|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
||
HOMEBOOKMARKNEWSLETTERJoin our newsletter to receive news of offers and discountsSearch
AS FEATURED IN...Lucy Siegle On Eithical Living: Sunday March 5, 2006 The Observer
Navigation 3 Wheeler Twins And Tripples
3 Wheelers
9 Months To 11 Years
9 Months To 4 Years
Baby Bags
Bath And Changing Units
Bedding
Birth To 12 Months
Birth To 4 Years
Boori
Buggies
Buggy Accessories
Buggy Boards
Cot Accessories
Cots
Cribs
Grobags Sleeping Bags
Heritage Range
Highchairs
Monitors
Moses Baskets
Nappies
Nursing Chairs
Portable Highchairs
Rocking Horses
Starter Beds
Tandems
Travel Cots
Travel Systems
Twins
Walkers
Parening Books |
How to Buy Used Baby Clothes Online!
There are multitudes of ways to purchase used clothing for your baby. In this article I will cover only the online options available in the hopes that it will help you to maximize your spending money with the least amount of hassle, stress or risk. I hope to cover some of the key issues of buying used clothes online such as private sales versus online stores, the use of PayPal and other forms of payment, purchasing through ebay and non-ebay auctions or non-auctions alike, online classifieds and more all in the hopes that you will benefit from some of the things I've learned and avoid the mistakes that I as well as others have made. First of all let's talk a bit about where to find used baby clothes online from private sellers. There are some areas on the web which allow you to post used clothing ads such as ebay and classified sites. Some classified or "for sale" sites are even specialized in either family or baby related items. Ebay, for those of us who are familiar but not necessarily all knowing about it, is a giant online auction with items being posted constantly in all possible fields and topics. Those selling can choose to list their items in an auction format in which the sky's the limit. Bids can start as low as one penny or they can choose to invite people to purchase the items out right by using a buy now feature in which they set a price for their items. As a general rule the buyer pays all shipping costs on top of the selling price and most payments are made through PayPal, which I will cover later. Baby clothing on ebay tends to be mostly new with or without tags attached and is either sold in batches of items known as "lots" (grouped by gender and size) or individually as outfits. Since I am focusing on used baby items let's discuss those. Batches of baby clothing on ebay tend to get bid very high as there is a seemingly large number of people wanting to buy in this way and very few meeting the demand. I have found that items and batches of clothing of any note on ebay tend to sky rocket in price above what is reasonable for used clothing -- particularly if they toss in a few name brands such as Gap, Osh Kosh, Gymboree etc... and more often than not a bidding war ensues and you are inevitably outbid or worse you get caught up and spend more than you'd originally expected for items you haven't even seen and have no quality guarantee! Auction and classified or selling sites other than ebay can be very chancy -- since ebay is established it has the ability to set down rules which keep most dishonest people out while the smaller sights haven't the same pull with those posting. Quite often these sites (this doesn't really apply to local purchasing) are riddled with people who are no longer allowed to post on ebay for one reason or another. I have had experiences myself in which items promised ended up being fewer than what I'd paid for and set a price based entirely on quantity! I can't tell you how upset that made me, and what was worse -- I was informed that three of the items had small stains when in truth about 50 fell into the stained category. So what had originally been a good deal turned out to be very disappointing! There are of course no guarantees with a private seller, no return policy or customer service after the sale is closed and once the sale is complete you must find a new seller down the road when you need clothing again and you run the risks of stumbling across a swindle or a sour deal every time. One rule to follow in all private sales is to use a traceable method of payment like PayPal. PayPal is a third party which will ensure payment and receipt of product from both parties. Do not use Western Union in any online transactions, or any other non traceable forms of payment! There is no guarantee you'll ever get the items you paid for when you use this method as it is meant to be untraceable! So now let's discuss the second option of buying used baby clothes online -- the non private sellers or online used baby clothing stores. There are over 50 stores currently running online who specialize in selling used baby clothing. As with all things online there are stores which are shabbily run due to poor web design skills and such to no fault on the part of the store, they just don't have the skills to make the process simple and enjoyable for you. They have great items and competitive prices and if you don't mind a little extra effort when placing an order they do have more security than the average private seller -- especially since you know where they are going to be when you need them. There are a handful of sites which are a little better for service - for example you do not need to email them detailed descriptions of the items you'd like, mail them a money order or some such and then wait for them to receive it before they even send you the items these sites often have PayPal as an option and some even have shopping carts if a little confusing to use. There are an even smaller number of high service sights who offer credit card payment options, low shipping costs and things similar to those offered by online stores in general. Quite a few of all three levels of sites have quality guarantees for a week or so after you've received your order -- one even offers a full year quality guarantee! This ensures that the items you buy from them have been inspected thoroughly by people who have a more universal understanding of the words "in great condition" and it is in their best interest to satisfy as they ideally would like you to come back and tell others! Shopping with