Comments on: Guest Post: How I Dress My Children for Free

By: Amanda

Amanda — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 08:39:06 +0000

Great post! I always avoided that store because of the cost, but after I read this, I stopped at the mall with my 20%off coupon. HELLO! I had no idea what I’d been missing! Racks of 50-60% off, plus 20% off, plus Gymbucks. I know I went overboard, but it was too cute!

By: Emily Wallace

Emily Wallace — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:02:20 +0000

My question is how do you not spend $6-$10 on shipping your item when using ebay? Every time I have sold stuff on ebay, I have spent so much money on shipping and tracking my package that it has hardly been worth selling the item. What is the best way to ship items on ebay? Thanks so much!

By: Melissa

Melissa — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:43:56 +0000

Renee–Hi. If I had two kids that close together, I would let both boys wear the outfits. That way you save even more money. True, you may not make as much when you resell them, but you were able to dress both boys! I subscribe to the Gymbohaven newsletter (www.gymbohaven.com). She usually includes information about current markdowns and sales. I just went shopping last week and bought some items for my daughter off their rock bottom clearance rack–tops for $2.99 and $3.99, pants for $6.99. Plus, I used a 20% off coupon and got Gymbucks! (By the way, since I wrote this article, I created a new blog–www.momsplans.blogspot.com).

By: Renee

Renee — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 15:35:50 +0000

Great post. I’ve wondered about this before. Here are my questions.
- My little guy does best in a 2T top and a 18-24 month bottom. Will that reduce the resale amount?
- I have a 20 month old son and another boy on the way. Their birthdays will be two months apart. Is is better to save their clothes and let two kids wear (hoping they wear the same sizes in the right seasons) or just sell after one is done and buy again for the next
- What percentage off do you wait for when buying during earning gymbucks time? I assume 40% off isn’t enough (even with a 20% coupon). Is there a way to know when they mark down a certain line without going to the store to check?
Thanks for the information!

By: Heather

Heather — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 13:04:49 +0000

This a great idea! I like my kids to have nice stuff, too. We have a bi-annual consignment sale here and this month I was able to buy most of both of my kids summer wardrobes (including shoes) for $139 and made $135 selling – not bad for $4! I will have to try to hit gymboree and those stores more at clearance time. Now that they are getting bigger, it’s hard to predict what next year’s size will be. I also have a problem because my kids are skinny but tall, so they take a smaller size on the bottom for the waist and a bigger size on top for the length…it’s hard to then sell something as a matched set.
Heather

By: Jen

Jen — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 21:43:51 +0000

Thanks for the great information. I love buying kids clothes on clearance, but I always skip Gymborie because I thought it was too expensive. I’m also getting very tired of my kids clothes getting/looking old worn fast, and have been contemplating buying higher quality. You post will really help me–thanks!
Jen

By: Kristin

Kristin — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 12:08:33 +0000

Thanks Melissa!

By: Bethany Henderson

Bethany Henderson — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 08:14:23 +0000

My favorite thing to do is to go to thrift stores on dollar days and buy gymboree and boutique lines for a dollar. I got a Baby LuLu shirt for my daughter last week, and It should make great money on ebay! I love thrift stores and garage sales, once my girls get older, and I’m done having kids, I’m planning on making great money by selling all their stuff!

By: Melissa

Melissa — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 08:00:50 +0000

Kristin–Yes, selling a whole outfit does better than just an individual piece, but if the lot gets too big, maybe 6 pieces from one line, they don’t sell for as much. And yes, if they are small stains and you are honest about them, it is still possible to sell the item, though you probably won’t make a profit on it.

By: Christine Jacobs

Christine Jacobs — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:16:36 +0000

Great tips…I’ve never tried to sell kids clothes on Ebay…just getting ready for a consignment sale next weekend.

I left an award for you on my blog. Have a great weekend!

By: Karen Rucker

Karen Rucker — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:15:05 +0000

This is very cool! My problem is that I live a good hour away from the nearest Gymboree. Is it possible to do this via their website?

By: Kristin

Kristin — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:53:06 +0000

A couple of questions – 1) Do you find you do better with selling things in lots rather than individual pieces? and 2) Do people really buy things with stains?

By: Emily

Emily — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:44:34 +0000

Hello – great post. Gymboree is certainly a hot ticket on EBay. I have been doing this for a couple years now – buying end of season clearance with gymbucks for the following year. Sometimes I get embarassed because people comment – woooow, that is a cute outfit… is that all Gymboree???’ My hubby was concerned about the risk of buying a year in advance however I figure if she doesn’t fit them… maybe her sister will… and if she doesn’t fit them – someone will buy them on EBay for probably more than I paid for them.
I did however end up buying all Osh Kosh this year – couldn’t find any good deals on Gym this year…

By: Joshua Smith

Joshua Smith — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:14:04 +0000

Outlet stores like TJ max and Bealls will hold nice deals on young mens and ladies clothing. Trick is to find out from an employee when trucks deliver and shelves restock. Gotta be on the inside! Check us out at http://remediesbyjosh.blogspot.com/ for more frugal tips to help you save money

By: The Coupon "High"

The Coupon "High" — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 18:33:14 +0000

I just realized that I forgot to mention that the subscription to Scholastic Parent & Child magazine ( where the 20% Gymboree coupon is this month) is free. Here's the link to get the magazine http://www.freebizmag.com/emailparentchild01welcome.htm

By: Suzanne Wells

Suzanne Wells — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 18:31:24 +0000

Fabulous article! Cheap is good, free is better. And of course I approve of the eBay part!

By: The Coupon "High"

The Coupon "High" — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 18:31:06 +0000

This is very helpful information. I just thought I would mention that this month's Scholastic Parent & Child has the 20% coupon it in. You get can a one year subscription at http://www.freebizmag.com/emailparentchild01welcome.htm.

By: Jana (sidetrack'd)

Jana (sidetrack'd) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:41:44 +0000

Thanks Melissa and Christy! I always try to list the line name when I sell (which I don’t sell a whole lot since we plan to have more children), but I had trouble finding the names of lines from the past. Very good info to know!

By: Christy

Christy — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:09:45 +0000

I can answer Jana’s question regarding the lines, http://www.gymbohaven.com lists all of the lines with pictures, so it makes it easy to find what it is you are looking for. There is also http://www.gymboree-lines.com, but I haven’t used that one personally. When I list on ebay I always put the name of the collection, because most of the people search that way.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:57:26 +0000

Carrie–You should be able to still sell girl’s summer dresses, but the season is winding down, so I would only list them as Buy It Now or start the auction at a price you would be happy with.

Jana–I do list the line names in every auction. I use a site called GymboHaven (www.gymbohaven.com). There you can find all of the line names with pictures of the items. It is organized by year. (Look at the year on the tag of your clothing. If it says 2007, the item was sold in 2008, so look at 2008′s lines on GymboHaven. The item is usually made the year before it is sold.)