BST / Buy Sell Trade/ Thrifting, Kids Brands to Know (and Re-sell)
by STACY G

HOW MUCH ARE THOSE USED JOGGERS REALLY WORTH? THE BST EDITION: BST DATA AND ADDITIONAL KIDS’ BRANDS

Updated December 21, 2021

Exploring the resale value of 10 POPULAR BRANDS: Hanna Andersson, Mini Boden, Childhoods Clothing, Jamie Kay, Rylee and Cru, Tea Collection, Kate Quinn, Lulu and Roo, Alice and Ames, and Quincy Mae 

Disclosure: There are some affiliate (and sub-affiliate) links in this post where I may receive commissions for purchases made. These are all products that I stand by and recommend.

Ever the deal-fanatic mom, I am deep in the world of used children’s wares. I’ve sold and purchased clothes at a couple of local Once Upon A Child thrift stores. And I’ve sold second hand kids’ clothes on Poshmark, Mercari, Kidizen, and a number of online resale groups on Facebook, referred to as Buy Sell Trade or “BST” groups.  

The market for second-hand kids’ clothing is huge. It’s an explosion of moms on the prowl for bargains on Childhoods’ joggers and Alice and Ames dresses. Competition, to scoop up a “deal” for name brand garments, is fierce. 

And let’s face it. Most moms are trying to hunt a deal so good that they can flip it down the road for a $4 profit. $18 Childhoods joggers in EUC? Buy them now, and sell them after your kid’s worn them (sparingly) for at least $22. It’s all about the arbitrage, baby. 

If you can buy something used for $18, and later re-sell it for $18 or more, it’s essentially making your kid’s clothing free. “Resale value” is the chief concern of moms living large in the world of used clothing. 

Related: How Do You Afford that Bougie BST Lifestyle? 11 Mom-Friendly Side Hustles You Can Do from Your Phone. See how this Minnesota mom makes $9,400+ a year.

Easy Side Hustles This Bougie Mom Does to Make an Extra $9,400+ a Year

A few months ago, I did a deep dive where I looked at the re-sale value of clothing for Lulu + Roo, Childhoods Clothing, Alice + Ames, Mini Boden Hanna Andersson, and Tea Collection. 

I analyzed the re-sale prices for these brands based on sales data on Poshmark and Mercari. 

Depending on garment type and re-sale condition, re-sale value is generally about 45% to 70%.  And there isn’t that much difference between EUC and GUC items. 

But these answers did not quell my curiosity. They just raised more and more questions. 

  • What is the re-sale value for Lulu and Roo, Childhoods Clothing, Alice and Ames, Boden Kids, Hanna Andersson, and Tea Collection in Facebook Buy Sell Trade groups? Do garments have a higher or lower re-sale value in BST’s?
  • What about local BST groups vs national BST groups? 
  • What is the re-sale value for other popular kids’ brands that have a cult following among style-hungry moms? 

Still a data-marketing-nerd, I spent another 80 hours exploring other popular kids brands. Here’s a more in-depth analysis of the re-sale value of that crumpled up goldmine in your closet. 

Pulling data from Poshmark, Mercari, and Facebook Buy Sell Trade groups, I looked at the the re-sale value of these popular, high-end kids’ brands:

RESALE VALUE STUDY PARAMETERS and Other Notes

I analyzed the resale price of 4,000 garments of these 10 different kids’ brands. I looked at roughly 400 garments per brand, roughly 133 per source (Facebook BST, Poshmark, or Mercari).

I looked at an even spread of condition types. For each brand analyzed:

  • 20% of garments were in NWT condition (new with tags)
  • 20% in NWOT condition (new without tags)
  • 20% in VGUC or EUC condition (very good used condition or excellent used condition)
  • 20% in GUC (good used condition)
  • 20% in play condition

There was not a meaningful price difference (+/- 3%) between items with or without free shipping. 

Data was not taken from Kidizen. I gathered data from Poshmark and Mercari since these re-sale sites provide searchable, drillable data on “sold” item; Kidizen does not. Additionally, I’ve noticed that re-sale prices on Mercari and Kidizen are quite similar for the brands analyzed in this study.

Now let’s dive deeper.

You’ll Get the Best Re-Sale Prices on National Facebook Buy Sell Trade Groups 

Sellers can make the most money overall selling on national Facebook Buy Sell Trade groups. As a shopper, you’ll score the best deals in local Buy Sell Trade groups on Facebook. 

