Savvy parents are flocking to second-hand marketplaces to kit out their children for the school year as the rising cost of living continues to shift consumer shopping habits, according to new research from parcel carrier Yodel.
Amidst financial pressures and a growing desire to shop more sustainably, the research found that over six million UK parents (47 per cent) are buying pre-loved school uniforms from places like Vinted and eBay.
Alongside the boom in second-hand shopping, the research also found that thousands of parents are topping up their finances by selling uniforms they no longer need, with parents making an average of £150 a year.
Second-hand surge
While 82 per cent of parents still buy some new school uniform items from traditional high street retailers, the emergence of online marketplaces is giving parents a wider range of options.
Almost three quarters (71 per cent) report seeing the cost of new uniforms go up over the last two years and the majority (56 per cent) of UK parents say they are worried about the prospect of buying brand-new uniforms. Two fifths (40 per cent) say they don’t have the budget to buy brand new and a similar number (42 per cent) say they now buy most of their children’s school uniforms on second-hand marketplaces like Vinted, which now has 16 million users in the UK.
Yodel’s research also found that parents are turning to charity shops (43 per cent) and school uniform banks (47 per cent) as they look for cost-effective preloved school items.
Being more eco-friendly was another incentive to buy second-hand, with over two fifths (41 per cent) saying they prefer to buy uniforms via second-hand marketplaces as they’re more sustainable.
Turning old uniforms into cash
The survey of 2,002 adults found that 13 per cent of UK parents (1.8 million) have become ‘microsellers’ by selling outgrown school uniform items on the likes of Vinted, Facebook Marketplace, Depop, and eBay. However, Yodel’s research reveals missed opportunities for those sitting on a potential sale, with 30 per cent of parents with school-age children wearing uniform either throwing old uniforms away or keeping them in storage at home.
With parents earning an average of £150 by selling unused uniforms every year, the second-hand uniform economy is worth hundreds of millions of pounds.
Given the strong demand for second-hand selling online, Yodel has seen customer-to-customer volumes surge by more than 200 per cent in the last two years. The business has seen a particular uptick in demand for its Out of Home (OOH) network, which makes receiving and sending parcels online easier through a network of 6,500+ Yodel stores.
Sam Holden, CCO, Yodel, said: “The booming preowned market is a win-win for parents, and we’re seeing millions of school uniforms travelling through our network to be given a new lease of life. There have never been so many options when it comes to the back-to-school shop – people are making big savings as well as some extra cash by selling clothes their kids might have grown out of.”
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