Tips and Tricks for Buying Secondhand Clothing Online

First of all, hang on to your hats, because you are about to be blown away by baby cuteness. I do not apologize if this post induces baby fever (pictures of El have that effect on me too…haha). Second of all, if you’ve been curious about secondhand clothes shopping, but are easily overwhelmed by thrift/consignment stores (ME!!), this post is for you. Buying secondhand clothing is a great way to make your wardrobe more ethical and eco-friendly (while also saving money!!). I will mostly focus on children’s clothing, but a lot of these tips will apply to adults as well. Also, this post is chock full of tips and ways that I apply them, so it’s not short. My goal here is to be as helpful as possible, so feel free to save this to read later. Let’s jump right in, shall we?

GAP Sweatshirt from ThredUP

As far as WHERE to shop, I like ThredUP & Kidizen the best. Their apps are super user-friendly. I can easily find good deals & quality clothes. Although the focus will be mostly on those two apps/websites, most of these tips will apply to other online platforms such as Mercari or Poshmark (I’ve purchased a few things from these sites as well). At the end of this post I will also tell you what types of clothing items I tend to buy on each of the different platforms.

My first tip for buying secondhand clothing online is to know what you like! This applies to brands, colors/patterns, styles, and fabric types. I’m going to tell you what I like in order to give you some ideas. As far as brands go, I buy a lot of GAP, as well as some Old Navy. I like classic pieces, what can I say? Although there is a lot of GAP in my daughter’s wardrobe, I also like pricier brands like Mini Boden, Hanna Andersson, Alice & Ames, Zara, and Tea Collection. These brands tend to wear really well, and for that reason have a slightly higher resell value. For shoes I like brands like TOMS, L’Amour, Livie & Luca, See Kai Run, Salt Water, etc. {Because I know you’ll ask, I’m generally pretty picky when I buy secondhand shoes. They have to be in very good condition, because shoes tend to shape to our individual feet, and I would not want my “early walker” to have shoes that didn’t fit her feet well. I tend to buy shoes that have never been worn or only worn 1-2 times.}  For colors/patterns and styles, I mostly lean towards solids/stripes/polka dots. I like the occasional ruffle, eyelet detail, etc. I try to pick clothes that mix & match well, and I stick to colors I love (because El doesn’t care yet), so you’ll see her wear a lot of pinks, yellows, & blues (as well as a lot of neutrals—typically black or grey). These aren’t hard & fast rules, but it does make picking out clothes in the morning super easy. When it comes to fabric, I avoid polyester whenever possible (because 1. bad for the planet; and 2. Ellis has super sensitive eczema-prone skin). I mostly stick to cotton, & sometimes buy linen or tencel. 

Adorable Top from ThredUP

If you’re wondering how to apply this information to your shopping experience, it’s simple. In ThredUP’s app you can filter your search by size, price, fabric/material, colors, patterns, brands, etc. (there are more, but these are the main ones I’ve used). In the Kidizen app you can narrow your search by category, size, gender, price, & condition. Your knowledge of what you like, along with utilizing these filter options will help you to reduce overwhelm when purchasing clothes. 

A couple of other “search tips”… For toddler sizing, always select “2 AND 2T” (or whatever) because you’ll find the same size clothes under both options. You don’t want to miss out on great pieces just because they are marked “3” and you only searched “3T.” If you’re looking for something specific, search for it using different search terms. There’s a company I found on Etsy that makes really cute “Go Outside” tees & onesies. I ended up finding one in excellent condition on Kidizen for half the price using this tip! #winning 

Top from Kidizen. Shorts from ThredUP. Shoes from Mercari.