Data in this study is for a local Buy Sell Trade clothing group for families in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area – which is the 16th largest metro area in the United States. While your local BST group may be for a larger or smaller urban area, local BST groups are always going to be smaller than national ones. 

National Facebook Groups have the highest resale value for: 

Clothing Resale Sites Poshmark and Mercari have the highest resale value for: 

And in my particular local BST group, Rylee + Cru and Quincy Mae have higher resale value than the national average. 

There are pros and cons when selling for any of these groups, however.

National BST Groups on Facebook will give you the highest re-sale value, overall. However, most of these groups have very particular rules. You may be required to ship within 24-48 hours of a sale being made, or invoice within 2 hours of a purge sale closing. Additionally, three are so many different purge sale posts in these groups that it can be hard for potential buyers to find your items. You may have to continually “bump” your posts or create new listings. 

Sites like Poshmark and Mercari will give you the largest audience reach and re-sale values that are competitive with what you can get from national BST groups on Facebook. However, you have to pay commission fees of 10% and more. From an organizational perspective, you just need to create one listing and you can tag the brand, gender, and size. People who are looking for a particular item will be able to find your listing instead through structured data filters. Additionally, you generally have up to a week to ship and the resale site will take care of the invoicing and payment processing for you. 

Local BST groups on Facebook will not pay as much as national BST’s or national re-sale sites. However, there may be options to pay via cash or Venmo, and avoid payment processing fees. Or you can arrange for local pickups. Generally, the transactions are smoother. When buyers and sellers are in the same town and will rub elbows again, there is a heightened level of civility. 

Kate Quinn, Childhoods, and Jamie Kay Have the Highest Re-Sale Value; Tea Collection Has the Lowest. 

Resale value for kid’s clothing brands: Tea Collection, Hanna Andersson, Alice & Ames, Mini Boden, Quincy Mae, Rylee and Cru, Lulu and Roo, Jamie Kay, Childhoods Clothing, and Kate Quinn. 

Kate Quinn has the highest resale value, coming in at 103% on average. (And this is after scrubbing out major data outliers. If I had included several garments with a resale value of more than 400% original sales price, the overall re-sale value would look like 117%.) 

Childhoods Clothing and Jamie Kay also have high marks when it comes to holding their re-sale value. These labels fetch 74-cents and 72-cents on the dollar in re-sale groups and resale sites. 

Tea Collection has the lowest re-sale value overall, with garments re-selling for an average 46-cents on the dollar. 

But before you stop buying Tea Collection, I’d point out that many Tea Collection garments fare quite well on the resale market. Boys’ clothing, newer dresses, and leggings all have competitive resale values. Older styles of Tea Collection (with more fade and wash wear) seem to dilute the overall re-sale value. 

I’d also suggest holding off on stockpiling Kate Quinn. The site is always 50% off sitewide, and there are clearance options from $3. These affordable price points are meant to make quality organic clothing more affordable for all. Popular prints, that inflate overall re-sale value, sell out very quickly. Styles and sizes you’re likely to find are unlikely to be unicorns. And even if you re-sell an $18 dress for $20 (or 111% resale value), after you pay for PayPal fees and shipping, you’ll “make” $15.32 for that $18 dress. 

RESEARCH NOTES: Re-sale price of nearly 1,000 garments was analyzed. 80 garments per brand, in varying re-sale conditions, on each re-sale site. There was not a meaningful price difference (+/- 3%) between items with or without free shipping. Data was gathered from Facebook BST groups, Poshmark and Mercari since these re-sale sites provide searchable, drillable data on “sold” items. Kidizen does not provide searchable marketplace data for “sold” items. Additionally, I’ve noticed that re-sale prices on Mercari and Kidizen are quite similar for the brands analyzed in this study.

AVERAGE RE-SALE PRICE PER ITEM

Rylee + Cru clothing is the most expensive brand to purchase brand-new, followed by Alice and Ames and Childhoods. Kate Quinn, Tea Collection, and Jamie Kay are the least expensive brands to purchase brand new, with new garments ranging in price from $16 to $27 per item. These latter three brands have especially generous clearance markdowns – but sizes sell out quickly. 

The original price, that the re-sale value is compared against, is not the “full price”. The original price is the average sales price of the garment, as listed on the retailer’s website, over the past 6 months. The original price takes into account promotions, sales, and sign-up discounts. I looked at every price (from deeply discounted to full price) over the past 6 months to reach an “average” original price.

GENDER NEUTRAL CLOTHING HAS THE BEST RE-SALE VALUE

Gender neutral clothing has a 66% re-sale value, vs 58% for boys and 64% for girls. 

