How to sell baby clothes you no longer need

Want to make some cash, or simply make some room? You’ll need to know how best to sell old baby clothes.

When your little one is now not-so-little, and all that delicious milk has turned them into a healthy little chubby cuddle-monster, it’s time again to switch out the wardrobe. You can expect your baby to triple their birth weight in the first year and be around one and a half times as long as they were at birth on their first birthday. That’s a lot of growing! It’s no surprise that you want to investigate how to sell their baby clothes so that you can get more in!

For such small humans, babies tend to come with mountains of clothes. From gifts and hand-me-downs to overbuying because the cuteness factor got you, you can find your baby’s wardrobe bursting, even before they start outgrowing. This guide doesn’t just look at the best places to sell baby clothes online in the UK, but we also look at how to prepare them for sale, and indeed, how to decide what to sell.

Taking your first steps: getting ready to sell baby clothes

We know you want to sell your baby’s clothes, but we’ve got to be honest – it’s not always a quick and easy process. We highly recommend considering what is worth the effort and what would be better coming out of the wardrobe in a different way. For example, you can recycle favourite old baby clothes into a memory bear, or women’s refuges often require supplies of baby clothes.

Regardless of whether you plan to sell your second hand baby clothes or use them in a different way, you need to start by having a good clear out. Wait until nap time, or get someone else on baby duty, and pull everything out of the cupboards and drawers that is too small or not worn by your little one.

Then get ruthless with making piles. You probably want to make a few piles: bin, donate, save and sell. 

First, pull out any special pieces that you absolutely don’t want to part with. These are the ones that, if they don’t make it into a memory bear or blanket will be the tiny sleepsuits that you want to save for when your baby has flown the nest. Be realistic though, you don’t want to save everything! And don’t forget to save anything you’ll possibly need for future siblings!

Your mission now is to establish which pieces are in a fit state for a new lease of life with someone else. For now, don’t divide between donating or selling. Just look at things like stains, how worn they are, fading, and style. Some items will need to head straight to the bin or recycled fabric box – notably those ones with stubborn stains or where your baby has managed to chomp a hole when teething.

To sell or give away

From the remaining pile of clothes, which are all suitable to be re-loved, it’s now time to determine what can be sold and which items aren’t worth the time and effort of selling.

Good baby clothes to sell

Items worth selling should be in excellent condition, free of holes, free of stains, not misshapen and which you would be happy to put your own baby in.

Good items of baby clothes to sell will have been relatively recently bought – we don’t recommend trying to sell baby clothes from your own childhood unless you’re going down a very niche route! 

Certain brands sell much more easily. This includes designer baby wear, but also high street brands like GAP, JoJo Maman Bebe and Mini Boden. 

While you may be able to bundle items like vests and sleepsuits, entire outfits are much better for resale. Individual items like jackets and coats, as well as dresses and dungarees, sell better.

Reasonable condition clothes

Some items won’t be worth selling but will have plenty of life left in them. Supermarket branded items and low cost brand items don’t tend to sell well. Everyday items like vests aren’t usually worth the effort involved for the money you’ll receive.

These pieces make excellent hand-me-downs or donations. Lots of parents recycle old baby clothes by giving them to friends and family.

Getting ready to sell baby clothes

Start by washing all of the clothes. We know you have enough laundry, but this step pays off! Use fragrance-free detergent and make sure they dry as wrinkle free as possible.

Take the pile of good baby clothes to sell and break it down into sizes and seasons. We highly recommend selling baby clothes according to UK seasons, even if that means biding your time.

Spend another nap time laying out the clothes and taking photographs if you plan to sell online. If you’re planning on bundling clothes, take photos of the whole pile as well as key pieces. Outfits should be photographed together. Use excellent natural light and a neutral background.

Places to sell baby clothes online in the UK

There are lots of places to sell baby clothes online in the UK – the question is which is best for you. Your options include:

Facebook Marketplace

Many parents find that Facebook Marketplace is now the best place for selling bundles of baby clothes, and high quality high street brands. It’s easy to do and a great way to reach other local mums and dads of little ones looking for items in the right size. With local pick up options, prohibitive postage costs aren’t a problem.

Resale sites

There are a whole bunch of resale sites to choose from. Ebay was once the first choice but it’s now pretty poor as a place to sell baby clothes, unless the item is unique, designer and in near-new condition. Other options include Vinted, Depop, Shpock, Preloved or Reliked. These all have slightly different processes.

Car boot sales

Some people find that car boot sales or local garage sales work well for selling baby clothes. This can be a bit hit and miss, but might work, especially if you’ve got things like toys and furniture to sell too.

It’s quite exciting to sell baby clothes, once you know which items are worth the effort and which selling platforms work best for you. The trick is to invest the sale proceeds back into your baby’s wardrobe for the next size!