these stores can be fun and you can save tons while getting the quality you are looking for! Should you choose the more dangerous route of shopping through private sellers with ebay and non ebay sites please take care and remember to never use a non traceable form of payment, don't be afraid to ask numerous questions -- if something seems off in their responses trust your gut -- there will always be another seller. Should you choose to explore the option of purchasing through an online used baby clothing store I wish you all the fun of shopping for baby clothes at bargain prices (doesn't that mean you can buy even more?!) with none of the hassle or risks associated with private sellers and the added benfit of quality guarantees! Happy Shopping! I will cover more on this issue in later posts. About The Author Sharlene Rollins owns and operates a unique second hand online store www.gentlylovedclothing.com. Her email address is shar@gentlylovedclothing.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
babies - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Baby Shower Planning and Hosting Planning and organization are crucial to hosting a successful baby shower. Below are some important topics to consider when planning:1) Who will host the shower?The person that plans and hosts the shower can be anyone, but is usually someone who is close to the new or expecting mother. For Mother and Baby - What Do You Give? A Gift Basket of Course! The choice for a baby or an infant gift can be a difficult one. One of the best baby or infant gifts that you can give is a gift basket. The Five Best Baby Shower Gifts Ask first time parents-to-be what baby shower gifts they would like to receive. Watch their response -- you'll quite likely see a look of real confusion on their faces! Or maybe they'll come up with a stock answer like "diapers" or something similar. Choose The Perfect Baby Shower Gift The first thing you should do when trying to choose the perfect baby shower gift is consider the parents. Quite frankly, babies do not have the awareness or the ability to complain when you buy them weird stuff. Baby Clipart for All Your Baby Shower Printing Needs Baby clipart is the perfect accent to all of your baby shower printing needs. Whether announcements, invitations, thank you notes or stationery. Baby Room Decor Tips & Hints When you plan for a baby room decor, the best thing would be to give attention to detail. Choose the one which would look eye catching to your guests, pleasing to you and comfortable to the baby. Tantrums - Breaking the Cycle Tantrums don't suddenly appear. They are learned. Free Baby Shower Invitations Free baby shower invitations are the best! Everyone knows that the best things in life are free. The best baby shower invitations are also free! There are many places that you can go on the Internet to find free invitations for your baby shower. Potty Training Boys - How To Potty Train Boys - Do You Teach Them to Sit or Stand? I am asked this question by many parents - they all want to know whether to start potty training boys to urinate standing up or sitting down.While there is definitely no right or wrong way to potty train a boy, most potty training experts will recommend that toddler boys should be potty trained sitting down. Babies Born During The Sign Of Gemini Your Gemini Baby.. Baby Shower Favor Ideas With so many different aspects of a shower to plan, coming up with a baby shower favor idea is often the last consideration on a long list of planning.There are several unique, exciting and interesting baby shower favor ideas that will work well for almost any shower. Beyond Flash Card : How To Do The Infant Visual Stimulation In Fun And Creative Ways Babies learn about the environment surrounding them through five senses: vision, hearing, touching, smelling and tasting. Of those five senses, vision is the least developed sense a baby has at birth. Traveling With Babies If you start baby travel slowly and plan wisely, both you and baby will enjoy first-class comfort. Begin with baby steps and you'll find that soon you and your little one will be able to walk, ride, or fly in the fast lane. Is It Colic, Infant Reflux, Or GERD? Learn How To Tell The Difference It can sometimes be difficult for a parent to understand whether the baby has colic or reflux (and even GERD) since some of the symptoms (eg. poor sleep, constant crying) can be similiar. First Birthday Party: Game and Activities for Little Guests Do you want your baby to be thrilled by his or her first Birthday Party? Then you need to come up with interesting ideas for party games and activities. It's not a problem to entertain one child, but if your guests are brining their babies too, then you better plan party activities in advance. Baby Cold Symptoms and How to Treat Them Remember how miserable you felt when you last had a cold? Can you imagine what your baby must feel when he experiences a cold for the first time?Viruses are responsible for causing colds. Infected people spread the viruses when they sneeze or cough nearby healthy people. Wasp and Bee Stings to Babies Are you expecting a baby? Are you planning on having a baby soon? Want to know how to make a baby? No, I'm only kidding. The thing is, if you have, or will have a baby some time soon, you may just like to consider what to do to treat and to prevent wasp and bee stings. Best Baby Shower Invitation Ideas The best baby shower invitation ideas help everyone to have fun without adding stress on the expectant mother. Planning for a newborn can be overwhelming to each family member, so providing the best baby shower invitation ideas with fun and little effort on Mom helps to give the baby shower lasting feelings of friendship and love. Everything You Need To Know About Your Baby's Teething Process The teething process can be a difficult period for both the baby and the parents. The process starts at different ages depending on each baby but usually by age of 3 most infants have their primary teeth in place. Baby Massage: A Cure for Colic Colic hurts. Any parent who has an affected child will know that there is almost no pain like it - the physical and vocal response to the problem can be highly tiring and its very difficult to stand by and cope as a parent.
|
