How I Essentially Get Baby Items for Free by Buying and Selling Used
It’s shocking how quickly babies outgrow things. Just about everything from the swing that he loved last week to the newborn clothes that fit him for all of a few days have had a much shorter use life than I expected. It just makes sense to buy, sell, trade when it comes to baby gear.
Over the past year and a half, I’ve recouped a great deal of what we spent on my son in the early days.
I’ve come out even on designer Artipoppe carriers, essentially getting to ‘rent’ them for free. We bought a $700 Snoo Smart Bassinet, which retails for $1700, off of Facebook marketplace, used it for 5 1/2 glorious months, then sold it for exactly what we paid. Essentially, I got to rent the Snoo for free.
We have saved thousands of dollars on high-end baby items by doing this. Plus, our baby has to live on this planet, so the less we pollute it with all of the energy and omissions required to manufacture new things, and a reduction of items that end up in landfills, the better.
So how do you make sure that you’re buying good items, and how do you make sure that there’s no ick factor?
These are the things that I look for when purchasing used, and where I find the best deals:
Where I Shop:
For big and bulky items, I try to buy in person through Facebook marketplace or at our local thrift shop. But I have also bought plenty of things on various online platforms where you can see reviews of the sellers, which is also helpful. These are my favorites:
Mercari
This is the platform where I have made the most purchases of baby gear (rather than clothes, which I’ll get to in a moment). To date I’ve purchased a Beaba babycook for $40 ($214 new), a Baby Brezza sterilizer for $50 ($140 new) then sold it for $50, sold my secondhand Nuna bassinet for more than I paid, got a CARES harness that was used once for 75% off, our beloved car seat carrier bag, and a few Kyte baby sleep sacks and clothes. Many of these items were new or had been used once or twice.
They make it easy by sending a shipping slip, collecting sales tax, and waiting until the buyer has approved the item to release funds. This is helpful both ways to ensure quality of the item. You can sign up for Mercari here.
Poshmark
Similar to Mercari, Poshmark has baby gear, though it is more known for fashion and clothing. You can often find Artipoppe baby carriers for a hundred dollars off. I’ve purchased two Seraphine Maternity babywearing jackets, one of which was new with tags, for $200 off, and sold them for exactly what I paid. I frequently sell our gently used bamboo baby clothes there, and have even sold our Slumberpod and Lovevery play gym as well.
I also love that their shipping partner is USPS. This means I can print out my own label, package it (I always save boxes and shipping pouches for this) and schedule a pickup during regular business hours, and they’ll come get it from my porch for free. It’s so convenient, it makes this whole process quick and simple.
The only downside of both Poshmark and Mercari are the hefty selling fees. Poshmark’s is slightly higher, though I sometimes have more luck selling on there.
Poshmark and Mercari are peer to peer selling services, and there are some protections if the item arrives not as described. I’ve only received one item that was stained so far, and was refunded immediately.
Goodbuy Gear and Rebelstork
Goodbuy Gear and Rebelstork take it a step further by acting as a consignment store. They vet the items from sellers and then establish the quality before listing it on their website to resell.
They often have gently used or even ‘open box’ items for nice discounts, which means it’s overstock, a floor model, or a return. They frequently have strollers, and I bought our GB Pockit and Babyzen Yoyo through Rebelstork. I’ve had mixed experiences with them, which you can read about in my Rebelstork review.
Goodbuy (read my review) is essentially the same, and I’ve had good experiences with getting our tricycle there, as well as discount Coterie diapers and wipes.
Both have pretty short return windows, and only take returns if the item is not as described. Keep in mind these items will not be under warranty.
As a seller, Goodbuy will pick up your gear for a small fee, or you can drop it off at a fulfillment center where they’ll clean, photograph, and market the items for you, giving you 80% of the sale total. Considering Poshmark and Mercari take a big chunk just for the privilege to list, this isn’t a bad deal. However they’re only currently servicing Philadelphia, Denver, and New York.
Facebook Marketplace
I buy and sell quite a bit within my local community on the Facebook marketplace. The upside is you get to see the item in person before purchasing, or you can buy from anywhere domestically and have it shipped. Their fees are much lower as the seller.
The downside is, of course, going to some random person’s house, or having a random person come to your house as the seller. You can also find a neutral location, but if it’s an electronic item, the person will probably want to see it plugged in, just like you should insist on if you are buying an electronic item.
Facebook marketplace is also rife with scams. Never agree to let someone text you or zelle off the platform. This is a common scam. They’ll tell you a cousin is going to pick it up and ask for your phone number. If this happens, move on.