While I do search by the options noted above, sometimes I search solely by PRICE. Obviously one of the perks of shopping secondhand is that you can get nice clothes at great prices.  There are a few things to keep in mind for finding good deals. First is to know the rough retail price of things when possible (just go to the brand’s website & check). Some things are overpriced, but what I may think is a good deal, you may think is overpriced. Just keep in mind that certain brands have a higher re-sell value. One thing I’ve noticed is that some sellers price H&M, Old Navy, & Cat & Jack pieces at above retail even when they aren’t “new with tag.” (Ex: H&M makes adorable sundresses that retail for $5-8, but I see them listed for re-sell at $10-$13. While I fully understand that shipping isn’t free, I’m not willing to buy secondhand clothes at above retail. Especially not for inexpensive brands like I mentioned above!) On the other hand, I don’t mind occasionally paying around 50% off retail for nicer brands that hold up well (Hanna Andersson, Mini Boden, Alice & Ames, etc.). When searching by price, I typically search less than $10 on Kidizen (that’s the minimum you can search there) & less than $8 on ThredUP. I will spend a little more than this though if I really love something and/or it’s a good brand. Ex: I love Hanna Andersson jammies & will spend $15-$20 on them (they are $40+shipping new). When my daughter was a baby, I easily found lots of $2-$5 (& even a few $1) finds on ThredUP (I also got lots of hand-me-downs at that age). I realize that $8-10 may sound like a lot for secondhand clothes to some of you. Keep in mind that when you buy online, it’s more consignment than thrift and the quality and condition reflect the prices. You also have to keep in mind that shipping is often included in the price. There are a few ways to save more money though. 

For example, ThredUP has an “outlet” section. If you purchase 5 or more things in this section, you get an additional discount with code “OUTLET.” Many online sellers will allow you to “bundle and save”, which basically just means if you buy 2-3 things from the same seller you will get a discount (I’ve gotten up to 50% off this way). With the exception of ThredUP, most online secondhand platforms have the ability for you to “make an offer” below what the seller is asking. I’ve only done this a few times, but my offers were quickly accepted & my orders were auto-completed. On a couple occasions my offer was rejected, but no biggie.  I would def recommend doing this on Poshmark in particular because shipping is set at $7.11 (because it’s automatically Priority Mail) & that makes your total cost higher than other platforms where the seller can choose to use cheaper shipping methods. My best advice would be don’t be a jerk and completely lowball the seller. I tend to offer around $2-$5 cheaper depending on the initial cost. Poshmark & Mercari have a button where you can make an offer. On Kidizen you can just message the seller. I’m not sure about Poshmark, but on Mercari, if you don’t see the “make an offer” button, it means that the price is firm/the seller isn’t willing to entertain any offers. So I take that as a “if the button is available, you should at least try.” Obviously this is not always the case, but you certainly don’t know unless you try. Another thing to keep in mind is that Poshmark, Mercari, & ThredUP will charge sales tax if applicable in your state. 

PJs from Kidizen

I have two additional great money saving tips! The first is to “favorite” things that you like. On most platforms you will get a notification (either in the app or via e-mail sometimes) when the price drops. Favoriting things is also helpful for keeping track of things you like without having to buy it all at once. On Mercari and Poshmark you can sometimes get lower offers from the seller after you favorite an item. ThredUP has sales every once in awhile and sometimes the sale items are based on what you have favorited. My second great tip is to add things to your cart if you really love them. On ThredUP this allows you to hold things for 24 hours so no one else can buy it (right now they only have 4 hour cart holds. I’m hoping that’s just temporary, but we’ll see…). You can also keep adding it back to your cart every day—I’ve done this for weeks when I’m being super indecisive. On Kidizen sometimes sellers will send you an extra discount just for carting something (you typically have 24 hours to use the discount in these cases).  

Now that we’ve talked about searching and saving, I’ll give you a few additional tips that I’ve found to be helpful. Most importantly, PAY ATTENTION TO DETAILS! Does the size on the listing description match the size on the tag? Sometimes something will say 2T & really be 18-24 months (if no tag pix send a message to the seller on Kidizen). I see this happening most often with baby sizing. On ThredUP I rarely see the tag in the pictures, and I have gotten a few things that are not the size advertised, but they will let you return them for a full refund if you explain what happened (annoying, but one of the downsides to buying online). Make sure you read the description that details the condition of the item. I mostly buy things that are described as ‘very good’ ‘excellent’ ‘like new’ or ‘new’. I don’t generally buy clothes with stains, but I don’t mind wash wear in most cases (usually that involves minor fading or minor pilling). These are personal preferences; yours may differ. 

