What Is Second Hand September? How Families Can Join In

Every September, you’ll probably start seeing #SecondHandSeptember appearing on social media, in charity shops and across preloved businesses. But if you’ve never really thought about taking part, what does it actually mean?

Second Hand September was launched by Oxfam in 2019, originally encouraging people to pledge not to buy new clothing for the month and to choose second hand instead. The idea is really simple: before automatically buying something new, see whether you can find what you need already in circulation. Oxfam GB

As someone who runs a preloved children’s clothing business, you could probably guess that I’m a fan. But I also think it’s important not to turn it into another thing parents feel they have to do perfectly.

With three children, there are times when I buy new and times when preloved makes far more sense. For me, Second Hand September is a good reminder to look at what we already have, what the children genuinely need and whether there might be a second hand option before buying another new item.

Why Second Hand September Makes So Much Sense for Children’s Clothes

Children grow incredibly quickly, particularly when they’re babies and toddlers. Clothes can sometimes fit for such a short time that they are passed on with very little wear.

I see this every day through Second Snuggle. Some of the children’s clothes that come to us have obviously had plenty of use, but others look as though they have hardly been worn at all. The previous child simply grew out of them.

That is one of the reasons children’s clothing works so well second hand. A jumper, dress, pair of trousers or coat doesn’t stop being useful because one child has already worn it.

In our own house, preloved is completely normal. My children know that plenty of their clothes have belonged to somebody else before them, and it has never bothered them.

September Is Actually a Really Useful Time to Sort Children’s Clothes

Second Hand September also happens at quite a useful time for families.

When my children go back to school in September, I normally have a proper sort through their wardrobes. Summer clothes are starting to become less useful, the weather is changing and I suddenly discover that the coat that fitted perfectly a few months ago now has sleeves halfway up somebody’s arms.

I check what still fits and make a note on my phone of what we actually need for autumn and winter. Usually that includes things such as wellies, boots, jumpers, fleeces, hats, gloves and coats, as well as plenty of layers.

Making the list before I start shopping is important because otherwise it is very easy to buy things simply because they are a good price.

If somebody already has four perfectly good jumpers, finding another one for £4 doesn’t suddenly mean we need five.

Start With What You Already Own

Taking part in Second Hand September doesn’t necessarily mean going out and buying lots of second hand clothes instead of lots of new ones.

The first thing I would do is check what you already have.

Go through drawers, wardrobes, bags of clothes you’ve kept from older siblings and anything you bought ahead in the next size. I quite often discover something I had completely forgotten I’d put away.

Check whether things still fit and think about what can be used differently. I don’t automatically replace all of my children’s short-sleeved tops when autumn arrives, for example. They can still be worn underneath jumpers and fleeces as layers.

Using what you already own is always going to be cheaper than buying something else, whether that something else is new or preloved.

Make a List of What You Really Need

Once I’ve sorted everything, I keep a list on my phone with each child’s current size and anything we need to find.

This works particularly well for preloved shopping because you don’t always find everything at once.

If I know one of my children needs a coat in a particular size, I can keep an eye out. The same goes for boots, wellies, fleeces or jumpers. It gives me time to find something I actually like instead of waiting until the first freezing morning and panic-buying whatever is available.

I’ve found this is one of the easiest ways to save money on children’s clothes too. Buying ahead and being patient usually gives me far more choice.

Try One Thing Second Hand

If you normally buy all of your children’s clothing new, you don’t have to suddenly replace their entire wardrobe with preloved clothes because it’s September.

Start with one thing.

A winter coat is a great example because children can grow out of them after relatively little wear. Jumpers, dresses, dungarees and baby clothes are also really easy places to start.

You could try a brand you already know so you’re familiar with the sizing and quality. Brands such as Boden, Next, Frugi, JoJo Maman Bébé and M&S are ones I regularly look for myself because I know many of their pieces wash and wear well.

Pass On What Your Children Have Outgrown

Second Hand September isn’t only about what you buy. It is also a good time to look at what you can put back into circulation.

If your children have good quality clothes they have outgrown, there are lots of possible next steps. You might keep them for a younger sibling, give them to friends or family, sell them, send suitable pieces to a preloved business or donate them.

What I try not to do is leave bags of perfectly good clothing sitting around indefinitely.

With a six-year gap between my boys, I don’t keep everything because storing clothes for that long doesn’t always make sense. I’d often rather sell something while it is still in good condition and put that money towards the next things they need.

Look at Condition, Not Just the Word “Preloved”

Buying second hand doesn’t mean accepting clothing in any condition.

I still want good photographs and an accurate description of anything I’m buying. If there is a mark or some wear, I want to know about it before I buy.

Sometimes I’m perfectly happy with a small disclosed mark. If something is going to be worn to school, played in outside or used as an everyday layer, it really might not matter.

For something smarter, I might wait for a piece in better condition.

That is one of the things I think people sometimes misunderstand about preloved clothing. There isn’t one standard of second hand. You can find everything from well-used play clothes to pieces that look almost unworn.

At Second Snuggle, every preloved item is individually checked before being listed, and the condition is part of deciding whether something is suitable to sell.

Buying Second Hand Can Stretch Your Budget Further

One of the main reasons I started buying more preloved for my own children was simply that it made sense financially.

There are brands I love but wouldn’t necessarily want to pay full price for every time one of my children moves into another size.

Buying them second hand means I can often get the quality I want for much less. If the item is still in good condition when my child outgrows it, I may then be able to pass it down or sell it again.

I’ve written before about why buying second hand children’s clothes works so well for our family, and saving money is definitely part of it.

Second Hand and Ex-Stock Aren’t the Same Thing

This is worth clearing up because my old version of this article blurred the two together.

Preloved or second hand clothing has previously been owned or worn.

Ex-stock is different. The ex-stock clothing we sell at Second Snuggle is new and unworn. It might be surplus stock, previous-season stock or a discontinued line, but it is not second hand.

I still think buying ex-stock can be a useful alternative to paying full retail price and it can give existing unsold stock somewhere to go, but technically it isn’t part of buying second hand.

Do You Have to Buy Nothing New for the Whole Month?

Oxfam’s original challenge encouraged people to avoid buying new clothes for September and choose second hand instead. Oxfam GB

Personally, I think families should use the idea in whatever way is genuinely useful to them.

If you manage an entire month without buying any new clothing, brilliant. If you buy one child’s winter coat preloved when you would normally have bought it new, that is still a change. If Second Hand September simply makes you look through the wardrobes before placing another order, that is useful too.

I’m never going to tell another parent that they’ve failed because they had to buy something new.

Sometimes you need something quickly. Sometimes you can’t find the right thing second hand. Sometimes new is simply the sensible choice.

For me, the point is to remember that new isn’t the only option.

What Happens After September?

This is probably the most important bit.

Second Hand September lasts for one month, but buying preloved doesn’t have to stop when October starts.

That’s how it has worked for our family. Second hand isn’t a challenge we do once a year. It has simply become one of the first places I look when one of the children needs something.

Sometimes I find exactly what I need and sometimes I don’t.

But checking preloved first has saved us money, allowed me to buy brands I really like and helped us get far more use from clothing that already exists.

If you’ve never bought children’s clothes second hand before, September is a very good excuse to try it.

Start with one item, one size or one brand you already know.

You might find that by the end of the month, it doesn’t feel like a challenge at all.