9 Tips For Selling Used Baby and Kid Clothes Online

Forever My Little Moon Monday, May 18, 2020
Disclosure: Referral links are used in this post. Affiliate links are also used in this post. You can read my full disclosure here. 




My two favorite apps to sell baby and kid clothes on are Mercari and Kidizen, however, you can find a full list of sites I use here. I will mainly focus on selling on Mercari and Kidizen for this post, but many of these tips can be applied to other selling sites and apps.


Tip 1 - Take Good Quality Photos

Photos are the first thing your customers will see and look at to decide if they want your item, so having good, high-quality images is important if you want to be successful.

Now, this doesn't mean you have to be a professional photographer but make sure you have good lighting and a solid colored background is preferred (I just use a table). A lighter background will also help make your item pop more and will give a more accurate photo of the color, however, my table has a dark background, so I just disclose in my descriptions that the color may vary if I feel the image doesn't portray it quite right and I do my best to describe how it looks to me. I haven't had any complaints. I think it's important just to be honest if you don't think the picture shows the color correctly.

Make sure you take photos of the front, back, and brand/size tags (if applicable) of the article of clothing. If the shirt has a graphic, take an up-close shot of the graphic. If there are any stains or imperfections, take an up-close photo of that as well. 

Mercari will allow you up to 12 photos in your listing, so use that to your advantage! I can't find an exact number for Kidizen, but they do allow multiple, the max I have done is 10 photos for a listing on their app.


Tip 2 - Descriptive Title

The title is also one of the first things your customer will look at, so make sure you give your item an appealing title. Keep in mind, Mercari and Kidizen are not eBay, so your title can't be a full sentence.

I have had the most success when I list size first followed by a short description, if it's a high-end or popular brand (like Disney, Gap, or Gymboree), make sure that is in your title! Here's an example title: "2T Disney Frozen Elsa Shirt"

Listing size is more important on Mercari as the app only shows the photo and price of the item until you click on the listing. Then you will see the title next, and it's more convenient for a buyer to see right away what the size is in the title, instead of having to scroll down to check the size. However, I have just gotten in the habit of listing size first, so I do so on Kidizen even though they do show item sizes beneath the photos in searches.

Feel free to check out my Mercari and my Kidizen shop to see how I list my items!


Tip 3 - Detailed Description

Even though Kidizen and Mercari both have required entries for condition, size, brand, etc, I also repeat this information and expand upon it in the description. I also repeat the title and expand upon it, especially important when doing bundles. For example, if I had a listing titled: "12-18 Month Baby Boy/Unisex 3 Piece Set," I would want to make sure I list and describe each of the three pieces in the description. 

Not only is this helpful to the buyer, but it acts as a safety net for you as you have clarified what items the buyer will be receiving, preventing any discrepancies. 


Tip 4 - Price Items to Sell

Remember, even if you have high-end or famous brands, your items are still used, so think garage sale prices, but it's okay to factor in shipping. The price your item sells at though should still be more than 50% off the retail price, including the shipping cost. Put yourself in the buyer's shoes, how much would you pay for used clothes?

This is where bundling can come in handy, which is my next tip, but if you have a name brand or "limited edition" item, they may sell just fine on their own. I have sold single Gymboree shirts for $8 shipped.

Here are some examples of some sales I made on Mercari (Buyer paid shipping, which isn't factored in price):

And here are some examples for Kidizen (free shipping - $3 items were purchased with a higher-priced item):


Tip 5 - Bundle Items


Bundling works well, but only if done right. 

When bundling items, make sure all items are the same size and it helps if they are the same brand. Like items work best, for example, a set of three basic t-shirts or a set of four leggings. Outfits also do well, for example, a graphic shirt paired with a pair of jeans or a cute top paired with a skirt. 

That said, I have had success in grouping mismatched items, but only on Mercari, and I don't make more than $1-$2 per item. I only do this when I have a bunch of odd items in the same size, but different brands and they don't necessarily pair well together. I just want them gone.

For Poshmark, bundles work best because they only offer $7 shipping for up to 5lbs. Very few people want to spend $4 + $7 for shipping on one used shirt (unless maybe it's a super limited edition).


Tip 6 - Free Shipping (Kidizen Only)

In my time using both Mercari and Kidizen, I have discovered that things actually sell easier on Mercari when the buyer has to pay for shipping. Shocker! Whereas on Kidizen, free shipping is definitely the way to go.

However, for Mercari, if your item is under 4oz., I definitely recommend offering free shipping. For anything over that, I would make the buyer pay. 

Kidizen, on the other hand, I have my shop set up so that everything is free shipping. I list items for $4 with "bundle only" selected (sometimes I make it not eligible for the store discount too), so if someone wants an item for $4, they have to buy another item too.

I have had a lot of success since making this my shop policy.


Tip 7 - Don't Forget Discounts

Don't forget to offer discounts! Kidizen has the option to offer discounts on the purchase of multiple items, I have my shop set to 10% with the purchase of three or more items. This is a great way to encourage buyers to buy more. 

Kidizen also notifies you when someone adds items to their cart, so you can go in and offer an even lower price, and I will usually do this as my main goal is to get the items out of my house while making a quick buck. If your goal is to make a profit, you may be waiting a while for items to sell.

Mercari has a "promote" option where you can lower the price and at the same time, it'll refresh in the marketplace, giving it more traffic. There is also an option to promote to only those who have liked your item, and this can get things to sell faster as it will direct message the person that liked your listing your lower offer.

Poshmark is like Kidizen in which you can offer a discount on more than one item. Poshmark also allows buyers to create their own bundles and you can send them an offer. 


Tip 8 - Hashtags

Mercari only allows up to three hashtags per post, so don't forget to use them and make sure you pick relevant ones. I would avoid clothing type, brand, and color as Mercari will already sort using those. For example, if you are selling a bundle of three shirts:  one has stripes, one has a dog on it, and one has stars, the three hashtags I would use would be: #stripes, #dogs, #stars.

Kidizen, on the other hand, allows as many hashtags as you want and you can even add hashtags in the comments of your post. They also have "Hash Flashes" on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday where they select a hashtag and feature items with those hashtags. 

Take advantage of these Hash Flashes as that's what will get your shop the most traction, but make sure you only add the tag to items relevant to the featured hashtag. 

Poshmark does not use hashtags. 


Tip 9 - Don't List All Your Items at Once

Listing all your items at once is not only time-consuming but is actually a disadvantage. Every time you list a new item, it shows up at the top in searches on the selling apps, so by listing a few new items each day, your shop gets shown to more new buyers every day. Whereas if you post all your items at once, your shop will slowly disappear among other shops posting new items.


Ready to Start Selling?




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