From Wearing J. Crew to Dressing My Little Zoo

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Before I had kids my closet resembled a J. Crew showroom. Now I can hardly find a matching pair of shoes! Although I still treat myself on the rare occasion, these days my online shopping is almost exclusively geared towards my twins.

Back when I was pregnant and daydreaming of what my babies would look like, I started curating their collection of clothes. Any retail store that sold cute onesies could easily capture my attention. However, during my maternity leave, I began discovering small boutique brands on Instagram. Following one brand led to another…and another…and before I knew it my Instagram feed was full of dresses, rompers and bows.

I liked the idea of putting my twins in unique clothing while at the same time supporting small businesses run by moms. Around their first birthday I happened to stumble upon a Buy/Sell/Trade Board that sold used items from one of my favorite brands. Not only did I find some cute clothing to buy, but I also learned that I had a few “unicorns” that I could sell. For any non-collectors out there, a “unicorn” is basically a very rare, hard to find item. For instance, one $35 hooded baby jumper that I was hoarding, now discontinued, was selling for well over $100…used!! Although my heart wanted me to hoard every little piece of clothing they had ever worn, I couldn’t ignore the voice inside my head telling me to sell, sell, sell.

Facebook BST Groups

And just like that my BST obsession took off. BST (which stands for Buy/Sell/Trade) references many Facebook groups where people can buy, sell or trade their new or gently used children’s clothing. Often times my twins would outgrow their clothes before getting good use out of them. The solution was too perfect. Sell them to buy more! Almost any brand you can imagine has a resale page on Facebook.

Us BST mamas are always looking for a “unicorn.” Scouring a brands’ BST page is like going on a virtual treasure hunt. Some of the more boutique brands like Little Minis can fetch a price upwards of $500…crazy, I know!

Instagram Closet Pages

It brought me a sense of pride and excitement to know that items we had outgrown, others were desperately searching for. I opened a PayPal account, bought myself some shipping supplies and purchased a food scale to calculate postage. I created my Instagram page @bestdressedtwins as a way to sell our gently used items and also showcase our collection. You heard that right, you can shop right on Instagram! Although I may only sell one out of every ten items posted, it’s a fun hobby and helps me buy more. Smaller brands like June & January or Alice & Ames can go for just under retail value. That means we basically got to wear our clothing for free!

Competitive “Drops”

As with any habit it’s important not to fall too deep into the rabbit hole of BSTing. When one of my favorite brands announces a “drop” of new items I typically set my phone alarm, test my internet speed, and plan my computer time appropriately. Certain brands sell out in seconds and I know when not to get my hopes up. Some women host “carting parties” to illicit help from friends. In many cases “flippers” will buy up high demand pieces simply to turn a profit. “Bots” or computerized purchasers will also scoop up certain items to flip for profit. Yes people, we are still talking about buying baby clothes! I have seen some cutthroat competition over limited edition dresses and it’s not pretty! Typically, I am just there with my popcorn scrolling through the comments section as it is highly entertaining!

Facebook Brand Fan Groups

Although drama does exist in the BST world I have also seen some amazing bonds formed over baby clothes! Many brands have Facebook fan groups bringing together like-minded women in a virtual forum. I have met some great friends through the BST community. Admittedly, I was both shocked and elated to find a tribe of this many women who are as passionate about baby clothes as I am! We can chat about our toddler’s outfit of the day or a sale that’s not to be missed. More importantly though, the virtual support these ladies give one other is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. We’ve helped one mama through her daughter’s liver transplant, sent flowers to another in the hospital, and celebrated the births of countless babies. Although I have never met my virtual “friends” in person we are there for one other.

When I do see like-minded mamas in the wild I always get a little excited. If I see your daughter wearing June & January or Alice & Ames in our local music class, you better believe I’m coming to say “Hi.” You’re one of us! Did we just become best friends?!

My Husband, My Enabler

How must my husband react to my “collecting” of baby clothes you ask? Quite well actually! He has been a sneaker head and action figure collector since he was a kid. When I interrupt our date night to purchase a limited edition dress my husband will happily put the evening on pause. He gets the same adrenaline rush standing in line, hoping to score a new pair of Air Jordan’s in his size. He has even offered to help me “cart” high demand items for double the chances (now that is love!). As silly as it may seem, my new hobby enabled me, for the very first time, to really understand my husband’s passion for collecting.

Buying and selling my twins’ baby clothes is something that brings me great joy. Some people may say that it’s silly, but everyone has their “thing.” This is my “thing!” I know there will come a day when my kids will want to dress themselves …the horror…but until then I’m going to have fun with it! It also makes me giddy when out of the blue a complete stranger asks “OMG, Where did you get that dress?” My shopping habits have changed, but in the best way possible. I may be dressed like a bum at pre-school drop off but you know my kids will be looking fly!

Definitions

BST: Buy Sell Trade
Drop: Date/Time a specific item is on sale
Cart: To be able to buy something in high demand
EUC/GUC/Play/NWT: Excellent Used Condition, Good Used Condition, Play Condition, New With Tag
Unicorn: A hard to find item
ISO: In search of

 

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