8 Ways UAE parents can make money from old kids’ clothes and toys

Got piles of kiddie clothes, books, toys or gear that your little ones have outgrown? Put them to good use and reclaim some of the cash you spent on them with one of these simple ways to make money on your children’s preloved items…

YALLA KIDS!: This preloved kids boutique buys good-quality kids’ clothes, costumes, shoes, books, toys accessories and baby items. Email or call to get an appointment to show your wares to their location in The Lakes Dubai, or they can be collected from you for Dh20 (up to 5kg, then an additional Dh1 per extra kilo). Items will be selected and you can be paid in vouchers to spend on www.yalla-kids.com, OR you can choose to be paid on Consignment basis, meaning you get paid in cash once items are sold. Any unsold items can be returned or donated on your behalf. Yalla-kids.com.

BOOKENDS: This preloved book site is a brilliantly easy way to sell your old children’s books. Simply contact them by WhatsApp, they will send you a form to fill in, and you can price your books as you see fit. Then, either drop your books off at their Sharjah HQ, or get them picked up by a courier (Dh20 up to 5KG), and once your book is sold you can get paid either in credit or in cash. They will charge a service fee of Dh5 per book. Bookends.ae.

BABY BAZAAR: Baby Bazaar at Times Square Center on Sheikh Zayed Road is the UAE’s only market designed specifically for and by mums, and is the perfect place to get a table in order to sell all of your preloved baby and kids items all in one go. It’s a lot calmer and more focused than a flea market, with plenty of new parents and parents-to-be attending on the look-out for kids’ stuff. You can sell everything from strollers, car seats and jumperoos to preloved baby gros and those packs of baby bottles or nursing pads you never actually opened. Tables start from Dh200. DETAILS: The Baby Bazaar is held at Times Square Center on Sheikh Zayed Road on the last Saturday and first Friday of every month, 9am-2pm, www.Babybazaar.org.

HOUSE OF PROSE: This lovely secondhand bookshop is a Dubai institution dating back to the 1990s, which will buy your preloved, recently published books (tomes older than 2020 or 2021 publication might not be accepted for sale). They will pay either in cash or in in-store credit for each book – and as a plus, if you buy your books from them you are guaranteed to be able to sell back the books for half the price you paid in store credit once you’ve finished with them. There are now three Dubai locations – Box Park, JLT and in the basement at Town Square Center. Houseofprose.ae.

SPRUCED UP FOR KIDS: This new online store was founded by two Dubai mums in January 2021, with the idea of recycling and reusing children’s toys and books as a way of creating a more sustainable future for the next generation. They both buy and sell good quality, used toys and books, giving parents the opportunity to earn money by recycling their children’s old stuff, as well as the ability to keep kids stimulated with good-value products that are kinder to the planet than buying new. “Our concept is not another marketplace for pre-loved items, but to collaborate with like-minded parents who want to increase the lifespan of their purchases and allow many more little munchkins to make memories with them,” say the founders. Sprucedupforkids@gmail.com, @Sprucedupforkids on Instagram and Facebook, website coming soon.

TOYIT: This is an online classifieds platform dedicated to children’s toys, books, clothes, gear and accessories, which was launched in September 2020. It is designed to help parents sell, exchange, give away, or donate to charities lightly used items or unwanted gifts easily, conveniently, and securely. Browse to find cut-price kids’ items – with many being given away entirely for free – or use it to declutter your own home when your little one has grown out of things. TOYIT has partnered with Dubai Cares, Hope Factory, and Toys with Wings to allow parents easy access to charitable in-kind donations. www.toyit.today

PANPAN CUCU DUBAI: Do you have gorgeous, branded baby and kids’ clothes that you can hardly bear to throw out? This preloved quality kids’ clothes concept was created in Dubai by two chic French mums, who will both buy your second-hand children’s clothes from you (ages 0 to 10 years), and from whom you can buy gorgeous preloved kids’ clothing and accessories at sales they organise every two months. They often partner with well-known thrift store Retold, located on Umm Suqeim Road, for their regular sales. Follow @Panpancucudubai to find out about their sales.

FACEBOOK: Facebook groups are one of the most popular ways in which parents in the UAE can informally sell used baby gear to other parents in the UAE directly. There are hundreds of groups to choose from, with parents often finding that the groups local to the community in which they live work best. Preloved Baby Stuff Dubai, Pre-Loved Kids & Mommys Stuff Souq UAE, and Kids Stuff Buy/Sell (Dubai) are some popular groups, but have a search for active groups close to your area. A lot of parents report a certain ‘hassle factor’ from this approach, which can be one downside. Facebook.com.

OR DONATE: As well as selling your used baby gear, you may also want to give some stuff away to people who need it. Stop & Help (Stopandhelp.ae) is one initiative that was started up during the COVID pandemic as a kindness exchange to help those affected by the pandemic, and they will match you with a UAE-based family in need of the children’s gear that you have to give away. There are also some Facebook groups that are dedicated to donations (UAE Pay It Forward is one), while Dubai Cares is one of the UAE’s official charities and will accept IT device donations. Dubaicares.ae.