The Best Places To Sell Used Children’s Clothing
It is well known that babies and children grow out of their clothes fast, so buying new clothes, just to keep up with trends, can become very expensive for many parents.
With the cost of living hitting every household, second-hand retail sites have become hugely popular, with Vinted seeing an increase from around 1.2 million users to over 8 million in the past two years. Selling your children’s clothing on these platforms can be a fast and efficient way of making money and can help slow down the process of fast fashion.
According to the Office of National Statistics, more than two-thirds of adults in Great Britain are spending less on non-essentials because of the rising costs, suggesting that people are limiting their clothing expenses to ensure they have enough funds for essential items, such as rent, food, insurance and bills. The ONS data also revealed that many shoppers switched to online shopping, with 27.4% of the retail sales value occurring online in July 2023 — the highest proportion since February 2022 — supporting the increased popularity of online second-hand sites.
We analysed the most popular platforms to discover which second-hand site users could earn the most money from selling their children's clothing. We found the average price for a range of children's clothing categories and the site’s audience age to see if parents favoured any of these sites. Here is the ranked list of the best second-hand retailers for children’s clothing:
Facebook Marketplace: Best for selling clothing bundles
Average overall price for item (with relevant fees removed): £20.58
Compared to the other sites listed, the clothing items on Facebook Marketplace had a smaller price range. However, the range is much wider for branded and designer clothes, suggesting you could make more money in this category on Facebook. Unlike the other second-hand sites on the list, most clothing items on sale are used rather than new.
The average age of Facebook Marketplace users is between 25 and 35, which could suggest that this platform is ideal for targeting parents, given that the median age of a parent is 30 years old in the UK.
Interestingly, Facebook Marketplace seems popular for selling bundles of clothing rather than individual items. So, if you have a lot of clothes you need to get rid of quickly, Facebook could be the best choice for you.
Baby Clothing
Average item price for baby clothing (with relevant fees removed): £18.13
When searching for specific baby clothing items on Facebook Marketplace, the lowest price was around £2. However, for brand-new designer or branded items, such as Nike trainers, prices reach up to £35.
Compared to eBay, Facebook Marketplace seems to have a higher minimum price on baby clothing items, with many starting from £2 to £3. Whereas baby clothing items listed on eBay often start at less than £1 (50p to 99p).
Facebook Marketplace sellers listed ‘Zara cardigan’ items in the baby category anywhere between £2 and £5. On eBay, users listed the same product between 99p and £9. Of course, the price often depends on the item’s condition.
Kids Clothing
Average item price for kids clothing (with relevant fees removed): £20.09
When looking into kids clothing as a category on Facebook Marketplace, we found bundles for younger kids priced around £8 to £12, which is one of the more expensive ranges featured in our research.
Individual clothing items often start from £1 but can range up to £40 for brands such as Adidas. However, Facebook Marketplace has more kidswear listings than baby clothing, with the popular category featuring brands like Converse, Disney, Gap and Levi’s. Although, compared to eBay, kids' clothes tend to sell for less on Facebook Marketplace. When searching for ‘Levi’s sweatshirt’ on Facebook Marketplace, the prices ranged between £2 and £10, whereas on eBay, the price varied between £4 and 40.
Facebook Marketplace could be a great site to sell on, especially for bundles, as you can earn more money by selling clothes and targeting more parent shoppers. However, there are a lot of other sellers on this site, making it more competitive.
eBay: Best for selling designer items
Average item price (with relevant fees removed): £16.23
The oldest second-hand site on our list, eBay started in 1995. Various items are available on this site, including a vast amount of children and baby clothing, with approximately 115,000 results on the site at the time of research.
The wide range of sellers on eBay can be positive and negative as it makes it more competitive, but with its 135 million users, the audience you can reach is massive!
Of all the sites on our list, eBay is the unlikeliest to reach your target audience, with the average users aged between 35 and 64. However, this isn’t to say that parents and grandparents aren’t searching on here for second-hand children’s clothing.
When looking at listings within this category, we found that eBay tended to sell many individual designer items. Yet, of all the sites listed, eBay also has the highest seller fees at 12.8% — there’s also a 30p charge per order and a 35p charge for adding a listing to the site.
So, although the average amount you could earn selling on eBay is on the higher side of this list, the amount you have to pay to sell is also higher than the rest.
Baby Clothing
Average item price for baby clothing (with relevant fees removed): £11.63
When looking deeper into the baby clothing category on eBay, we found the price ranges were wide and started anywhere between 50p and 99p, rising to £25.
Of all the individual baby clothing items we looked into, eBay had the lowest starting prices for certain pieces. For example, eBay listings for Baby Nike Trainers were available from 99p, but on other sites, the starting price for this item can go up to £10.
However, the same item reached the second-highest selling price on our list at £25 on eBay, and with Facebook Marketplace taking the top spot with Baby Nike Trainers for £35. This wide range makes it difficult to judge exactly how much sellers can make on the site, as it depends on the quality of items and the competition.
Similarly, buyers can find a baby jacket from George at ASDA on eBay for a starting price of 99p, the same item on Facebook Marketplace starts at £2.
Kids Clothing
Average item price for kids clothing (with relevant fees removed): £26.25
On eBay, childrenswear seemed to sell for 125% more than baby clothing, so if you’re selling clothes aged between 3 to 12 years, it might be worth posting these on eBay. There are also a lot more children's clothing options listed on eBay.
Similarly to baby clothing, kids clothing items started at low prices, usually around 99p, but some have an even cheaper starting price. For example, an Adidas boys t-shirt on eBay has a starting price of just 40p — the same item on Depop started at £1.50. Also, buyers can find a H&M boys shirt on eBay for just 19p!
