All my friends and family members have growing families these days. This leaves me pulling out my hair as I try to buy presents that will fit their children. I can only imagine the frustration of parents needing to update wardrobes and figure out what to do with outgrown clothes. Startup Spruceling offers closet-crazed parents innovative solutions.
Spruceling is an online marketplace where parents can buy and sell used kids clothes that are gently worn. Here’s how the process works for parents looking to sell clothing:
- Parents gather together clothes in good condition that are no longer in use
- Parents upload information about the clothes to the Spruceling website (photographs, price, size, brand and type of clothing)
- Other families browse listings
- When a batch of clothes sells, Spruceling sends shipping materials, including instructions, a checklist, and packaging
Rather than try to sell items individually, Spruceling helps parents sell Junior’s threads in box-sized batches. Shipping is free. Unlike other online children’s clothing markets like ThredUp, where parents ship bags of worn clothes to the company, Spruceling aims to keep costs low by facilitating parents selling and shipping directly to one another. Parents also have the ability to set their own prices. Spruceling recommends a price range for individual items, but parents decide what to charge for the complete box.
Listing clothing onsite is free. Spruceling factors that you might receive as much as thirty percent more for your goods than you would at a consignment shop, plus you can clear the shelves without ever having to leave the house. Parents can withdraw earning to use as they like or make purchases at Spruceling, outfitting Junior as he continues to grow or needs a different season’s attire.
Gently Now
No one wants to receive damaged goods. No parent needs torn clothing or the hassle of dealing with returns the platform is intended to help avoid. Building a happy online community will mean that parents deal clothes in good condition. To make sure this happens, Spruceling has put strict rules in place. Misrepresent your duds, send dirty clothes, omit listed items, and you’ll be banned from Spruceling permanently. Disappointed recipients have 30 days to return unsatisfactory goods.
Try This On
Founder Ryan Coyne graduated from Cornell University, having studied applied economics and management. Before launching his startup, he worked as an investment banking analyst for J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. Drawing a bead on the numbers, Coyne calculates that Spruceling could reduce annual expenditures on clothing by nearly 75%. In the holiday spirit, for every box bought through Spruceling, the company will make a donation to non-profits such as Boys and Girls Club and St. Jude’s Hospital.
Spruceling, based out of Philadelphia, is backed by Dreamit Ventures. Register for an account onsite or sign in with Facebook. Would you use the platform to meet your children’s clothing needs? Would you like to see it expand to include toys and other accessories, or should it focus on the threads? Let KillerStartups know in the comments section below.
