How to get baby gear for cheap
I want to let you in on my secret weapon for finding baby gear.
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The Facebook marketplace has been the absolute best place to find good deals on things that I need. It is awesome because most of the baby gear I need doesn’t need to be new. I’ve bought toys, clothes, swings, baby food accessories and most of the other things I need through the Facebook marketplace.
I have to tell you the best deals are on clothes. I love it when I can find a bunch of clothes being sold as a lot. What that means is that someone sells a whole bag of baby clothes for $50 or something like that. Sometimes the seller will take pictures of each of the items of clothing and other times they will just say a trash bag full of 6-9 month boy clothes, or something like that. Both are good, but you get more surprises in the bags full of clothes. I know I’ve snagged some clothes that look like they’ve been around since I could fit in them.
These are great because it’s usually a really good deal per piece of clothing and you really don’t need to keep everything that comes in the bag. If there is something that is stained, or you really just hate it you can donate it to a thrift store or just hang onto it so that it can be re-sold with the lot.
How to get your money back
That’s right I said re-sold. I know what you’re thinking. I’m saving all of my baby stuff for my next baby. But why? That means storing it and a lot of baby stuff takes up a lot of space in your basement or garage, or heaven forbid you don’t have a basement or a garage and have to find room for that stuff in your home.
No thank you! When you’re little one has outgrown a set of clothes, or other baby gear, think swing, that’s huge and you don’t want to store it, just re-sell it on the Facebook marketplace for a price that is similar to what you bought it for. When/if you have another baby, you can re-purchase the item on Facebook Marketplace again and it’s a win-win. You don’t spend more money, really, and you don’t have to store the stuff.
There really are some things you should purchase new, a car seat, for example, should be purchased new because they expire. Pacifiers and anything that has to do with feeding a new baby should also be purchased new i.e. Bottles, nipples, breast pumps. When I mentioned that I bought baby food accessories, I purchased some silicone molds to freeze baby food in as well as some reusable squeeze pouches. These can be run through the dishwasher and they will be fine.
Stay safe
Another note about purchasing things from Facebook Marketplace is to remember to be safe about it. As with any time you meet someone that you first contacted online, it is important to remember to be safe and to avoid putting yourself in a compromising situation. A few tips for staying safe include:
- Meet at a neutral location where lots of people will be around and in a lighted area. This is easier in the summer, but during the winter months when it seems to always be dark, a well-populated parking lot where you know there are security cameras will do.
- Bring someone with you if you can.
- If you can’t bring someone with you, let someone know where you are going, what you are doing and when you expect to be back and check-in when you get back.
- If something doesn’t feel right just leave. Anything you’re getting here isn’t worth the risk of you not being safe. Especially if you have your little one with you.
There are of course other places to get used baby gear for a good price. In my area (Champaign, IL) we have a one week store that is set up at the rec center called the “One Week Boutique” that has good prices on gently used baby items. You can check your local area for similar events.
Thrift stores and garage sales are also good places to look for used baby items. I especially love it when a whole small town near me sets up a garage sale day and I can just wander around town that day and see what I can find.
One more idea
Another good idea is to set up a sharing network with friends and neighbors near you. I have a friend who recently moved to the area who has a little boy just about a year older than Pancake. She gave me some clothes that her son had outworn. I really appreciated it. I have another friend to whom I pass on the clothes that Pancake has grown out of. We have an understanding that whoever has the next boy gets the clothes next.
It’s really fun because sometimes you get things that you’ve seen him wearing and thought were cute. It’s also nice that sometimes there are new clothes added to the package because every boy has a grandma who likes to buy him new outfits. If any of the clothes get stained or otherwise ruined, they are just removed from the package and its no big deal. You could think about setting up something like this with your friends and neighbors.