. I have always done Ebay but the fees have gone up so high and bidding has been lower. I am thinking of setting up a clothing blog and then after a week or two if it has not sold list it on Ebay.

Maybe you could set up a clothing blog? The blogs are free so you would not be out any money if it didn't work.