Would you buy nearly new goods for your baby?

hilstep2000

Did for both of mine.

bylromarha

All really useful stuff...thanks.

In response to some of the comments so far, I know there will be a bias in responses toward money saving people on here and have done some local research too. But thanks for highlighting it in case I hadn't...being a first time business woman I need all the help i can get!!!!

Most people I've spoken to would love to buy 2nd hand but don't as they don't like the fact you can't touch items before buying on ebay and nct sales are not in their vocabulary or are too infrequent. Car boots are not really their thing either as it's too much effort for most people.

As for the £500 grant, I spoke to a lady who runs a shop in hastings, which is a quite deprived area. She said the wierdest thing was convincing the people who had the least money that 2nd hand was okay. she said she often saw babies in designer gear with their parents moaning about not being able to afford the electric bill. She said a large part of her job was helping some parents prioritise their finances, which is the bit that really gets me motivated.

So looking to have my shop in a not too wealthy area, but not too poor either as i want the "richer" mums to feel comfortable dropping goods off to the shop which they wouldn't do if the shop was in the poorest part of town, but with enough deprivation so that the items are seen as a good alternative to new.

Keep the comments coming please!

immoral_angeluk

Everything for our 2nd baby was second hand except the crib/cot matresses. Our carseat was from our first baby so we know that it's safe but if we hadnt got one we'd buy that new as well as I wouldn't take this risk of it not being safe.

lil_me

I bought a lot second hand, there was a shop local to me with sold the same, great stuff, great prices, but unfortunately closed due to lack of business, which is a shame.

Rachie_B

I was only 17 when I had my eldest son.Almost everything was a hand me down or bought from charity shops / freeads etc.
I also got some maternity clothes / baby clothes from a shop like you are talking about.

When I had my eldest son @ age 23 I wanted everything brand spanking new,just because i wasnt able to with my eldest

We were stupid and wasted loads of money when really 2nd hand would have done just as well

Now i am an older and wiser money saver lol I wouldnt think twice about buying 2nd hand ,for my kids / myself.
I buy clothes / toys etc on ebay / carboot sales etc

A shop like you describe is better than ebay as like you say ,you can get to see / try out things first before making a purchase

Someone I know set up a business like this,but in her own converted garage !so as not to incur rent / lease etc costs

you could advertise on all the free websites / newspapers etc and have leaflets printed out to put through doors / in windows

Good luck with it

x

Dormouse

I would buy some things second-hand, and I've had loads of hand-me-downs, so it really doesn't bother me at all. I'd personally be especially interested in maternity and breastfeeding clothes (yes I know breastfeeding tops are not a necessity, but I'm a bit funny like that ), and toys.

You sound like you've thought it through well - as you said, the prospect of seeing the stuff (as opposed to Ebay) is an advantage, as well as the fact that NCT sales/car boots are not practical for everyone. I'd come to your shop. Good luck with everything

Lo.j

Hiya, just came across this thread, hope you don't mind me adding my tuppence worth !
Good luck on your new venture, I think it is a great idea and I wish you well.
A couple of things spring to mind.There was a similar shop a few years back on the outskirts of Edinburgh. It sold nice things, but the shop itself looked a bit sad. It was always a dull shop inside and the outside wasn't exactly the most inviting place I have ever seen either. So if you make the inside look like one of the designer baby boutiques ( I don't mean to spend a fortune, but just make it an attractive environment to be in ) I'm sure it will entice all sorts of buyers.
Also, if you really push the recycling aspect of buying secondhand, it might appeal more to more well-off mums.
I'm sure I'm preaching to the converted here, but invest in a steam cleaner and you will be able to get pushchairs etc looking like brand new ( it makes a great job of pram wheels ! ). We did this for our second baby ( even with things that belonged to his big sister ) and everything came up a treat and was sterilised into the bargain.

Again, I wish you well and look forward to hearing how it all turns out.

LJXX

Davina_M

i think the idea is great and wish you all the success in the world. i would just suggest doing alot of research into the other children's shops in the area. If there isn't too much competition then you could really do well. I live in Tooting, South London and would love to see something like that but there is no way they would make any profit because there is 2 markets each with one children's stall, 2 independant shops, mothercare, adams, woolworths primark and peacocks. And the thing with shops like primark and peacocks is you can get an decent childs outfit for @ £5.00 sometimes less.

good luck and keep us all posted.

flea72

we have had several shops in our area over the years, similar to what you are planning, and all have gone out of business for lack of sales. i think the real problem is cost. ok its 2nd-hand, but once the business has factored in their overheads, prices werent much off brand new. if buying 2nd-hand i am doing so because its cheaper, ok recycling comes into it, but price is the main reason, so unless you are going to be charging carboot/jumble sale prices then, no i wouldnt use the shop - in all honesty something would have be at least half the price of new, for me to consider buying it 2nd-hand. as said above, there are so many cheaper alternatives out there, i dont feel the need to pay £200 for a used M&P pram, when i can buy a complete new Gracco system for £100. another reason being, the people who are into labels like M&P, Bugaboo, etc, arent the sort of people to buy 2nd-hand either (unless it is really cheap)

bylromarha

Flea72-some excellent points you've raised there. Thanks.

I'm not sure whether I've made this clear already but I will only sell immaculate stuff. If it needs steam cleaning then I shouldn't be selling it in the first place!

Also shows how much it depends on the area as the shop in Hastings had been going 7 years and had to move premises as the initial shop was too small and the shop I found in Stratford upon Avon had been going 19 years!

RachieB...my sister was exactly the same and splurged on my nephew as she wasn't able to with my niece.

Davina_M quick question...would you rather spend your £5 on a new outfit from primark or a 2nd hand immaculate outfit from Gap?