Selling Clothes to Once upon a Child

I have sold to Once Upon a Child once so far. They seemed fair to me. They like to take what's in season at the moment more and the less they have of something the better. If they have a lot of a size or say a bunch of pajamas for example they won't give you as much for them and they have to be in good condition for them to take whatever you have. Hope this helps.

K.,

I have never sold used clothes there, but I am actually getting more into Ebay. The good thing about that is that you keep all of the asking price. With Once Upon a Child I think you only get to keep 30 percent of the sale price.

J.

I was going to sell my oldest sons clothes there and they don't want to give you much. (b4 I knew I was going to be able to geet pregnant again. And had another son, though we wished for a girl. Oh well I love him. That's all that matters) They only want to give me 5 dollars for 6 brand new plush blankets. I didn't sell them to them for that cheap. And they were very picky about what clothes they buy. I had a huge bag of clothes they only wanted 9 clothes items. They gave me I $3.50.

Hello,

I must say that I have not sold anything to them. I do however sell my girls clothes on ebay. I even sell there shoes. Just last week I sold one pair of baby lulu overalls that my daughter out grew for a little over 17.00 plus shipping chrges (they pay). The great thing about it I only paid 11.00 for them a year ago. I have my daughters shoes on ebay right now. It is a great way to make money. The even better thing is there are people that will list and ship your items for you and then cut you a check. I do this at times for my freinds and family. I have been selling ond buying on ebay for the last 4 years. It is a great way to make a little extra cash. If you are intrested in this and need some help let me know. I would be glad to help you out. You can email me at ____@____.com or send me a message here!

Ebay used to be a great deal, but for about the last year, I have not had the greatest of luck with that. I took my last big stack of clothes to Once Upon a Child, and I was truthfully not very happy with the outcome. I brought in a TON of like new, big named clothing and got about $1.50 a piece for them. Lately I have been using Kizoodle.com. On this forum, you trade clothing. There is no money involved (except for you have to pay for your own shipping). But I have gotten a lot of great brand new, with tags still on clothing for my daughter. I really love it!

I personally haven't been impressed with Once Upon A Child. I think you would have better luck/greater profitability selling at a resale event (group of moms get together and have a large sale, clothes usually sorted and hung by size, tables for toys, books, equipment, etc.) Hundreds of people come to shop at these sales. You can check out a list of some here http://home.comcast.net/~sbreaden/outsideGAsales.htm
I've sold at the Parents Who Care sale in the past with good results.

K.,
I have used Once Upon a Child several times and have mixed feelings. I have gone with three laundry baskets full of clothes and they only accepted a handful of items to keep/buy. Most of the time they will accept nicer label clothes (no stains). Some stores want seasonal items only and some take clothing all year round. During one visit I brought what I thought were nice toddler clothes and they didn't want them and I didn't get a straight answer as to why. They look up your items on the computer and then determine a price based on some sort of market value. When I had tons of baby clothes and baby items, bathtub, toys, nursery items, it was worth it to bring all that stuff. I have had mixed results with just bringing in clothes. They do have decent clothing and some new clothing to purchase and you can get a store credit or get the cash back. It is a lot of prep work and hauling to sometimes net a few bucks, it depends on if you have the time and patience. You usually bring your stuff in and they will take anywhere from 10 minutes to 45 minutes to go through your items, depending upon how busy it is and how many items you have. If you are trying to just make a little bit from your nice items which you really don't want to throw out or donate, it might be worth it. Good Luck.

Hi K. - I have actually sold a lot to OUAC (the Schererville, IN location) and actually worked part time there for a while when my daughter was younger.

There are many factors that go into what they buy & when. They do buy seasonally, due to space. Typically they start buying fall/winter clothes in August & spring/summer clothes in January. The main thing they look at is condition. They must be gently used & free of staining & pilling. Also, the amount you get depends on brand (Wal-mart brand vs. Gymboree, for example) & the piece itself. (You will get more for outfits than you would one pair of pants, for example.)

The hardest stuff to sell to them is 0-3 or 3-6 mo becuase they get so much of it. There is no set percentage they pay, but obviously they will sell it for more than they paid you for as they are looking to make a profit. As for equipment, it can be no older than 5 years becuse they have to be able to check it for recall info & it gets more difficult to keep track of after 5 years.

If you aren't sure if this is what you want to do, call the location near you & see what they are looking to buy and bring in a few items to see what they would offer you. You are never held to the quote, you can always decline & take your items back. It's not for everyone. I actully made more money selling some clothes at a subdivision sale this summer, but I do still sell my items there occationally. Good luck to you.