On Mercari you can do “saved searches.” This is nice if you’re hunting for something specific (ex: I have one for ‘LSU’ in sizes 2, 3, and 4). I’m pretty sure you can do something similar on Poshmark & ThredUP, but I’m not entirely sure how, as it’s not super obvious to me. My last tip is to think outside the box! You can buy costumes, books, and toys on a lot of these platforms. Additionally, barely (or never) used baby items are also available. I’ve purchased several books on Kidizen and I recently bought my daughter a secondhand Wonder Woman costume on ThredUP. 

LSU cheerleading outfit from ThredUP

Way back at the beginning of this never-ending post I said that I would share my favorite platforms to buy specific items. This is based on my personal experience, so keep in mind your mileage may vary. For shoes, I have had the best luck finding good condition great deals on Kidizen and Mercari. I just bought Ellis a pair of Salt Water sandals in great condition on Kidizen for $15 (these cost $30-$50 new and tend to retail for $20+). I’ve been able to find LSU cheerleading outfits for El on ThredUP, and Mercari, but I have seen some on Kidizen as well. For some of the pricier brands I mentioned in my post, I’ve found the best deals on Kidizen and Mercari (don’t forget about the sales on ThredUP though). I would definitely recommend checking Kidizen first for things like jackets and coats. For pajamas, I’ve found the best deals (at least on Hanna Andersson pjs) on Kidizen and Mercari. This last one is going to sound weird, but the number one thing I buy on Poshmark are sports bras for me. I’ve found great deals that are either “new with tag” or “new without tag.” People often sell them for cheap, so even with the $7 shipping, they still end of being a good deal. 

Romper from ThredUP

If you’ve made it this far—congratulations! You have completed my master class on online secondhand shopping! haha I hope you’ve found this helpful. Please don’t hesitate to ask any questions you may have in the comments below. If you’re already a secondhand shopper, tell me what your favorite “score” has been? I’ve found so many things I love, it’s too hard for me to pick one. 

P.S. Yes we own a Nugget Comfort. Yes I think it is worth the money. ;)

Ellis's Birth Story: Part 2

Continued…. (See Part 1 here)

Mmmmm….castor oil. Bahaha  { if you know, you know ;) }

Soon after we got home from getting the next round of antibiotics, Tye and I decided that we had better try to get at least a little bit of sleep.  Tye laid down a few minutes before I did, but within MINUTES of me finally lying in bed, I could feel contractions. It felt like my body went from zero to sixty. The worst part was that it was all back labor. Ugh. For the first few minutes I had Tye lay behind me and put counter pressure on my back. It wasn’t long though, before the castor oil “kicked in” if you will…if you know anything about castor oil, that means laboring on the toilet is essentially your only option. So while my body essentially cleaned itself out (sorry not sorry), my amazing darling FANTASTIC husband continued to give me counter pressure on my back (I cannot even describe how much this helped—it was the difference between “oh my gosh I can’t do this” and “ok, this is bearable”). I essentially spent the next 2+ hours laboring in the bathroom with Tye giving me counter-pressure on my lower back pretty much the whole time. At some point I was able to leave the bathroom without fear (LOL). 

I began pacing the house and then pacing our driveway as Tye tried to coax me into the car because not only was it time for me to get another round of antibiotics, but at this point contractions were coming one on top of the other and it was clearly time to actually be at the birth center. I remember strongly considering the idea of a home birth, because getting in the car sounded like the worst thing EVER. Somehow Tye finally convinced me to get in the car and pedal to the floor we were off to the birth center. It felt like we hit every light between our house and the interstate.  At one light there was a police car in front of us and Tye almost flagged him down and asked for a police escort. Normally something like this would leave me mortified, but at the time it seemed like a fantastic idea. (haha) There were two or three strong contractions that occurred on the drive in which I threw me whole upper body on to Tye because I was that uncomfortable. Even with all that, Tye drove fast enough and ran enough red lights to cut the drive time almost in half. We pulled into the parking lot around 4:30a.m. 

