Truth: You are not going to get your money back from reselling cloth diapers.
Let’s just be honest and admit the used cloth diaper market is in the tank and it’s not coming back. For years, we’ve told prospective cloth diaper users, “don’t worry about the upfront cost, you’ll be able to sell them and get some money back afterwards!”
Lingo you need to know.
BST = buy/sell/trade groups on the internet where you buy, sell or trade cloth diapers
GUC = good used condition (E= excellent, V= very)
NWT = new with tags.
PPD = postage paid domestic.
HTF = Hard to Find (other relatable terms are Unicorn or DISO – desperately in search of)
Yes. For a window of time, the cloth diaper market was lucrative, and people could sell their diapers with an expected return on investment. But, that’s not the case anymore. Most people are lucky if they can sell their cloth diapers for a respectful amount on the BST.
Did you have luck selling cloth diapers in the last 6 months?
I’d love to know in the comments below.
Tell me I’m wrong.
Tell me what percent of retail you got for those diapers.
Was it really worth it?
I’ve been buying and selling cloth diapers since I started cloth diapering. I admin and participate in cloth diaper groups on the web and off the web. The cloth diaper market is dead. Nobody wants to pay anything for cloth diapers and by the time you factor in postage, PayPal fees, you come out with maybe 25% of retail value for diapers in Excellent to Very Good Used condition. Diapers that are 2-3 years old, you’ll be lucky to sell.
Stop telling people they’ll get their money back.
Cloth diapering is not an investment.
The market is saturated. With cloth diaper retailers dropping like flies, and major brands having seconds sales and warehouse sales quarterly, buying new BRAND NAME cloth diapers can be cheap and affordable for most people.
How is anyone supposed to sell a used Smart Bottoms Diaper for more than $10 after a $10 warehouse sale? How is anyone supposed to sell a used Blueberry Diapers for half of retail with grab bags at an unbeatable price? When a retailer needs to offload stock, they basically give it away with deep discounts of 30-40%. I’m not going to paying 50% of retail for a GUC diaper when I can find one for about the same price from a seconds sale, clearance sale, or when a retailer closes out.
You aren’t going to earn any money back after 2 years of cloth diapering.
Seriously. Why do we end every cloth diapering pitch with “and there’s resale value!” You can’t resell used disposables! Can you really resell used cloth diapers?
If you’re lucky 50% off retail for great condition diapers. If you are lucky.
Even the highly sought after, HTF diapers, in rare prints are hard to sell.
New prints are released every week. Brands and retailers are constantly trying to engage and attract us into the newest and shiniest options. Why have an Emerson Smart Bottoms 3.1 when you can have something else, something new?
The flux of cheap diapers from overseas and the $5 grey market diaper doesn’t make it easier either. This shift towards less than ethical brands and the cheap cloth diaper drives down peoples expectations and values in a cloth diaper.
I actually find it mildly irritatin a new with tags grey market diaper holds more value than new with tags brand name diaper. I’ve seen this. A stash of Alva’s go for $5 each. They are like $7 CDN new. A brand new with tags Best Bottom will sit, and sit, and sit…. It might sell for $15CDN but probably only for 5-10$. Originally $23 CDN.
What do you do about the cloth diaper resale market?
Give up any and all expectations that cloth diapering will result in any money back because you’re not going to get it. That $1000 stash might return you $250, but only after a ton of work. #realtalk
Maybe I’m just tired and bitter of selling cloth diapers because I’m not ready to part with them for the value the market is really at. With an average shipping cost of $3-4, $1-2 in PayPal Fees, the costs associated with selling diapers astronomical. I give up. I’ll probably just send my stash to my sister when she has kids, or donate them. I’d rather they find new homes that way then the cheapskates who offer me less than $5 a diaper.
Stop Collecting Cloth Diapers.
Buy what you need and make your cloth diaper stash comfortable.
Don’t think of the return on investment. Be honest with yourself.
Because that $30 all in one cloth diaper is maybe worth $15 after a year. #probablynot
And stop telling your friends they can resell their cloth diapers when they are done with them. The market sucks, and most of us have to ship our diapers to sell them, making it much more of a hassle than its really worth.
Budget-friendly Cloth Diapers in Canada.
Where to buy Cloth Diapers in Canada.
I don’t have any tips on selling cloth diapers (not yet).
Check out these other sources for some great information.
Cloth Diaper Addicts: Destashing Cloth Diapers
Maman Loups Den: How to Sell Cloth Diapers on Facebook.
Diaper Junction: 7 Tips for Selling Used Diapers
Thinking About Cloth Diapers: Buying Used Cloth Diapers
Over the Moon Diapers: How to Price Used Diapers
Diaper Wrecker: Sell Used Cloth Diapers
Truly… i was only able to sell my Funky Fluffs of everything i invested in. $45 for 9 of them and a roll of Applecheeks liners as well.
I’ll end up donating the rest of them to a charity in town that does lots of good. However, i only ended up paying $225 for 18 months of diapering so i dont need to feel badly about that
The solution is to buy used in the first place. They are diapers FFS…literally designed to crap in/all over. I know, it is super tempting to get wrapped up in getting *the cutest* fluff butt on your little one…but then in 2 hours they will fill it with muck that you have to deal with and you’re back to one of your old workhorses. I bought all except 1 of mine used. I had enough to diaper 2 kids at once (I did have 2 in diapers at once) and have successfully sold half again (locally) for what I paid or close to it. The secret? Letting go of expectations and accepting that the ‘value’ of anything used is only what people will pay. It’s not some complicated formula, factoring in how rare or lovely or where something was made. Supply dictates demand. Choose what’s less in demand from the start and you won’t be so far behind.
The fact that you can resell them at all means you get some of your money back which is more than anyone can say about used disposable diapers. I’m still diapering but I have been slowly weeding out diapers we never reach for and selling them on Facebook; either BST or the 1$ cloth diaper auction group. I actually ended up selling a diaper recently for more than I paid for it originally at auction. I think it’s silly to go into it expecting to make All of your money back, I mean your kid has been pooping in these things for two years and they aren’t made out of gold! But I do think it’s nice just getting any of your money back which is totally possible ??♀️
Would you sell used underwear? I don’t think so, so why would you sell used baby diapers which are actually like underwear
Lots of people buy and sell used cloth diapers. I have, my sister has, my best friend has. You can find them on Craigslist, fb bst pages, ebay, mercari, cloth diaper trader, etc. Cloth diapers are way too expensive to just be throwing away and only buying new.
I buy used in the first place so I do end up getting most of my money back when I resell them.
I have not had that luck and watching the Canadian market place for the past few years, the return on investment isn’t there anymore. Diapers do not sell for like new prices. I feel like I was set ups or failure when people suggested that might happen.
I have been using cloth diapers for 17 years (7 children). I am just now looking at selling, since my youngest is almost 3 ?. I am actually surprised to hear people were promoting CD as an investment. I think they are the best choice for baby health and for ecology, if a person is in a position in which washing them works well. I will be happy to get any money at all for this last set of diapers. I am sorry to hear that many people have been mis-advised and disappointed.