I know this is a dilemma that every new mum around the world faces, what to do with your maternity clothes? Should you keep them because you are planning to have another, or just get rid of them? Of course if you had a maternity rain coat from Mother and Nature you can continue to wear it after giving birth. Some recent studies suggest that on average British ladies will spend around £700 on maternity clothes during pregnancy.
That is a lot of money especially when you need to put all your resources into also getting all things baby. Typically the £700 goes on around 21 items, jeans, dresses, maternity trousers, and the list goes on. From the years 2000 to 2018 the average number of live births each year is 750,000 babies born, yes that is 750 thousand. So doing the maths that is nearly 16 million maternity clothes bought each year and potentially ending up in landfill sites. The amount of money spent on maternity clothes each year is over 500 million pounds.
September 26 most popular day to be born over the last two decades
September 26 was the most popular day to be born over the last two decades, which falls 39 weeks and two days after Christmas day.
8 of the top 10 dates of birth were towards the end of September – with the other 2 being early October. Part of the reason for this increase in births could be due to couples planning to have children at the start of the school year
So what happens to all those unwanted maternity clothes? Charity shops never seem to have many maternity clothes, is this because they get snapped up straight away? Or is it because people never donate them to charity shops, they either just throw them away or sell them on eBay?
Selling Maternity Clothes on eBay
If you are considering recouping some of the money spent then eBay might be a good place to start. However be warned that it does take time and effort to list and market. Then finally you have the posting and packaging to do. But if you do decide it is worth the effort, what is the best way to sell on eBay. First of all is, when do you list your items for sale onto eBay? Research suggest that the best time to list is on Sunday evenings as this his when most people log pinto the platform. This will then get your second hand gear in front of as many eyeballs as possible.
How To Sell
To sell in bulk bundles or as separate items. Well the best way is a mixture of both depending on how many items you are selling. First sort out all you high end branded clothes, the ones that cost you the most. Sell all these as individual items listing the brand name and size, give as much detail to the items as you can. Then the basic items such as t-shirts, make small bundles, same with the brands, if you have a few “Next” t-shirts, that’s a bundle. Same with any other well know brands with inexpensive items. You could also bundle up as “work bump” “Summer bump” “Winter bump” to help define what the buyer wants.
Currently there are 46,500 total results for maternity clothes, only 6 thousand of those listing are for second hand items. Even though there is only a small % of second hand listing don’t set your expectations too high on how much you will make.
Giving To Charity
Currently there are 3,815 registered retail charity shops to sell second-hand goods. 360 of these shops turn over less than 50 thousand a year and constantly struggle to pay their business costs each year. The most common group of charity retail shops turnover between £100 thousand to £250 thousand. Of course during Covid all the charity sectors have struggled generating any income all. Charity is now big business so ensure that you gift your items to a charity close to your heart and that most of the profits get spent on good causes.
The biggest income for them has probably been gifted to them when people leave their money in will’s to charities. The British Heart Foundation in 2019 to 2020 actually received over £80 million in legacies alone. For the same period fund-raising was 53 million and profits from retail sales was just under 10 million. In fact since 1987 they have raised nearly 400 million through the retail sector.
Retail Enterprises That Turn Over More Than A Million Pounds
- 1 million to 1.9 million = 235 enterprises
- 2 million to 4.9 million = 130 enterprises
- 5 million to 9.9 milllion = 40 enterprises
- 10 million to 50 million = 20 enterprises
- 50 million + = 5 enterprises
See How Popular Your Birthday Is
hover over the dates and it will give you a ranking for that date
Make Something New Out Of Your Maternity Clothes
The might not be an option for everyone because not everybody haas access to a sewing machine or its a seamstress. However if you have the skills then you can change your old maternity clothes into anything you want. If you don’t have the skills then you could look win your local paper for one or just search seamstress on Facebook and that should bring you a few results.
Maternity Hiking Pants
Of course if you bought or maternity hiking pants then there is no need to worry because you can carry on wearing them.
These maternity walking trousers are fantastic for getting out and about while pregnant, plus they’ll keep you warm and dry in the cold wet winter weather.
With an expandable waist band, you can wear them during and after pregnancy, which means they’re perfect for walks with the pram once baby arrives.
That just leaves what to wear after giving birth.
