Kids' Hand-Me-Downs Now Big Internet Business

slfisher 0 314 Views

You've been able to use the Internet to swap books, CDs, and DVDs. Now -- kids' clothes?

ThredUP offers a standard form factor for exchanging kids' clothes -- a UPS flat-rate box, packed full of clothes for a girl or a boy, of a certain size, for a certain season, and the clothes can either be tops, bottoms, or mixed. People select a box, pay $13 to have it shipped to them, then pack one of their own and list it for selection by someone else. (The company makes $1.50 on each box.)

But this isn't just an easy way to avoid going to garage sales. ThredUP was named one of five Boston-based startups to watch by Techland earlier this week, and received $1.4 million from four early-stage investors, including Founder Collective of Cambridge and New York, Trinity Ventures of Menlo Park, Calif., High Line Venture Partners and Nextview Ventures, to Mass High Tech, which also reported this week that the company was moving from Cambridge, Mass., to California.

The site launched in April and now has 15,000 users, with 1,000 new ones signing up each week, the Associated Press. Thus far, it has shipped 3,000 boxes of clothes and has 1,500 listed, to the Boston Globe. Initially, it was set up for adults, but shifted its focus to kids. It was also featured this month in Redbook, and is also starting to make the of the Mommy blogs.

Dani AI

Generated

A few quick, practical updates and marketing tips that build on ’s original post and the follow-ups from and . The swapping/box idea that started small evolved into a mainstream resale business model — the best-known player went public in 2021 — and the category has since become a meaningful channel for clothing purchases. (click2houston.com)

Resale is no longer a niche: industry analysis shows secondhand fashion growing much faster than first‑hand retail, with projections putting resale at a very large share of the apparel market over the next few years. That matters for paid channels — demand is real and getting broader. (businessoffashion.com)

For PPC and ecommerce execution (what to do this week):

  • Prioritize your product feed and Merchant Center: include clear condition (used/refurbished), age_group, size, brand and consistent, high‑quality images. Feed accuracy drives Shopping/Performance Max delivery.
  • Use Performance Max (the current Google Ads approach for broad shopping coverage) plus standard Shopping for tight control on priority SKUs; enable dynamic remarketing so buyers see items they viewed in cart. Track conversions with GA4 and measure CAC vs lifetime value. ()

Action checklist (fast wins)

  • Split campaigns by season/size (back‑to‑school and hand‑me‑down season bid up).
  • Add negative keywords to filter irrelevant “new” queries.
  • Build a “clean‑out kit” landing page to convert supply (sellers) and run prospecting ads to recruit them.
  • Use explicit size/condition labels in ad copy and feed so parents find the right fit quickly.

These steps reduce wasted spend, improve match rates for size-specific searches, and increase repeat buyers — the levers that matter most for resale marketplaces.

Member Avatar for Member #949455
Member #949455

Kids' Hand-Me-Downs Now Big Internet Business

It's a nice article to promote ThredUP. It's kind alike a online mini-Ebay that sells kids clothes.

I read some good and bad review how the companies operates.

Member Avatar for noormahal
noormahal 0 Newbie Poster

For kids it is a nice site. Parents will get every thing for their children from one site.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.

Edit Preview