Items I've sold on ebay (Ergo Carrier, Gymboree Dress, Toilet Seat, Training Pants, Nursing Cover, Baby Gap Jean Jacket
This post is part of the Savvy Shopper series, and a precursor to another Mother & Baby Source gift certificates giveaway 
When I was talking to Lori, the owner of Mother & Baby Source, she mentioned that more and more customers are buying cheaper, “disposable” baby items verses more expensive, “quality” baby items. In this post, I’d like to show you Why is it better to spend on quality baby items, and how you could salvage your expensive baby gear on ebay. I’m going to use my experience with Ergo carrier to illustrate throughout the post.
The resales value of quality items like Ergo carrier, Quality Breast Pump like MedelaAmeda, etc were pretty incredible
- Sold the Ergo Carrier for $70 on ebay (80% of what I paid for)
- Even my Baby Bjorn potty seat where there’s slight imperfection, was sold for almost 1/2 of what I got it for.
Many people don’t realized and thought about resale value when they purchase what they think is an “expensive” baby item. Some Tips on selling baby items on ebay:
Learn to use online auction sites like ebay: that also include signing up an account for Paypal. I found the ability to purchase and sell quality items online (without the hassle/privacy issues of craigslist) invaluable. There are local consignment stores that take in kids items, but from personal experience, you’ll get at least 50% more if you sell those online, especially for hot items like Ergo Carrier (you can’t even find them on craigslist since they sold as soon as the seller posted it).
Take good pictures: A picture says a thousand words. You can even link pictures from FREE online photo sites such as Flickr, and photobucket. Just use the “html” mode when you create your online listing. You’ll save on the additional fee when you add pictures to the auction listing, and you get to post as big/pretty a picture as you want!
Keep all packaging: Include manuals, outer wrapper, promotional pamphlets, boxes, etc (and open the boxes/wrappers gently – don’t rip them!) For Ergo carrier: I kept the original plastic storage pouch, manuals, I even throw in a User Guide DVD I picked up at the thrift store for $0.5. These accessories add to the saleability of your items. Ignore hubby/other family members who say you’re a pack rat 
It’s all going to be worth it.
Buy locally: New, unused quality baby items are not cheap, no matter where you buy them. You are better off buying the items locally and save on shipping. Ergo carrier’s shipping cost are about $20 because they’re made in Hawaii.
Take good care of your baby items: I cleaned the Ergo whenever it’s soiled, so the stain won’t stick. I never throw it on the ground, and I carried a plastic bag to store it when we’re out and about. I washed it in my washing machine’s gentle cycle.
Even though baby items are only used for a few months, or a year, they’re used more frequently than many other items at home (e.g. high chair, stroller), and many of those baby gears physically carry our precious children (nuff said!). You would really like to make sure that piece of equipment used to carry your child 2-4 feet up the ground be sturdy and reliable – hence, spend the $$ for a quality item, and recoup your cost on ebay!
Note: I’ve not sold big items like carseats, or strollers on ebay. I found that by the time we’re done with them, their condition are too used to even justify any effort of trying to sell them. So some got donated (strollers, if usable). Carseat shouldn’t be used after a few years anyway, when exposed to the hot/cold cycle in a car sitting outside, you’d expect materials to break down!
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Thankls for the picture tip. I never could figure out how people got so many pictures on their listing.
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