Some 47% of UK parents buy or have bought preloved school uniforms on second-hand marketplaces, according to new research from delivery company Yodel.
The study, which is supporting the launch of Yodel’s MicrosellersGuide aimed at helping people start selling online, suggests a further 28% of parents are open to doing so in the future.
UK parents are making more than £150 each a year through selling outgrown uniforms online, with second-hand marketplaces establishing themselves as a core part of the e-commerce ecosystem in recent years. Vinted, for example, now boasts 16 million users in the UK.
Yodel said interest in this way of selling comes amid consumer financial pressures and a growing desire to shop more sustainably, with six million UK parents estimated to be buying preloved school uniforms from platforms such as Vinted and eBay. Some 2,002 people were surveyed for the research.
While 82% of parents still buy some new school uniform items from traditional high street retailers, the emergence of online marketplaces has given parents a wider range of options.
Some 71% of respondents reported seeing the cost of new uniforms go up over the last two years, with 40% saying they don’t have the budget to buy brand new and 42% indicating they now buy most of their children’s school uniforms on second-hand marketplaces. In addition, 43% of parents are buying school uniform from charity shops and 47% are turning to school uniform banks, as they look for cost-effective preloved school items.
Sustainability was offered as a reason for buying second hand by 41% of respondents.
Sam Holden, chief commercial officer of Yodel, commented: “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.”
[image credit: Green Retail World]