I personally would not go there. I sold some of my stuff to him a couple years back. I think he doesn't give you much for your stuff and then turns around and sell it for too much. Example a Gymboree outfit he gave me a dollar and sold it for $12. It was still in style and in perfect condition and worn once.I would just garage sale it or give it to friends. I have not, but I know a lot of people have sold them on ebay as well.

TOTALLY NOT WORTH IT!!!!! I am not going to bother rehashing what everyone else has said, but do not do it. I think the best chance you have at getting some money for the clothes is a garage sale, ebay or craigslist. I have sold a TON of stuff on craigslist.com it is free to post anything you really should check it out. Seriously, do not even waste your time going to once upon a child.

Hi K.. I have sold clothes to Once Upon A Child, but I found they only bought for what season it is, and they seem to want the name brands because that's what people want. I think they only have so much room. I've had a lot of luck selling clothes on ebay. Especially if it is name brand. If the item is in really good shape and hardly used, it's amazing what people will pay for it, plus they pay shipping! Anyways, that's from my experience.

I have sold to them and you really don't make much. They took an entire laundry basket of clothing and I received $24.00. Most of the clothes were new with tags so they were in excellent condition. The process is that you take the clothing in, leave them there and they will go through them within 24 - 48 hours and call you back when they have a price. You can then accept it and leave the items that they want (they don't take everything that you bring in!) or refuse it and take everything home again. It doesn't really pay off but it is a way to get rid of clothes. I have found that you can make more money selling them on ebay!

Good luck!

S.

I took a basket of barely used Gymboree, Gap and other name brand clothes (some still had tags on them) and they were going to give me like $21. I would much rather give them away, so I just declined thier offer and left. I have had much more luck selling them on Ebay, and giving things away to friends and family. You can always take your things there and see what they will offer, you don't have to accept it. I used to work at one in Kentucky when I was about 15, and they used to give about 50% for items, now it seems to be around 30% or less.

I tried Once Upon a Child on 86th Street this summer and was shocked at how little they actually paid for clothing. Then, they turn around and sell them for a tidy profit. They bought an outfit from me for a dollar, but I found it on the racks on a later trip marked up at $7! Ouch.

If you call them, they will tell you the percent they pay. I want to say it was 20%, but I cannot honestly remember.

Also, they will only purchase itmes seasonally, so you might want to ask whether they are purchasing summer or winter items before lugging a whole basketful of clothes over there.

Other things to note: They do not take clothing with any kinds of imperfections, such as stains or missing buttons. You do not have to take the clothes hanging. They will do quick estimates in-store (which take an hour or two), or you can leave your clothes there for them to appraise in 24-48 hours. They can refuse any or all of the clothing you bring.

I hope this helps, but I personally would look into other venues to sell baby clothing.

I've sold some stuff to them a couple times. They don't really give you alot of money for things...but it's something if you would just donate/toss anyway. They only take clothes in season, so now you could only sell winter stuff. Sometimes they won't take big items, like bouncers, etc., if they have too many already. And they have rules about ties and strings around the neck, like on coats and such.
I'm not sure how they come up with a dollar figure though.

My experience with Once Upon a Child was bad. They have very specific needs and my kids clothes were very gently used but they would only take name brands. Plus they didn't pay well at all. It was worth more to me to sell them in my garage sale or even pass them on to friends. I have a friend who has been very successful selling her baby clothes on e-bay if that is an option for you.
Good Luck!

I've taken my clothes there and they are very picky (which makes me happy as a buyer!). I also didn't get too much money for them, but it's better than throwing them away. I've also taken them to a resale in Galena, got more money but they're even pickier, only popular labels are accepted that are in excellent condition. You get more $$ for them, but it's kind of a pain.

PS I love shopping at the resale shops. I've gotten the cutest stuff that I would never ever pay retail for.

Hi K.,
If I were you I would keep the clothes if you are planning on having any more children. Once Upon a Child is a great place to buy at but they give you "diddly squat" for what you bring in! I once brought in two garbage bages full of stuff to Plato's Closet (same owners). The rejected half of it and they wanted to give me ten bucks for the rest!?!?! If you want to make money off your used children's clothes and gear, I'd say wait until spring and have a garage sale to get the most money.

I wouldn't do it. They give you hardly anything for the clothes. I had all top of the line, name brand stuff and 2 huge garbage bags full of them. I took them in there and they wanted it, but they were only going to give me $75 for BOTH bags. I brought everything home and put it up on Ebay and made almost triple or quadruple that on Ebay.

Once Upon a Child used to be a good store to sell/buy at...but, now...their clothes aren't as good (I feel) and their prices are higher to buy and lower to sell. It's just not a good deal anymore.

