The pile of hand-me-down children's clothes in my garage is growing just as quickly as my soon-to-be toddler. The tattered and stained items aren't too hard to part with, but I have struggled to find a home for nicer outfits that my daughter wore only once or never got to wear at all.
That's why I was thrilled to learn about Stella + Jack, a Seattle-based online children's boutique that is reinventing the consignment process. Founded by two Seattle moms, Stella + Jack makes it easy and convenient for fashion-savvy parents to buy and sell new and gently used children's clothes without ever leaving home.
The website sells children's clothing (newborn to size 5), toys and accessories from a variety of mid-to-high end brands, including Gymboree, Baby Gap, Janie and Jack and Ralph Lauren.
If you live in the greater Seattle area, Stella + Jack will come to your house to pick up the clothes you want to consign, free of charge, and post them on their website for sale within three weeks. Once posted, items stay up for 45 days.
If items sell, the seller receives either 30 percent of the selling price in cash, or 50 percent in credit for use on the site. If items don't sell after 45 days, you can pick them up or Stella + Jack will donate them to charity. Stella+Jack may also repost items for sale at a later date.
During my first browse through the Stella+Jack website, I found an adorable Zatano elephant print dress that I couldn't resist picking up for my daughter. Ever the bargain hunter, I conducted an online search and learned that I was saving more than $10 by purchasing a gently used version of this dress on Stella + Jack. And, if that wasn't enough of a deal, Stella + Jack dropped it off at my front door for free when they picked up my daughters clothes for consignment.
The Zatano dress, as well as the other outfit I purchased, arrived at my doorstep carefully packaged and in excellent condition. As for my items, just one week after being posted on Stella+Jack, three of my outfits have sold. If they all sell, I will have more than $50 in credit to spend on the website.
Stella + Jack is a great resource for budget-conscious moms who love kid fashion. It's a parent-friendly approach to consignment and that make it easy for me to clear out my daughter's hand-me-downs – and splurge on other cute clothes for her. Guilt-free!
Richelle Nielsen is a Seattle mom and freelance writer.
