Monday, August 12, 2013

Buying, Selling and Trading Diapers

After a full week of budget suggestions, I figured the topic that made the most sense for my next post was selling your diapers.  One of the great things about cloth diapers is that they have a resale value.  There have been multiple brands of diapers that I have tried that have worked well for friends but that have not worked well for me and my baby.  Thankfully I was able to sell them and recoup some of my money to put towards diapers brands that do work for me.  I have also made purchases of used (preloved J) diapers through various swap groups.  There are multiple different platforms that are available to sell and buy preloved diapers including local groups (a lot have Facebook pages), Facebook buy/sell/trade groups, diaperswappers.com, e-bay and Craig’s list. 

One of the first things you will notice after joining a B/S/T (buy/sell/trade) group is all of the abbreviations!!!  Frequently the site will have a listing of abbreviations and what they mean, but I have included some of the more popular ones here.

AIO - All in One diaper
AI2 - All in Two diaper
Aplix – not an abbreviation but this is a brand of hook/loop, other common hook/loop brands include touch tape and Velcro.
CD - cloth diaper
FFS - Free for Shipping
FS/FSO - For sale/For Sale Only
FSOT - For sale or trade
FRB - Flat Rate Box
FRE – Flat Rate Envelope
HTF – Hard to Find, frequently these are discontinued or limited edition colors and will sell for more than they did while new.
ISO - In search of
MF - microfiber inserts
MMAO - Make me an offer
MMARO – Make me a reasonable offer
PM - Private Message
PPD - "postage paid domestic" means shipping and PayPal fees are included in the price listed.  shipping is for domestic addresses only.
PP – PayPal, people will say “PP only” meaning they only want $ and aren’t interested in a trade
PP - previous post(er)
PUL - polyurethane laminate, the outer waterproof material for diapers
TPU - Thermoplastic Polyurethane, similar to PUL
WAHM - work-at-home mom, can reference those that make diapers or work other jobs from home

The next thing to understand when buying or selling diapers is how to classify the condition of your diapers.  Most diapers fall into 6 categories: new, like new, excellent used condition/very good used condition, good used condition, used condition, play condition.

New condition diapers – “NIP” or “BNIP” - New in Package or brand new in package, “NWT” - New with Tags (for items that don't have a package), “NWOT” - New without Tags (person may have removed tags and then not used the item)

New condition diapers are diapers that have never been worn and may or may not still be in their original packaging or have the original tags.  New condition diapers will be exactly as if they had been bought from a retailer with the exception that they will not have a warranty.  Personally, I would not pay full price for a new diaper from a swap group because the warranty has some value in my mind.

Like new diapers – “LN” - These are diapers that have been washed or tried on but are still essentially new.  They have not been worn by a baby and should still look brand new.
 
Excellent used condition diapers/Very Good used condition – “EUC”/”VGUC” -  is a diaper that has been used for a short period of time or within a large rotation, but essentially should only have been used a few times. It should be very close to a like new diaper but will show that it has been used a few times.  There shouldn’t be any staining or other major flaws but the insides may show signs of washing.  One could probably argue that excellent is better than very good, but for the most part they are the same.  Between all of the condition categories there is a very fine line so it’s a matter of classifying it and disclosing everything as best as possible.
 
Good used condition – “GUC” – is a diaper that has minor problems such as staining, pilling or snags. Aplix, snaps and elastic should still be in good condition.

 Used Condition – UC – is a diaper that has significant use but is still function. It will probably have more significant staining, pilling or snags. The hook/loop may not be as sticky and the elastic may be relaxed.  There may be other issues with the diaper that should not affect function.

Play condition/Swim diaper – is a diaper that has significant problems.  Diapers in this category may have broken snaps, hook/loop that doesn’t stick, shot elastic or PUL that is delaminating.  This classification is intended for diapers that will be used in the pool or for general play and therefore don’t need to be waterproof or pretty. 

Once you understand all of the acronyms and the definitions of what you are selling and buying you can begin searching for diapers and posting yours for sale.  Something that I recommend when selling or buying diapers (or even trading) is to back all of your sales, purchases and trades with PayPal.  You always want to pay through PayPal as goods instead of as a gift so that if you do not receive your diaper or if it is not as described then you have some recourse.  For trades, each party should send the other party the value of the diaper being exchanged to ensure that both parties comply with the trade.  For shipping, I use a kitchen scale to estimate the weight and use the calculator at usps.com to determine what the shipping will be.  I recommend obtaining tracking for your package and insuring any shipments that include valuable or many diapers.  If you pay through PayPal, you can also ship through PayPal which is very quick and easy as long as you have a scale and a printer.  Always ship to the individuals PayPal address, if you do not and they dispute it later you may lose for not shipping to the Pay Pal approved address.

As long as you are upfront and honest about sales, and ask detailed questions about purchases, most transactions go smoothly.  I have sold 5-6 diapers through various locations and I have always had a positive experience.
 


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3 comments:

  1. Thanks for linking up to mommy mondays! This is hilarious. Who knew there were SO many abbreviations?? Its like a whole other language! Thankfully we got our diapers as shower gifts and I've only purchased 3 more when I've found a good sale. A bit more would be nice right now with 2 in diapers but we're making due :)

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    1. I totally understand as I also have 2 in diapers. There are some really good cheap brands out there (see my diaper reviews) that can add a little cushion to your stash and get you through :)

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