Hei, fellow parents! For many expats, one of the most positive experiences when expecting a baby in Finland is receiving the "baby box," a free maternity package offered by the government to every mom-to-be. It really is an incredible initiative that alleviates expecting moms' financial and mental stress, especially for first-time mothers. While not all the items in the box are perfect sizes for your little one, it covers most of the clothes and textile products you'll need for your baby's first year. As you get the hang of everyday life as a mom during the first year, you will develop better ideas of what kind of clothes your baby needs down the road, as well as how many and how often.
We all know that kids grow up faster than we can blink, and their clothes seem to get smaller every day. Buying everything new just isn't the best option - for your wallet or the planet. Thanks to the advanced mentality towards second-hand products in Finland, there is a fantastic array of second-hand shops that you can explore.
Here's a quick guide to the top spots in town and platforms where you can buy and sell second-hand children's clothes easily while supporting a sustainable lifestyle.
Hassle-free Selling Services
In addition to the well-known Relove and Little Copenhagen, more and more quality second-hand clothing shops are popping up in Helsinki. To encourage the circulation of pre-love clothes, they provide sellers with a comprehensive and easy service, which is a real time-saver: you pack and drop off a batch of clothes, let the shops handle the pricing and display for you, and you receive the sales revenue minus the commission afterward. Most of these shops work more or less in the same way. The main differences are the commission percentage, handling fee, and the sales period. Check out the map and see which store works best for you next time you want to pass on the clothes outgrown by your kid!
Little Copenhagen: Töölo, Iso Omena
Moody Monday: Vallila (Moody Monday Kamppi only takes adult's clothes)
Kidia: Ainoa, Hertsi
Lillipop: Iso Omena
Minibuffet: Redi, Lippulaiva
Ninyes: Stockmann Helsinki
Emmy: Sokos Helsinki (Collection boxes for sellers are installed across Finland)
Among these options, Ninyes operates on a different model. They give you a gift card to the store of your choice as soon as they accept your clothes. You will receive earnings before your items are even sold! They only accept brands that have passed their sustainability criteria so make sure to check the brand list first.
Subscription-based Rental Service
If you are looking for an even more effortless solution to save you from the endless efforts on logistics, including searching, comparing prices, buying and selling your kid's clothes, the subscription-based rental service is exactly for you. Since we are all so familiar with Netflix and Spotify, platforms that allow us to have access to what we need without physically owning them. Why not do the same with children's stuff? Here are some companies that have taken this innovative business model to the clothing industry:
Nakunako (Finland)
thelittleloop (UK)
Bundlee (UK)
Lullaloop (UK)
Babu (UK)
Make-your-own-listing Platforms
Tori Tori has been a long-standing and the most popular buy and sell platform for all kinds of second-hand products in Finland. They have definitely improved their interface to be more user-friendly recently. Now you can actually make a listing under two minutes, if you know a bit Finnish. But fear not if you don't. You'll understand what information is needed after doing it a couple of times with the help of Google Translate.
Facebook Local Buy/Sell Groups Every neighbourhood has a local group where you can buy and sell children's products, including clothes and toys. For example, Kamppi kierrättää lastenvaatteita ja -tarvikkeita and Jätkäsaari kierrättää -lastenvaatteet ja -tarvikkeet. Just type in the name of your neighbourhood and you'll find them. It's not the easiest platform, but it's quite handy if you want to sell or get something from your local area quickly.
By choosing pre-loved baby clothing from second-hand shops, you're not just saving money - you're embracing a sustainable lifestyle that benefits your family and the planet. So dive into the treasure hunt of clothes shopping, and do let us know if you find other gems in the city!
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