As we got settled into the birth room, Wendy asked if I felt “pushy.” My immediate response was “uh, not that I can tell.” But within a few minutes the answer was a resounding YES! The next two hours are a bit of a blur, as I was completely in the zone with pushing and focusing on relaxing my body as much as possible.  I should probably have mentioned this earlier in this post, but I took a Hypnobabies home study course as part of my labor prep.  While I think all of the craziness and anxiety from early labor prevented me from focusing on having a true “hypnotic” birth, I did utilize the relaxation strategies that are part of the class. I also credit the course and all the audio tracks with building my confidence in my body’s ability to give birth. It’s not that I was naïve to the fact that complications can happen, but I focused on the fact that my body was made for this, and didn’t let anxiety or other people’s doubts hinder me. When contractions started in those early morning hours, I just took them as they came, and didn’t worry about anything else. 

Once I felt the need to push, I got down on the floor on all fours (remember this was NOT gross hospital floor y’all), as this seemed like the most natural position to be in at that time. (You know what no one tells you about your water breaking early? You continue to leak amniotic fluid until you give birth. Just picture a big puddle of fluid on the floor of the birth room, and me apologizing like a total goof. lol) The only thing I really remember from this part of labor is that I could still converse some between contractions/pushing. I also remember Wendy and Tye telling me that my daughter had a full head of dark hair. When I heard that, it really hit me that I was in labor and we were having a baby—SOON. haha  After I had been pushing at least an hour, someone (nurse or midwife…who knows?) asked if I wanted to get in the birthing tub. At the time I could not imagine climbing in there (even though I was only a couple feet from it the whole time). I knew I wanted to have a water birth though, so I agreed. With the help of Tye and at least one other person, I climbed in, and quickly figured out that being on my knees with my upper body hanging over the side was the best/most comfortable position for me.  In the middle of Tye continually giving me counter pressure through every contraction, he also kept begging me to eat. I was so congested from the cold I was nursing that anything that went into my mouth tasted like sawdust. At one point I even spit out a graham cracker into Tye’s hand because my mouth was too dry to swallow it. After that, I just stuck to drinking water for the remainder of labor.  

Like I said, most of this part of labor was a blur for me, because I was so focused on pushing. I remember being completely exhausted and talking a lot, but definitely not in a conversational/cheery way.  One phrase I recall saying repeatedly was “I can’t do this. I’m so tired.”  I remember saying this between contractions. If you know anything about natural labor, you know that women often say this right before the baby comes (although I was totally not thinking that at the time). Of course Tye, Wendy, and the nurse—whose name was Charlotte by the way—were all so encouraging and told me I was doing great and that I COULD do this. For the last 20-30 minutes (I’m totally guessing, because I definitely never looked at a clock once we arrived at the birth center), I’m pretty sure I alternated between dropping F-bombs (sorry mom) and saying “please Jesus” with each contraction/push.  BALANCE people, balance. lol (Wendy later told me that I seemed to push harder/better when saying the F-word…whatever works!) Perhaps ironically given everything else coming from my mouth, the last thing I remember saying between contractions was “You can do this. You were made to do this.” At some point between F-bombs and pep talks to myself, Wendy asked me to push a little harder. In all honesty, this scared me, but I trusted her, and I put all my energy into pushing at that point. If I were to guesstimate, I’d say Ellis was born maybe five minutes later. All I remember about that last push is that I gave it everything I had and Ellis Ann Fitzgerald essentially came all the way out (I was not in the position where her head was out and I had to keep pushing) at exactly 6:56a.m. on October 8, 2018.  {If you’re keeping track, I pushed for over 2 hours…and as bad as that sounds, it honestly didn’t feel that long.} 