Still, the nice thing about this is the seller also doesn’t have to pay the steep Mercari or Poshmark fees, so I typically find better prices on Facebook where it is free to list and browse items.
I’ve bought a nursery rocker, Snoo, and Mamaroo off of Facebook marketplace, as well as household furniture. I love selling on the platform as well for ease and cash in hand.
Once Upon a Child
Depending on where you live, there may be a Once Upon a Child location nearby, which is a secondhand store only for baby and kid gear. 80% of the store is baby clothes, but I have also found some amazing deals there, like a $200 Nuna stroller that retails new for over $1000, and a $250 Ergobaby Carrier for $25. Generally the deals are better here than on Mercari or Poshmark.
This is also where I have bought the majority of the secondhand clothes we have for my son. It’s a lot less painful when they outgrow clothes that only cost a few dollars.
They also regularly have unopened boxes of diapers and wipes for half price, and although they don’t pay much, I can take everything that didn’t sell on Poshmark or Mercari there for some cash in hand.
Thredup
Although I mainly use Thredup for my own clothing purchases and sales, I also buy items for my son on there, and will frequently box up and send off everything he’s outgrown that hasn’t sold on Poshmark or Mercari. I find this easier than going to Once Upon a Child and waiting for them to sort through everything.
It’s just a few dollars per item, and they may not accept everything you send, but I find it’s better than nothing, plus I can trust that the clothes won’t end up in a landfill. If they are unable to sell the items, you can elect to have them mailed back or responsibly recycled. Try it for 45% off here.
eBay
Chances are good you’ve heard of eBay. You can buy and sell just about any item under the sun on this platform. I haven’t tried it as a seller, but could see it being competitive given how many sellers are career eBayers and have hundreds of reviews.
Though I find less on here that I end up buying, I’ve used it to purchase a Hatch Restore for $40, which retails for $140.
Although I use them less often, there’s also Craigslist and Goodwill in addition to your local thrift stores.
How to Make Sure it’s a Good Item
How do you make sure it’s not a lemon? First, I try to only buy directly from people who are clearly parents. If it’s someone just selling a one-off, random car seat, I would run the other way.
When shopping on Facebook, I try to see if I can look at the person’s profile at all. Parents often have their kids in their profile pictures even if the rest of the profile is private. On a platform like Poshmark or Mercari, you can see all of the other things that the person is selling or has sold, as well as a seller rating. Same goes for eBay. You can also go through a reseller that will verify the quality of the items like Goodbuy Gear.
If buying in person, make sure that you see the item in working condition before you pay and leave with it. If you arrive and it’s not what you expected, you’re not obligated to buy.
Don’t be afraid to ask for original purchase receipts, serial numbers, date of original purchase, whether or not they are the original owner, and their experience with the product as well. Why are they selling? How much did they use it? These are great things to know.
How to Clean
Some items are simple to clean and can be just as good secondhand, like clothes, carriers, cooking and cleaning products, and play mats. Just wash any clothes on hot and sun dry for ultraviolet sanitizing power. Rubbing alcohol is great for secondhand toys or kitchenware.
For the secondhand Snoo, since the mesh can’t be removed and washed, I looked up how Happiest Baby cleans their rentals and followed the same method – a steam cleaner. You can see how we did it in the video above.
Steam, when hot enough, can kill 99% of bacteria and viruses, but you’ve got to be thorough. We went over the mesh several times, careful not to get it in the electronic parts.
We also used the steam cleaner extensively on used strollers.
Are There Things You Shouldn’t Buy Used?
What you’re willing to buy secondhand will mostly come down to a personal preference, though there are some items to be very cautious about.
I typically don’t buy things like carpets, mattresses, breast pumps, or anything tough or impossible to wash that could have bodily fluids on it. Safety items like carseats are also better bought new unless you’re sure about the history of the item.
Ask how old the item is. New laws and safety measures are always coming into effect, so I try not to buy anything much more than a few years old. Be sure to get the model make and year and check www.recalls.gov to be sure it hasn’t been recalled.
Although I don’t always find exactly what I’m looking for, in which case I buy new with the intention of selling when I’m done, I feel good about how much of our baby gear we’ve bought used and sold on the secondhand market. I’d so much rather spend that money on experiences together as a family, have the opportunity to test out more things without worrying about the cost or clutter, and be kinder to the planet than buying everything new and throwing it away when I am done.
I hope this post helped you to explore the beautiful world of second hand baby gear shopping. Questions? Ask in the comments below!
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