Second hand baby/children's shop

oliviarosejackson

Hey everyone,

Me and a friend have been brainstorming ideas of working for ourselves and we have cone up with a second hand baby/children's shop.

We were thinking of maybe start selling from home first. Getting stock from carboot sales and selling via our local paper and Facebook to keep the cost down. Then if it took off, looking in to getting a shop.

Does this sound like a good idea. Do you think that it could take off?

desert_rose

I'd be a bit careful here - baby equipment is a great business idea and there's a definite market for second hand goods (what with everyone feeling a bit strapped for cash these days) - but you do need to make sure that anything you sell on is in excellent condition, has the safety standard logo prominently displayed and you're 100% confident that whatever you're selling on is absolutely flawless.

A neighbour of mine (years ago now) did something similar and she ended up with a thriving little shop selling mainly 'big items', like cots and pushchairs then added in nearly new designer baby-wear which was very popular.

She didn't make a fortune, but it became a solid little business and she built up a good reputation for quality second hand goods at affordable prices. I think if she had advertised, it would've built up the business considerably, but she was happy to keep it as a lifestyle type concern which fitted in with her family commitments at the time.

lincroft1710

There may be covenants in your deeds or restrictions in your tenancies about running a business from home. You are no doubt aware about having to register with HMRC as self employed.

Unless you are fortunate to either have indoor car boot sales locally or can hold a large amount of stock, you will have problems sourcing stock in the winter months. You could advertise for suitable items to sell on and obviously offer as little as possible.

Whether you could successfully run such a business from a retail shop will depend on so many things. Remember there are 4 "rights" when selling, the right price, the right item, the right location, the right time.

spike2012

lincroft1710 wrote: »

There may be covenants in your deeds or restrictions in your tenancies about running a business from home. You are no doubt aware about having to register with HMRC as self employed.

Unless you are fortunate to either have indoor car boot sales locally or can hold a large amount of stock, you will have problems sourcing stock in the winter months. You could advertise for suitable items to sell on and obviously offer as little as possible.

Whether you could successfully run such a business from a retail shop will depend on so many things. Remember there are 4 "rights" when selling, the right price, the right item, the right location, the right time.

quick question on this as I remember reading in my tenancy that running a business from my house I am renting is not allowed, are garage (driveway) sales allowed? I would car boot but don't own one, and work takes up a lot of time. Perhaps (before the weather turns bad) I could have a driveway sale and post flyers in doors around the area a week beforehand?

lincroft1710

I think "house" would probably relate to the whole property i.e. all parts which you are entitled to occupy so garden, garage, sheds etc would all be included. I don't think a "driveway sale" would constitute a business, unless they were a regular occurrence. If you want to be 100% certain of not offending the conditions of your tenancy it's best to check with your landlord.

Arewethereyet

I've been buying baby stuff & toys at car boot sales and selling locally and on ebay for about 5 years. It's hard work but we make £5K - £10K a year.

I imagine a shop would drain your profits as rent & rates are usually huge. You also need to make sure someone is there from 9-5, six days a week so it's a big committment.

It took a few years but we now know what stuff sells well on ebay and what doesn't. The baby stuff and toys that are not worth ebaying we sell at NCT nearly new sales (check out the NCT website for your local one - usually held every 6 months).

More recently we've been selling at "Baby & Children Markets". They are a new company and I'm not sure they've reached your area yet but worth looking out for - I go every month and usually take £300 a time. I also sell toys at a local WI market every so often - lots of old ladies buying toys for the grandchildren!

I hope this helps and gives you a few ideas.

InsideInsurance

Running a business is literal and not just meaning your physical place of sale. If you are buying stuff and storing your stock at your home address this is potentially running a business from home.

You would need to check with both your landlords and the local council to see what is allowable. Most unfortunately will not like stock being kept there and in worst case can require planning permission to change the class of use from residential to business and thus also making you liable for business rates on the premises.

If you can get round that side of things (or simply decide to try and fly below radar) then you really should consider good liability insurance. If a baby was somehow seriously injured by a fault in one of the items you sell you a claim for 24/7 life long care, loss of earnings and PSLA can easily get into the millions. Death is generally a flat £15-20k. It wouldnt cost you much in comparison to the risk

NicChanna

There is an amazing second hand baby stuff shop in one of the poshest parts of Edinburgh and it rakes it in - go for it!

lincroft1710

NicChanna wrote: »

There is an amazing second hand baby stuff shop in one of the poshest parts of Edinburgh and it rakes it in - go for it!

Although I think selling secondhand baby items is one of the very few viable ideas posted on these boards, OP should test the water first before branching into a retail outlet. Opening and running a shop is very costly.

The Edinburgh shop may well sell high end of the market products at affordable prices or have built an established and ongoing clientele over the years. Edinburgh is also a large city (by British standards) and thus potentially a large customer base.

In the area my Yellow Pages covers, there are few new baby item outlets, and I don't think any secondhand ones. So either there's a gap in the market or there is no market.

wifefaefife

NicChanna wrote: »

There is an amazing second hand baby stuff shop in one of the poshest parts of Edinburgh and it rakes it in - go for it!

Can you tell me where it is and whats its called? I'm not to far from edinburgh. PM me if you don't want to post it.

Arfa__

From my experience, there is a high demand for second hand kids stuff; baby, toddler and older. However do bear in mind a lot of stuff gets put on Freecycle (we got loads off there), lots from friends passing stuff around (particularly in our local churchy group), charity shops have loads of clothes (one local one had new Mothercare samples/end of lines dirt cheap) and there's a lot on ebay. My wife did try selling various bits on ebay, was a bit hit and miss and very seasonal - e.g. did better saving lined/padded winter trousers to the autumn for listing. Also got better price for our Phil'n'Teds buggy, by breaking it down for spares'n'repairs, selling bits individually!

I guess my point being, there's a lot of kids stuff in circulation, trying to profit out of it, won't be easy. Definitely test the market before any heavy investment. Have you considered a market stall as a first step? If it goes well, then consider a permanent shop.