On the other hand, item prices on eBay tend to go much higher than on other sites. The Adidas boys t-shirt with a starting price of 40p ranges up to £60, whereas on the other resell sites on our list, this item reaches £40 — a third less than eBay.
Although the average item price is high, the wide range means buyers are likely to be able to find cheaper listings, which could make it difficult to sell items for more.
Additionally, children’s designer items tend to sell for more money on eBay than on other platforms from our list. This site also tends to have a broader price range, meaning whilst your items could sell at a higher price, there is also a risk that there could be similar on the site for a lot less. Although eBay has the highest average price on our list, the high seller fees can bring this down.
Depop: Best for selling individual clothing items
Average item price (with relevant fees removed): £11.34
Of all the retailers on our list, Depop has the lowest average earnings at £11.34. Depop has seller fees, though, which is 10% of the total - this has been removed from the total average price.
The audience on Depop is the youngest, with the average user under 25 years old. However, this doesn’t mean parents don’t use this platform, as the children’s clothing category has around 239,000 items.
Depop is a good option for selling individual designer items, with popular brands including Nike and Adidas, plus many high street favourites such as Zara and H&M and vintage items.
Baby Clothing
Average item price for baby clothing (with relevant fees removed): £11.70
Baby clothing items on Depop start anywhere between £1 and £10, depending on the item itself and the brand. On average, Depop has the highest starting price.
Baby Nike Trainers on Depop start at £10 — a 233% increase from the starting price on the second-most expensive platform for these shoes, Facebook Marketplace. These findings suggest that designer baby clothing and footwear have a better chance of selling for a higher price on Depop. However, the highest price for this item is £25, which is £10 less than the highest price on Facebook Marketplace.
Depop has the highest price range for a baby’s Zara cardigan, ranging between £4 and £10 on the platform. The platform also has the highest selling price for a baby’s jacket from George at ASDA — selling for a maximum of £12.99.
Kids Clothing
Average item price for kids clothing (with relevant fees removed): £18.45
According to our research, kids clothing items sell for more than baby clothing items on this platform.
Similarly to the baby category on Depop, the starting prices on this platform tend to be higher than others, ranging between £1 and £8. However, the higher starting prices may be because sellers are trying to ensure they earn enough to justify the 10% seller fee.
Marks & Spencer’s girls pyjamas on Depop tend to start at £4, which is more than double the starting price on other platforms. Despite the higher starting price, this platform actually has the lowest maximum amount at £12, while listings for this item on other sites cost up to £25.
Although Depop has the lowest average price on our list, excluding the seller's fee, users tend to list items at a higher starting price. So, there’s still a chance you could earn a decent amount by selling on this platform. The 10% fee can be infuriating, but if you sell items for a decent price, it at least makes the trip to the post office worthwhile.
Vinted: Best for avoiding seller fees
Overall average price (including fees): £13.60
Unlike other selling sites on this list, Vinted doesn’t have buyer or seller fees. The platform also sends users their earnings directly, allowing sellers to withdraw the money to their bank account or use it to buy items on Vinted.
The average age of Vinted’s users has recently jumped from 18-25 to a 20-45 demographic. This change is beneficial as it covers the average-aged parents and provides opportunities to target customers buying for any children in their lives, such as nieces and nephews. The assortment of baby and children’s clothing listed suggests that many parents buy and sell Vinted items.
It’s also easy to search for products on the platform due to its multiple categories and filters. As a seller, you can provide detailed descriptions to help users find your item more easily.
Baby Clothing
Average item price for baby clothing (with relevant fees removed): £13
Individual baby clothing on Vinted ranges anywhere from £1 to £25, with most high-street items priced lower and reaching a maximum of £7.50 and designer brands priced higher and reaching up to £25.
When comparing the same category and brands on Depop, Vinted tends to have a lower price range for each item. Baby Nike Trainers on Vinted range from £1 to £25 depending on factors, such as whether the product is brand new or used. On Depop, these items had a starting price of £10, so you could potentially earn more selling this product on Depop.
When researching, Vinted had more baby clothing bundles than kid bundles, with the average bundle price being £7.32, depending on the age and amount of items included. Many sellers listed bundles of babygrows and sleepsuits for better prices than individual items, as this is a quick and easy way to make extra money.
Kids Clothing
Average item price kids clothing (with relevant fees removed): £20.50
When looking at kids clothing on Vinted, it had fewer bundles listed than individual items. Kids clothing on this site costs between £1 and 40, with the more expensive items being from brands such as Levi’s and Adidas. We found that Vinted had better-priced items from high-street brands than the other listed second-hand sites.
When searching for ‘M&S Girls Pyjamas’, Vinted’s prices ranged from £1 to 20, whereas its competitor Depop had them priced from £4 to 12. Although Depop has a higher starting price, Vinted’s wider price range could potentially earn you more.
Similarly, although the starting price of £1 for a kids Levi’s sweatshirt on Vinted was lower than on Depop, the maximum fee was much higher — reaching up to £40 on Vinted and only £20 on Depop. These findings suggest that you could sell for more on Vinted and avoid fees.
We found that the most popular brands in the kids clothing category were Next, M&S, H&M and George, suggesting Vinted is a better option for selling high-street clothing.
Overall, the platform you use to sell your children's and babies' old clothing is totally dependent on a range of factors — is the item designer? What condition is it in? Are you happy to pay a seller's fee? Each of these selling platforms has pros and cons, with some being better for certain items than others.