Once Upon a Child is very 'hit or miss' because each store is independently owned and operated. Some stores are great, some are awful. The Carmel store is expensive -- you can buy the exact same things for half the price at the 71st street store in Indy. They set their prices differently. Some stores are alot more picky about what they buy and they all pay a different amount, too. I've had the best luck at 'Just Kidding Around' in Westfield. However, when it comes to getting rid of the outgrown clothes, I've found that craigslist.com and ebay.com are the best for selling.

Most often, though, I just donate the clothes because it's the best return financially for us. When you donate clothes, the amount you declare as the dollar amount is usually ALOT higher than what you can get at a garage sale or craigslist. We take that deduction and it ends up giving us more 'cash' even though we have to wait until tax time to see the savings. Most people greatly underestimate the value of donations but the IRS has made it easy. The IRS has a book they put out every year with the legal dollar amounts and some software like ItsDeductible make it even easier. Why sell a nice boys dress shirt for $2 at a garage sale when you can put it on your taxes for a $18-$20 donation? Just keep good records (receipt, itemized list of items and digital pictures) and take the highest deduction legal.

I agree, not worth it!! I took some clothes and toys there for the first time within the last month. I explained to the lady that I had never done this and asked how it worked. She was very vague and didnt help much with any explanation. She said they will go through my items take what they want and if I wanted to know a price on them I would have to ask when they call me to pick it up. Well, when I came back later that evening they took 17 items for a total of $16.55, not even $1 a item and one thing I noticed they took was a Chicago Cubs Mobile. I would never let them take it for such a small amount. I would get more at a garage sale. The nice thing is you dont have to wait till next year holding the stuff around your house for a garage sale. When I asked the lady how much certain items were she couldnt tell me cause she was already printing the receipt. I thought it was very sneaky and they should provide you up front with a detailed receipt first before accepting purchase of them. They get away with a lot there and I was not impressed!!

If selling doesn't work out and you itemize your taxes, donate them to the Salvation Army or Goodwill. You can get a nice tax deduction if you have detailed info. on what you're donating (and if you use a tax software, the deduction maximizers will calculate the market value of each item for you and take care of supplementary forms in a very easy way). In the end it will be worth more to you than the few dollars you'll get selling them to Once Upon a Child plus you're helping out a good cause.

You could try Craigslist first...craigslist.com. It's free to list. If you don't get what you're looking for on there then I would try ebay.

SOOO Not worth it. It will not be worth your time, and you probably won't get enough to pay for your gas, but expecially if you shop while you wait for them to go through it all. If you don't want to sell them on your own (yard sale) then I would donate. The tax break will be worth more than the hassel and what little you get from a place like Once Upon a Child. I work with someone who does charity work for a small place in northern Hamilton Co, if you're interested in donating please let me know. They are in great need of children's clothing.

Try a site called GumdropSwap (http://gumdropswap.com). You can swap from anywhere in the US by sending the clothes your kids outgrow to this kids boutique in CT. It's instant gratification instead of waiting for an annual event lik e"Mommy and Me". As long your things are in good condition they don't turn down anything because of brand, size or season. They take everything unlike resale store like Once Upon a Child! They give you points to shop on the website and send the clothes that fit your kids. It's great if you don't have time, patience or know how to do consignment, Ebay, craigslist, tag sale, etc.

You will would be better to sell your clothes yourself at a garage sell or on ebay! You would even save to give them to family or friends.

Once Upon a Child does not give much at all when you sell to them buy when you need something they are a great deal. I bought a bouncer for $17.00

Good Luck!

I wouldn't bother if I were you. I brought in bags of clothes, thinking I would make enough to buy a few cute outfits. The saleslady was rude & loudly announced that they don't take drop-offs on Sundays, before we'd even made it through the door. We had to make the drive again a few days later (we left 3 HUGE bags of clothes). They called us with an offer 3 days afterward, saying they were only interested in 35 items, & we'd be getting a check for $22! I had to drive out there, pick up 80% of my stuff, & get a measley check. I thought I might as well shop while I was there, so I picked out a pair of shoes, a bathing suit, & a few outfits. I paid more than that check was worth, and when I got home, I realized they had put all the clothes on the wrong hangers, so even though they said 9 months, they were 3 months or 6 months. So, all that driving, shopping, and frustration for no money and outfits that didn't fit. It was aggravating, to say the least. Not to mention that their store was really dirty & disorganized. I wouldn't recommend it. Good luck!

Hi K.,

I sold some of my sons clothes to Once Upon a Child. I think it was more of a hassle then it was worth. I brought 2 bags worth and got the majority back. They pick through them and give back what they don't want. I know that almost all of them were in good condition! If they have too much of one kind they don't purchase them. The problem is you take the chance hauling the clothes over there to get $11.00, maybe, and then have to haul them back. If they don't want them....believe me it's a pain!

Jackie