Buying used cloth diapers is a great way to save money if you know what to look for. In Buying and Selling Cloth Diapers Part 1, I talked about a few things to keep in mind during transactions to keep both the buyer and seller happy and protected. Now lets talk about where you can actually buy, sell and trade both new and used cloth diapers.
ebay: I think we have all heard of this one. When I did a search for the term “cloth diapers” over 37,000 listings came up. Wow. I am pretty sure that anything, and I mean anything can be bought and sold on this site.
Craigslist: This is a classified listing based website where people can find items being sold locally to them. Check the website for listings local to you.
Facebook: Most brands of cloth diapers have a Buy/Sell/Trade page. Just type ‘BRAND NAME B/S/T’ or ‘BRAND NAME Buy/Sell/Trade’ into the search bar on Facebook. Many of the pages include a feedback link.
I am just providing you with a few choices of where you can go to either buy or sell both new and used cloth diapers. I would like to reiterate that you need to exercise good judgment when buying from any of these sites. Please look back at buying and selling cloth diapers, part 1 for more tips. Remember to ask questions, get good photos of the inside and outside of a diaper, ask for feedback, use Paypal to pay and don’t be afraid to walk away if something doesn’t seem right.
This is important, I want to say that if you are new to cloth diapering, buying used or from these sites may not be the best thing for you. Without experience you may not know what to look for or what to look out for. I suggest that when you are starting out to stick to reputable stores (both brick and mortar and online retailers.) They have the experience to be able to help you with questions, can sell you diapers with warranties, and many have fantastic return policies should you have any issues early on.
Buying used cloth diapers isn’t right for everyone. And that is ok. But if you are using any of these sites you need to be cautious. Buying used can save money but only if they you get what you were expecting from the start.
Jenn is a long-time cloth diaper educator and a passionate small business advocate. She has worked in the reusable diaper industry for over a decade, helping millions of families via her websites All About Cloth Diapers, Thinking About Cloth Diapers and Cloth Diaper Geek as well as hundreds of small businesses during that time. Her goal always to provide simple, reliable information.
Amye says
I think one of the biggest issues for me buying used is watching out for the shipping costs. For example I just checked out the re diaper website and with shipping added there was either no savings or 1-2$ I have found that as well on clothdiaper trader. And I only purchase items that iclufebshipping costs and are still a savings
Jennifer Reinhardt says
Amye, that is a good point. That is why I like using spots, many times shipping is included or very inexpensive.