Because I was still lying over the side of the birthing tub, my body essentially went limp once she was out, so I had to have a good bit of help to flip over and hold my sweet girl. The moment Wendy put her on my chest is one I will never forget.  ALL THE FEELS!!! Obviously she was perfect. I don’t remember this really, but Tye took a video of me shortly after Ellis was born and it’s basically me saying, “It’s okay. It’s okay” (she was crying) and “You did a good job! You came out…I can’t believe you’re here.” And then I proceeded to tell her about how her room was going to be sooo cute, but that it was not at all ready. LOL #priorities 

While Ellis and I were talking nursery décor, we were also waiting for the placenta to come out. I was having no contractions though and when I tried to push, I could tell nothing was really happening.  We discussed the option to give me a shot of Pitocin in my thigh to get my uterus to contract and expel the placenta, but I asked if we could wait as long as possible to see if it would happen on its own. Long story short, that didn’t happen…so after waiting several minutes (there’s debate between Tye and I on how long this was, but anywhere from 20-40 minutes), Tye cut the umbilical cord and got to hold his little girl for the first time.  If you know anything about Tye and his lifelong ‘baby fever’, you know this moment was priceless. Since the placenta was still not moving, Wendy and Charlotte helped me out of the tub and onto the bed, where I was given the shot in my thigh. Within minutes, the placenta essentially just fell out (this part is so hazy to me). In retrospect, I kind of wish I had seen it, because housing an extra organ (in addition to a HUMAN BEING) for 9ish months is kind of cool, y’all.  

The rest of the morning/afternoon is a blur of baby snuggles, poop, and forgetting to let our family know that Ellis was here (oops—sorry fam!). If you’re wondering why I never mention how many centimeters I was at any point during labor, it’s because I have no idea. Wendy asked a few times if she could check my cervix, but I refused every time. Cervical exams are really uncomfortable for me, and I knew that it would likely cause me to tense up and in turn slow down labor progression. All in all, I was very happy with how my labor and delivery went. I feel so grateful that labor picked up and I was able to have an unmedicated water birth at the birth center. But most of all, I am eternally grateful for the precious gift that I was able to bring earth-side that day.  She brings us more joy than we could ever imagine. 

Moments after Ellis was born

Ellis's Birth Story: Part 1

Warning: This will be LONG!

I fully planned on blogging about all things pregnancy while I was pregnant—from how I curated a capsule maternity wardrobe, to how I prepared for an unmedicated birth. Alas, pregnancy got the best of me. I spent the first 20-something weeks sick as a dog with severe nausea and lethargy.  The first time I ate anything green while pregnant felt like a small miracle. All that to say, I do still hope to write about my pregnancy, as well as how getting pregnant didn’t exactly go as planned, and also my wild breastfeeding journey—eventually.  But in honor of Ellis’s first birthday this week, it seemed like a good time to write about her birth story! So here goes…

I want to preface this story by saying that from the very beginning I anticipated that Ellis would come after her due date. Why, you ask? Research shows the typical gestational age for a first pregnancy is somewhere between 40-41 weeks.  Also, the Birth Center of Baton Rouge (where I did all my prenatal care) allows you to go up to 42 weeks gestation before you have to be induced. My due date was October 28th and we told everyone (and even put on our birth announcement) that Baby Fitzgerald was due in November. Jokes on me, y’all…

On Sunday, October 7, 2018, I hit 37 weeks gestation. My darling husband decided a couple days before this that he would lovingly share his head cold with me.  So while I would normally be at church on Sunday morning, that day I decided to sleep in to allow my body to recover. I woke up around noon (be jealous!) and can only describe the experience as feeling as if I peed my pants but KNOWING without a doubt that I did not. I actually went back to bed for a little bit because I figured it wasn’t a big deal. Once I woke up again, I didn’t immediately think that my water had broken, but I went through the mental list of late pregnancy reasons that would explain what I felt (extra cervical fluid, mucus plug….my WATER BREAKING). After convincing myself that it was going to be okay, I finally got up and went to the bathroom and realized that the likelihood that my water had broken was pretty high at this point. I CRIED. Like cried-cried, y’all. Then I called Tye (who was volunteering at church that morning) absolutely hysterical. He headed home and agreed to call the midwife on call at Birth Center of Baton Rouge because I was in no state to be making phone calls. Wendy was the midwife on call and she told us to come in to get checked, but that there was no rush since I wasn’t having contractions.  Needless to say, I took my time and did a lot of things to bring my anxiety down (did I mention that I was certain that Ellis would come past her due date?!). We finally arrived at the birth center around 2:30p.m.  