Hoodies, joggers, and typography tees, which resell well, skew gender neutral. (Or is it their gender neutralness is what drives up the re-sale price?) Ditzy floral prints, bubble rompers, gauze dresses, and thick, jersey twirl dresses drive up girls’ re-sale prices. And the most popular garments for boys tend to also be considered gender neutral. 

The difference is marked, but not huge. It’s the difference between a “boy sweater” re-selling for $ 5.80 versus $6.66 for a gender neutral one. For the 86-cent difference, get what you love. Unless, of course, you’re hoping to pass it down to a younger sibling who prefers non-boy looks. 

Remove the Tag and the Garment Value Drops by Over 26% – Except on Poshmark or Mercari 

Brand new clothing, with tags attached, has the best re-sale value overall. But play condition clothing may still be worth listing. On average, play condition clothing will net 40-cents on the dollar. 

And in re-sale sites (Poshmark and Mercari), EUC (Excellent Used Condition) and NWOT (New Without Tag) clothing have better re-sale value than NWT (New With Tag) clothes. That surprised me greatly. 

I’m not sure why NWT clothing would have lower re-sale value on Poshmark and Mercari. I hypothesize this is because Mercari and other resale site sellers are more likely to be stockpiling sale and clearance merchandise to re-sell for a markup. . 

Among these NWT goods that Poshmark and Mercari sellers are flipping: 

  • Clearance items – seasonal or holiday designs and prints.
  • Less common sizes. 
  • Unpopular designs and prints.  
    • They don’t want it for their kid. Maybe someone else will find it un-ugly. 
  • Quickly “unloaded”. Sellers want to unload NWT items (purchased to flip) as quickly as possible, and will accept “lowball” offers if they leave enough margin for the seller to make a profit.

I suspect that NWOT items on re-sale sites, generally, are items:

  • Popular stylish items in colors and prints with broad universal appeal (not season specific).
  • Purchase to actually be worn (before re-selling).
  • Overlooked amid a sea of clothing in the closet.

Clothing “condition” is always subjective, be it on Poshmark or Mercari or re-sale groups on Facebook. One mom’s EUC is another mom’s GUC, or even “Play”. (Play condition is meant to indicate a major garment flaw like a rip, hole, or large, visible stain.)

SHORTIES HAVE THE BEST RESALE VALUE; SWEATERS AND CARDIGANS HAVE THE WORST

Resale Value of Children’s Clothes by Garment Type: Shirts, Joggers, Dresses, and More.

Average re-sale price of tops, pants, leggings, hoodies, shorts, cardigans, and other garments for popular children’s brands Alice and Ames, Rylee and Cru, Tea Collection, Hanna Andersson, Boden Kids, Jamie Kay, Quincy Mae, Childhoods, Kate Quinn and Lulu and Roo. 

The resale value for these garment categories is the overall average based on all brands analyzed: 

  • Alice and Ames
  • Boden Kids 
  • Childhoods Clothing 
  • Hanna Andersson 
  • Jamie Kay 
  • Kate Quinn 
  • Lulu and Roo (Lulu + Roo) 
  • Quincy Mae 
  • Rylee and Cru (Rylee + Cru) 
  • Tea Collection  

Tank tops, leggings, fleece hoodies (i.e. Childhoods Clothing, Lulu + Roo), and rompers have the highest re-sale value. Lined hoodies (i.e. sherpa), skirts, skorts, and pajamas have the lowest re-sale value.   

Brand by brand, different garment types will have higher or lower re-sale value. 

Now are some more in-depth details for each of the brands analyzed. 

Alice and Ames Resale Value

As Alice & Ames primarily sells dresses (with some rompers, skirts, and leos), the bulk of re-sale data I found for this brand was for dresses. 

Instead of doing an analysis by garment type, I decided to drill into re-sale price by garment condition. 

Excellent used condition dresses show a higher resale value than New Without Tag (NWOT), however, there were very few NWOT items to analyze. With a large sample size, I suspect the average NWOT price for Alice & Ames would be closer to 70%. 

Mini Boden / Boden Kids Resale Value 

Mini Boden clothing in EUC (Excellent Used Condition) has a 30% higher re-sale value than Mini Boden clothing in GUC (Good Used Condition). However, these distinctions are subjective. 

There was not a large enough sampling, of resale data, for swimwear and onesies to include it in this data set. 

For Mini Boden garments, leggings and long-sleeve tops (made of cotton and jersey knit) have the highest re-sale value. Joggers and sweatpants have the lowest re-sale value – however these garments skew more heavily towards play condition. 

