Mini Boden boasts glorious British style for babies and kids. A playful classic brand, moms love the applique tees and dresses and coordinating play sets. It’s traditional children’s clothing (think Kate Middleton’s brood), but with a bit more color. And cheek.
Under the new leadership of Glen Senk, former CEO of Anthropologie, Mini Boden’s styles are starting to skew a bit more contemporary. This is evident in the muted color palette additions: more plum and peach, less Crayola hot pink.
But Boden’s British DNA is still there, along with its high-end price-tags and high resale value. Boden brand clothing sells for triple what you might pay for Carter’s or Cat & Jack; luckily, there is a thriving underground market for Mini Boden wares. Facebook groups and re-sale sites are awash in used and NWOT Boden clothing. On average, Mini Boden has a 56% resale value. Meaning if your child hasn’t stained their smocked goose romper beyond redemption, there’s a ready audience of moms waiting to duke it out for a deal.
Some iconic pieces, like those from Roald Dahl or Matilda collections, re-sell for far more than their original sticker price. Coveted, HTF items can go for more than double the original cost.
And it’s not just Mini Boden that commands this type of re-sale frenzy. There are other children’s brands with a cult following that can command crazy-high resale prices.
In fact, re-sale value is a top consideration for many fashion-driven moms when buying new clothes. In a casual survey among moms who regularly purchase boutique and designer apparel for their kids, 62% state that they take into account a garment’s future resale value when purchasing new clothes.
If you’re part of the 62%, you’re probably well-versed in Boden pinafores and play sets. But beyond Boden, here are 12 other brands with outstanding resale value for you to consider. The brands are ranked in order from highest to lowest resale value – happy reading!
1 | Tea (Collection): 46% Resale Value
Tea is known for its global inspired clothing built for play and dressier occasions. It’s a brand I commonly see in local children’s stores near me On average, Tea garments have a 46% resale value. Newer garments (from collections within the past 2 years) see re-sale values closer to 60%.
2 | Quincy Mae: 47% Resale Value
Quincy Mae is a sister brand to Rylee + Cru that features soft, beautiful, organic basics for baby in an earthy color palette. Quincy Mae resale value is very much tied to garment condition. Play condition items have a re-sale value around 35% and items in good condition or better see an average of at least 60%.
3 | KicKee Pants: 49% Resale Value
This sustainable bamboo clothing line has a major cult following and the Internet is loaded with moms DISO (Desperately In Search Of) specific prints for sibling matches. Kickee Pants is known for having major (cheap) clearance events, but that balances out with the unicorn styles that sell for well above list price. I did an analysis of 115 KicKee pants garments sold on Facebook and Mercari, and found that the average Kickee Pants item has a resale value of 49%. Play condition garments have an average resale value of 32% while items in “Good” condition see 43%.
4 | Hanna Andersson: 52% Resale Value
The overall resale value for Hanna Andersson is 52%. There is a lot of variance depending on garment age and type. For onesies, the resale value is around 30% while sweatshirts have a resale value of over 80%. Dresses and separates (pants, leggings, tees, tanks, pants, skorts, shorts) have a resale value ranging from 42% to 57%. Pajamas are 49%.
5| Alice + Ames: 57% Resale Value
Alice and Ames, known for their soft twirly dresses, has a resale value of 57%. All cotton, their garments can show more wash wear (fade) and many of their solid-color pieces are unforgiving when it comes to broadcasting stains. Used Alice and Ames clothes in very good condition (no fade, no stains) or better can command at least 70%.
6 | Rylee + Cru: 60% Resale Value
Rylee + Cru is an artistic and imaginative brand with many garments featuring hand-drawn illustrations. The overall resale value of Rylee + Cru garments is 60%. Garments in play condition have an average 45% resale value and garments in VGUC or better see 76%.
7 | Little Road Co (Lulu + Roo): 64% Resale Value
Similar in style to Childhoods Clothing, but with lots of dressy options made of soft terry fleece, Little Road Co has an average resale value of 64%. Shorties, tanks, tees, and hoodies have the highest resale value among their garments; pajamas and cardigans have the lowest (but still have a resale value of around 50%).
8 | Jamie Kay: 72% Resale Value
This whimsical, New Zealand based cottagecore brand has a strong overall resale value of 72%. Keep in mind that Jamie Kay tends to have generous sales and clearance events upfront though, making it easier to recoup the full purchase price.
9 | Kyte Baby: 73% Resale Value
Kyte Baby Clothing is made from ultra-soft, breathable material. Famous for their sleep bags and walkers, Kyte offers a full range of layette for babies and toddlers including bodysuits, footies, pajamas, rompers, longalls, shortalls, blankets, and crib sheets. Kyte bedding and clothing items are very sought after in the used clothing market, with an average resale value of 74%. Even play condition clothing has a resale value of just over 50%.
10 | Childhoods Clothing: 74% Resale Value
Childhoods Clothing has a legendary following for its joggers, beach hoodies, and other cozy separates. The Childhoods label has an average resale value of 74%. Meaning a garment purchased $10 new would have an average resale value of $7.40. Even Childhoods Clothing in play condition (stains, rips) is coveted: play condition Childhoods have a 50% resale value.
11 | Little Sleepies: 78% Resale Value
I don’t have familiarity with the Little Sleepies pajama brand, but I’m an SEO number digger at heart. 144K people searching “Little Sleepies” every month are obviously onto something. I pulled some sales data from Facebook groups and Mercari, and Little Sleepies are a hot commodity in the world of clothing arbitrage. New garments have a 114% resale value, with many coveted prints selling well above original price. Overall, Little Sleepies have a 78% resale value on used clothing sites. Garments in good or excellent condition have a 78% resale value and play condition Little Sleepies go for 46%.
12 | Kate Quinn: 103% Resale Value
This affordable luxury bamboo line of baby and kids clothing has an average resale value of 103%. Of course, Kate Quinn is lower priced upfront (most of their apparel is $28 or less) which makes it easier to recup your investment. But getting your money back or clearing a profit is not a sure thing. Popular prints and styles sell out quickly (on the Kate Quinn website) and command huge resale values. Other garments often have resale values of around 50% or less. Still, on the whole, Kate Quinn does give the best used clothing market ROI.
About These Brand Resale Values
The figures shared here are based on earlier research I shared about the resale value of children’s clothing from popular high-end brands – with charts and tables if that’s your jam. The data for KicKee Pants in this article is new, and I may update it with data for other favorite ethical children’s brands.
Of course, this data is by nature unscientific. It’s based on how parents choose to subjectively evaluate the quality of their child’s used duds. One mom’s “Excellent” condition is another mom’s cleaning rags. (Lamentably, I know this firsthand.) And there are mystery box sales, warehouse clearouts, and other promotions that can push down prices considerably.
At the very least, the resale value data is a good guidepost for pricing your kids’ pre-loved clothes. And fantastic ammunition for when your S.O. balks at the $38 price-tag.