Not a new concept, selling and upcycling second-hand goods but, with daughter and I having used the Jack and Jill Market to purchase most of the items baby Lilly has needed I decided to write about the experience. this is a great way to make some money as a seller or save money as a buyer.
What is the Jack and Jill Market?
The Jack and Jill Markets are based in Scotland and are regular indoor markets where you can buy and sell second-hand baby and children’s goods (up to 9 yrs). A community-based initiative, it started in 2010 when a group of Mums got together and came up with the idea. From large items like prams, cots and car seats to clothes, toys and maternity wear, you can find just about EVERYTHING you need and at a fraction of the cost! There are markets across Scotland and most weekends have a market going on somewhere.
Selling
How much of your baby stuff did you put up the attic, or in the shed? Booking a stall at the baby market is a great way of making some money and decluttering. To book a stall, it costs £25. This includes advertising, both online and off, all indoor venues, a 6ft table, a couple of chairs, a table cover, and 4 x spaces in the gallery for large items. No commission is taken, any money earned is all yours!
I’ve spoken to many of the stall holders about their experiences and they were all positive. Most said they made over £200 and 1 lady was delighted with her £600 profit. She had sold some larger items, a pram system, cot and high chair.
You need a very early start to get organised and should check all the details, terms and conditions. Rusting, badly worn items aren’t allowed but you get a free guide when you book with tips on how to set up and sell. Staff can be contacted by email or phone so there’s plenty of support.
Buying
Firstly, if you’re looking for a larger item like a pram you need to get there early, these items are hot and go first!
Doors open at 10.30, I usually go with daughter and baby Lilly and get there around 10. The queue is always massive, round the corner and down the street. You can either get there early and be first in or, go at 10.30 and be at the back of the queue, either way, you’ll have a 30/45mn wait. If you’re taking children with you be prepared, have snacks, and suitable clothing for the weather.
It costs £1.50 for entry and depending on the venue there’ll be a cafe or vending machine. If you can leave children with a babysitter then do. The Jack and Jill market is a noisy busy place. Navigating around the stalls and trying to look at goods pushing a buggy and/or watching young children is challenging, I’ve seen a few frayed tempers on my visits!
If you’re looking for a large item head off to the Large Item gallery first, as I said, these items go quickly. A good system is in place for this. Each item has a ticket with the price, description and stall number:
- go to the relevant stall holder
- pay for the item
- get the receipt
- take it back to the staff manning the Large Gallery area
- the sold ticket will go on the item
You can safely leave the large items in place till you’re ready to leave.
Now it’s time to move on and browse the stalls and I was stunned on my first visit, You can buy EVERYTHING baby related, even breast pumps and pads! We (daughter and I) decided to walk round the stalls first for a quick glance then get the shopping list out and look for specific items.
The prices varied and some items were clearly overpriced, £4 for a teeny pair of second-hand booties? I don’t think so! The sensible stall holders were willing to negotiate and usually had realistic prices from the start. They didn’t want to be taking a pile of stuff back home with them again!
The stall holders who had taken the time to organise their goods into age groups and had sensible prices were the busiest. Some had offers like buy 3 items for £2, or had put together complete matching outfits.
T
his Graco highchair was £10 and in pristine condition, not so pristine now though! The coverall apron was also a baby market item, £!
All the clothes Lilly wears have mostly been purchased at the Jack and Jill market. We’ve also bought disposable nappies, toys, steriliser, weaning cups, cutlery and the latest purchase was a back carrier.
Not the first size but for hiking over rough terrain with an older baby/toddler. Only £15, she’s a little bit small for it but loves it anyway!
As it gets nearer to closing time at 1pm some stall holders will drop their prices and you can pick up even better bargains. As I said earlier, they don’t want to be carting a load of stuff back home.
A word of warning, it’s easy to get carried away. Make a list of what you need and try to stick to it. On our first visit, we bought so many clothes and much of it has never been worn. Of course, we can always go as sellers and resell these things!
The Jack and Jill market really is one of the best ways I’ve seen of buying all those essential baby items for a fraction of the cost. Yes, it’s busy and you have to queue but it will save you £100s on retail prices. For more details and to find out about the Jack and Jill markets in your area pop over to their website. They even have an online market now too!
Have you been to a Jack and Jill market? Share your experiences in the comments section below, I’d love to hear from you!
We have a ton of these resell/farmers markets where I’m from and I just absolutely love to go.
Why not buy slightly used things for less money than retail price. Great idea for sure.
All the Jack and Jill markets in Scotland are packed out so lots of people think its a good idea! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. 🙂
Yes, sounds like it is. Such a waste to just throw things away. Kids grow so quickly, if things have been outgrown but are still in perfectly good condition then it’s great that other people can make use of them.
Claire
P.S. You’re welcome 🙂
It’s the same for anything I think, handbags too. I’m sure there are a ton of designer handbags languishing in cupboards, a shame when they can be re-used.
What a great idea! Sound like a better organised version of a car boot/jumble sale but solely for baby gear. Shame we don’t have them down in England.
Baby clothes and equipment cost a fortune, so the cheaper people can get their hands on the things they need, the better. And, environmentally, this is much, much better than things getting tossed in the bin!
I wish I knew someone north of the border now, so I could send them this link! A social share will have to suffice 🙂
Claire
The Jack and Jill market is better than a car boot sale if you’re specifically looking for baby items. I’ve heard some of the people there saying they used to just chuck their old baby stuff away! Thanks for the comment and social share. 🙂
Very good idea, it saves money, it never occurred me such market would exist, in my country we just give away things that are too small to wear or we dont need them any more, but to make selling of the things is very sound idea, because you are still paid for the things u dont use and somebody will use it.
Yes, it’s an expensive business getting things for a new baby, so the Jack and Jill market is a good way to recoup some of that money as a seller and pick up bargains as a buyer!
A very nice site, very informative – don’t you just love markets for bargains. Just lovely Thanks Kathy
Thanks Grant, I agree, markets are great! the Jack and Jill market works so well because it’s aimed purely at the babies/children sector.
Hello Kathy. This looks like a great idea and is certainly something we could do with here in Wales. I was talking to a young mother-to-be only yesterday about the fortunes that can be spent on stuff for children, and seems like a really sensible way of easing the burden!
Peter
The Jack and Jill market was started by a group of young Mums looking to ease the burden of buying for babies and children. It’s grown into a Scotland-wide market now, a great success story!