Childhoods Clothing Resale Value 

To say Childhoods Clothing has a cult following is an understatement. As you can see, even Childhoods Clothing in “play” condition (stains, rips, tears) still has a 50% re-sale value. 

There’s virtually no difference in the resale value of New Without Tags and Excellent Used Condition Childhoods Clothing. And New With Tags Childhoods can sell for higher than its original selling price. I occasionally see NWT Childhoods garments substantially marked up when it’s an especially popular, hard-to-find print. But generally, NWT Childhoods garments go for the same list price you’ll see on the Childhoods website. 

Long-sleeve tops (modal knit) have the highest re-sale value, followed by tank tops and hoodies. Beach hoodies are especially coveted and can sell out quickly, but Trademark style hoodies are also extremely popular. 

Hanna Andersson Resale Value

Hanna Andersson clothing in Good Used Condition (GUC) has a re-sale value below the 50% mark. But this figure is pushed downward by many older Hanna Andersson styles. While many people love the look and fit of vintage Hanna Andersson, they are often faded and show their age. This pushes down the overall resale value of GUC Hanna Anderesson. 

For newer Andersson garments in GUC (released within the past 3-12 months), the re-sale value is closer to 60%. 

Hanna Andersson swimwear, short-sleeve tops, and dresses have the highest resale value. Rompers and sweaters and cardigans have the lowest re-sale value for this brand. 

Jamie Kay Resale Value

With used Jamie Kay clothing in “play” condition fetching 43-cents on the dollar, this New Zealand brand holds its resale value quite well. 

Leggings, overalls, and shorts and bloomers hold their re-sale value best for the Jamie Kay brand. But that 99.88% figure for leggings is a bit misleading. Jamie Kay frequently has $7 sales on its organic essentials, covering socks, leggings, and other cotton separates. 

Kate Quinn Resale Value 

There was not a large enough sampling of NWOT Kate Quinn clothing to include sales data. 

At first glance, the re-sale prices for Kate Quinn Organics look astronomical. But the figures above 100% are somewhat misleading. 

Generally, Kate Quinn customers are not always paying more money for a used dress or pair of leggings. It comes down to a few things: 

  • Kate Quinn is priced more affordably up front, with the majority of styles costing $8 to $26. 
  • Many Kate Quinn prints (i.e. Sunflowers or Pumpkins) are so coveted that people will pay $200 or more for rompers in this print. Even in used condition. 
  • With some Kate Quinn prints so exceedingly popular, often a handful of sellers will buy out all of the prints and be able to jack up the price. Like ticket-scalping, but for bubble rompers. 

Bodysuits, onesies, and rompers hold the highest re-sale value for Kate Quinn Organics. Shorts, pants, and pajamas have the lowest re-sale value. But with the right print, even used Kate Quinn pajamas could sell for over $100 in a BST group or clothing re-sale site. 

Lulu and Roo Resale Value 

There was not enough resales data for NWOT clothing to include it in this data set. 

Lulu and Roo is quite popular in BST groups and clothing resales. While similar in style to Childhoods Clothing, the re-sale value isn’t quite as high. Poshmark can be an especially good source for bargains on Lulu + Roo. (I suspect there’s a couple of sellers based in Utah who purchase loads of goods at warehouse sales and then resell them relatively cheaply.) 

Skirts, pajamas, and joggers and sweatpants have the highest resale value among Lulu & Roo garments. Shorts, shorties, and tank tops have the lowest resale value.  

Quincy Mae Resale Value 

Insufficient NWOT resale data for Quincy Mae to include it in this data set. 

I was only able to find data for a handful of NWOT Quincy Mae re-sales. Without a large enough sample size, I couldn’t include NWOT sales data in the chart. 

Overall, I was surprised to see that Quincy Mae didn’t hold its resale value a bit better. But it is a more expensive brand to begin with. Resale prices for used Quincy Mae garments, even ranging from 38% to 60%, are still relatively high. 

The Quincy Mae label is popular, however, there are not BST groups on Facebook dedicated exclusively to the Quincy Mae label as there are for Jamie Kay, Kate Quinn, or other brands analyzed in this re-sale study. 

Quincy Make singlets, tanks, shorts, bloomers, and long-sleeve tops hold their value the best. And with 60% re-sale value, Quincy Mae dresses hold their re-sale value better than dresses by Childhoods, Mini Boden, or Hanna Andersson.

