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Clearing out secondhand kidswear

How to price used kids' clothes using condition, demand and transaction costs

A fair price is not the purchase price times a fixed discount. What actually drives a buyer's decision is whether the same item is available new right now, whether the condition is described clearly, whether the transaction is easy, and whether it is still worth it once shipping is added.

Written by the Minidrobe editorial team

Published

Updated

About 7 minutes

Three things to remember

  • 1Look at recent comparable items first, not just what you originally paid.
  • 2Flaws, missing pieces, season and shipping all belong in the price or the description.
  • 3Set a floor price and a review date up front, so you are not changing the price on a whim each day.

Work out a starting price you can justify

What follows is not an automatic valuation formula but an order of decisions to make by hand: at every step, look at the actual comparable item, the condition and how long you are willing to wait.

  1. 1

    Find 3–5 genuinely comparable items

    Brand, style, size, year and condition should be close. Prefer recent sold data; a listing with an asking price and no sale does not represent the market.

  2. 2

    Take the middle of the range, not the highest asking price

    Drop the obvious outliers, high and low, and anything whose condition differs a lot, and you have a market reference range.

  3. 3

    Adjust for condition and completeness, item by item

    Stains, pilling, tired elastic, a name stamp, a missing belt or missing original packaging should all lower the price and be disclosed up front.

  4. 4

    Add the transaction context back in

    Account for platform fees, packaging, who pays shipping, and whether you want a quick clearance or are willing to wait for the right buyer.

Describe condition concretely — "well kept" is not enough

Condition wording and how to think about price
ConditionWhat to disclosePricing direction
Brand new, unusedWhether tags and packaging are intact, and how long it has been storedClose to the current retail price, still allowing for the secondhand difference
Like new, barely wornHow many times worn and washed, and whether there are visible signs of useCan sit at the upper end of the secondhand range for that item
Normal usePilling, washed-in look, print condition and elasticStart from the middle of the market and adjust
Clear flawsLocation, size, whether it affects wear, with a close-up photoDiscount it clearly, or include it as a free extra or part of a bundle

A pricing worksheet for one garment

Minidrobe records the purchase price and the sale price separately. You set the sale price yourself; we make no claim to judge market value automatically from a photo.

Fill in these seven boxes before listing

  • Brand, item name, size and original purchase price
  • Recent sold reference range for the same or a similar item
  • How many times worn and washed, and the current condition
  • Every flaw, missing piece, and whether there is a name label
  • Your intended price and the floor you would accept
  • Whether shipping is included, whether orders can be combined, and payment and delivery methods
  • The next review date, for example 14 days after listing

When it does not sell, adjust by rule rather than cutting the price daily

Deciding what to change after listing
What you seeLikely causeNext step
People ask but do not buyIncomplete information, or friction over shipping or the transactionAdd size, flaw and total-price details first
People save it but do not askThe price is at the edge of what they will payAdjust slightly, or offer a sensible combined order
No interaction at allThe photos, title, season or channel are wrongFix the presentation and where it is listed before cutting the price
Cheap single items are hard to sellShipping is too large a share of the priceBuild a sale bundle by size or season

Frequently asked questions

Common questions

What fraction of retail do secondhand kids' clothes usually fetch?

There is no fixed discount that fits every brand and condition. Supply and demand, how rare the style is, seasonal demand, how well it has been kept and shipping all change the achievable price, so start from recent comparable items.

Should the price include shipping?

Either is fine, as long as you say so. When comparing market prices, look at the total the buyer finally pays including shipping, so a low headline price does not end up higher at checkout.

Can I still sell something with a small stain?

Often yes, but photograph it clearly in natural light, state where it is and how big, and reflect it in the price. If it raises a safety, hygiene or genuine functional problem, do not hide it or push the sale.

Turn the method into a wardrobe you can search

The free plan holds 50 garments. Start with the one thing you most want to deal with today — there is no need to sort everything at once.

Continue organizing