Although I think all the midwives at the Birth Center are amazing, I only had a couple of appointments with Wendy the whole time I was pregnant, and felt a little nervous about the fact that I didn’t know her very well.  Soon after we arrived to determine if I was truly in labor, we started talking about inner city ministry (Tye used to volunteer at the Baton Rouge Dream Center and I would occasionally help out when I wasn’t serving in another capacity). During this conversation, we learned that Wendy and her husband pastor an inner city ministry in New Orleans. This commonality felt like a little God wink that everything would be just fine.  

After confirming that I was in fact leaking amniotic fluid (i.e., my water broke), I agreed to a cervical exam to see how much I was dilated.  Wendy determined I was only 1-2 cm dilated at this point. We discussed how per birth center policy if I hadn’t given birth/made significant progress within 24 hours of my water breaking that I would have to be transferred to the hospital to give birth.  As someone who has a lot of anxiety about hospitals (that’s a whole other story folks), it was always my goal to avoid the hospital unless it was absolutely necessary. Because I found out a week beforehand that I was Group B Strep positive (ugh), and because my water broke at 37 weeks and before I was very far into labor, we decided to do IV antibiotics while I was in labor (because at this point I was still giving birth at the Birth Center, I was allowed to labor at home, but would have to return every 4 hours for another round of antibiotics—this was notably one of the most annoying parts of the whole process for me). 

We completed the first round of antibiotics, and I realized I was starving, so we headed to Izzo’s for my favorite salad (and chips & salsa of course). We weren’t originally planning on telling anyone when I went into labor, but due to the circumstances, we reached out to immediate family and a couple friends and asked them to pray that labor would progress and that I would be able to have a safe delivery at the birth center. Once we arrived home, we went into high gear trying to get labor to progress and get everything ready to bring a baby home within the next day or so. I grabbed all the newborn hand-me-downs from my sister and took all the tags off the newborn clothes we were gifted (because I was only 37 weeks, I felt confident she wouldn’t be too big for newborn clothes) and threw all of it in the washing machine.  Tye scrambled to get the car seat installed in the car (it was still in the box…bahaha). By the time 7p.m. rolled around and it was time to go back for the second round of antibiotics, I was still not feeling any contractions. 

At this point we asked Wendy if she had any additional suggestions for getting labor going naturally. I’m not sure how I forgot about this one, but she reminded me I could take castor oil.  So after I got another round of antibiotics, we headed out again, but this time we stopped at Whole Foods to buy some labor snacks (unlike the hospital, you are actually encouraged to eat during labor at the Birth Center), look for some geranium oil to diffuse, and search for castor oil. At this point Tye took the last picture that exists of me pregnant with Ellis. It is anything but “Instagram-worthy.” lol Once we got home, not only was I continuing to do ALL THE THINGS to get labor going, but I was also trying to calm my anxiety about the fact that our girl was coming three weeks earlier than I ever anticipated and prepare myself mentally and emotionally for the labor that was inevitably in my VERY near future. Sometime in the next few hours I started to maybe feel contractions. As weird as it may sound, it was hard for me to tell at this point, because I’d been having Braxton Hicks contractions for weeks/months and they never fazed me. I can’t recall if it was before or after we went for the next round of antibiotics, but sometime between 11p.m. and 12a.m. I finally gave in and took the castor oil (I added it to pineapple juice and drank it like a shot. haha). 

To Be Continued…

The infamous Whole Foods picture…HOTT.