Rylee and Cru Resale Value

Rylee and Cru re-sale value ranges from 45% to 76%, depending on condition. Clothing in Good Used Condition (GUC) resells at north of the 50% mark. Rylee + Cru clothing in good used condition will ree-sell for just over 55 cents on the dollar. 

Tank tops and T-shirts have the best re-sale value for Rylee + Cru. I suspect it’s because these garments generally cost around $25 or less, an affordable entry point to buy a piece of the brand. The figure of $20 or $25 seems to be the cut-off point for what buyers are willing to pay for a “deal” for high-end brands. For garments new or used. 

Tea Collection Resale Value

Strikingly, Tea Collection clothing in GUC (Good Used Condition) has a resale value higher than Tea Collection clothing in EUC (Excellent Used Condition). I think this underlines the point that the distinction between “Excellent” and “Good” is subjective. 

This is especially true since Tea Collection clothing is more apt to be heavily worn than other featured brands like Childhoods Clothing or Quincy Mae. For Childhoods and Quincy Mae, parents tend to be more restrictive about where they’ll let their kids wear these labels. (Preferably sitting quietly in a room without food, drinks, or dirt.) These latter two brands tend to be considered more of an “investment” with parents keen on getting back their money. It’s all about the resale value, baby. 

Of course, Tea Collection is an expensive brand too when you look at it’s large price tags on the website. However, Tea Collection tends to run a large number of sales and clearance events and the markdowns can be quite significant. These sales give Tea Collection the perception of being more of a mass market brand. 

SOME THOUGHTS AND TAKEAWAYS FROM PUTTING TOGETHER THIS RESALE DATA 

It was an interesting exercise to (re)gather and (re)analyze the resale data for these featured children’s brands. 

When I made my first pass at analyzing the data, I only included Alice and Ames, Boden, Childhoods, Lulu and Roo, Tea Collection, and Hanna Andersson. I included several more clothing brands with my second analysis: Jamie Kay, Kate Quinn, Quincy Mae, and Rylee and Cru. 

And in my second go at analyzing re-sale value, I also looked at re-sale data from a number of Facebook Buy Sell Trade groups. 

Layering in the Buy Sell Trade data from Facebook changed the picture significantly. 

For one thing, most items sell for more on Facebook re-sale groups than they do on Poshmark or Mercari. My earlier prediction was that BST groups were cheaper – this is only true for a local BST group I analyzed. 

Including BST data also showed clear and predictable distinctions in pricing based on the garment’s condition. NWT garments have the highest resale value (90.43%), followed by NWOT (71.65%), EUC (66.41%), and GUC (55.81%). 

I think having the figures and charts  in this article are helpful – especially the category price list for how much different garment types sell for. It’s not the Holy Grail of re-sale pricing. It’s a directional roadmap. It gives you a good idea of how much a bubble romper or cable knit sweater might go for. 

As of right now my main takeaway is how disruptive BST groups are to the clothing market. They compete toe-to-toe with retailers that sell their goods brand new. They’re shaping what we buy, and how much of it we buy.

After doing this second analysis of clothing re-sale prices to see which brands and which garments hold their value the best, I’ve reached three conclusions. 

My Three Takeaways from Buying, Selling, and Trading New and Used Kids’ Clothing 

My first takeaway is that I need to retire from doing resale analyses. For at least a year or two. The deeper I go into the resale analysis world, the less I enjoy the “thrill” of prospecting. There are a lot of web pages and Facebook posts to get through to mine for nuggets of data. 

My second takeaway: with the exception of some highly coveted “unicorn” prints by Childhoods Clothing or Kate Quinn, you’re probably not going to make your money back. 

Of course there are exceptions. Maybe you got the clothing free. I snag a lot of free goodies for my kids every year.

Or maybe you’re like the miracle-worker-mom in my local BST group who scours the thrift stores and consignment shops for amazing finds, and then sells them to local BST group moms. She’s always finding great stuff and I doff my hat to her. But she’s putting a lot of time and energy into the venture.

If you’re a BST magician, and can pull off the magic trick of materializing a $20 Alice & Ames herbal study romper in gently worn condition, you’ll have to re-sell it for at least $25 in order to break even. Not to mention the time and energy put into prepping the garment for resale, posting it, selling it, and shipping it. 

But I still think it’s worth getting back 50-cents to 80-cents on the dollar for your purchase. And giving those cute pajamas and cord overalls a new home after your littles have outgrown them.

Which brings me to my final takeaway. Buy your kids clothing that you love, and that your kids can wear the crap out of. Even in play condition, sturdy, well-made garments can always find a second (and third) home. 

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