Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
Throughout her career in online auctions and resale marketplaces, Leslie Jacoby Hack, 36, of Wyndmoor, has been in love with a question: \u201cWhy sell something once?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is one of those core values that kind of takes me day-to-day through my work,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Hack works for eBay\u2019s toy department. Before that, she worked for Philadelphia-based Urban Outfitters, focusing on the company\u2019s Reclectic brand, which sells secondhand clothing<\/a>. <\/p>\n Now, Hack is using her career insight to address a problem all parents face: children outgrowing clothing. <\/p>\n \u201cAfter having my first baby, I was blown away by how quickly kids grow out of their clothes,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n At the end of July she launched Mosey<\/a> with cofounder Lou Lou Goss-Woliner, who works for a family trust advisory firm<\/a> in Jackson, Wyo. <\/p>\n The company aims to solve a common problem parents face when trying to get rid of children\u2019s clothing: It takes time and effort to find the right place for each item amid brick-and-mortar consignment shops, resale platforms, community giveaway groups, and in-person donation sites. <\/p>\n Mosey\u2019s solution to eliminate the overwhelming decision process? A $25 bag. Customers buy it to fill with clothing their children no longer wear, then they mail it to Mosey, which lists the items online for sale. <\/p>\n In return, customers get at least $30 in online store credit to purchase secondhand items sent by other parents. Customers that send in premium brands or items such as outerwear and fleeces can get up to $50 in credit per bag. <\/p>\n Hack declined to share financial figures, noting the business is in early stages and \u201cvery much bootstrapped through friends and family.\u201d <\/p>\n The business has two part-time employees, and no physical space yet, but the goal is to have a warehouse in Philadelphia by next year. <\/p>\n Since launching, Mosey has received hundreds of clothing items, Hack said.<\/p>\n \u201cParents all over, both in the U.S. and globally, share the same issue,\u201d she said. \u201cWhere do I put these things … that my kids only wore once?\u201d<\/p>\n Trash bags full of clothes<\/p>\n On a recent Sunday in September, a steady stream of people stopped into Little Wares in Chestnut Hill<\/a> for a children\u2019s clothing swap hosted by Mosey. <\/p>\n Sandra Hwang, 34, from Wissahickon<\/a>, showed up with clothes her 15-month-old son had recently outgrown. She sifted through tables full of clothing organized into piles by age, and found a few gems: a vintage snowsuit from Canadian brand Deux par Deux, some pieces from Hanna Andersson, and a denim overall from OshKosh B\u2019gosh. <\/p>\n Hwang said roughly 95% of her own wardrobe is secondhand. She usually takes her son\u2019s used apparel to Nesting House, a children\u2019s consignment shop in West Mount Airy<\/a>, but the store is selective, she\u2019s found, preferring not to sell certain brands or more worn items. <\/p>\n That leaves her \u201cdriving around with this clothing, trying to find the outlet for it that will increase the lifespan as long as possible,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n She might hand it off to friends or family, but that still takes time and effort. <\/p>\n \u201cWe have ourselves gotten huge contractor-grade trash bags of clothing in our neighborhood that [are] just being passed around,\u201d she said. \u201cPeople have kids, and then they go through tons and tons of clothing. It\u2019s very overwhelming to go through this process.\u201d<\/p>\n While Mosey aims to be an online marketplace with no brick-and-mortar store, connecting with potential customers like Hwang in person is important. It helps \u201cdrive word-of-mouth interest,\u201d Hack said. She hopes to make clothing swaps and other events a regular part of the business. <\/p>\n Store credit up front<\/p>\n Platforms abound for those looking to sell their clothing online, including Poshmark, Depop, Vinted, and ThredUp. <\/p>\n Philadelphia-area sellers have brought in hundreds of dollars a month<\/a> by peddling their possessions online. <\/p>\n Mosey\u2019s business model is not entirely new, but it stands out because of its focus on kids, says Chris Baeza, associate program director of the fashion industry and merchandising program at Drexel University<\/a>. Mosey\u2019s guaranteed store credit encourages givers to become buyers, she says, and differs from consignment platforms that only pay once an item sells.<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: These Philly-area residents bring in hundreds of dollars a month selling stuff online. Here\u2019s how.<\/a><\/p>\n On a recent day in September, items for sale online included a Mini Boden button-down shirt with printed colorful sharks for $20, red Baby Gap shorts for $9, and a Hanna Andersson skirt with fruit designs for $16. The company also sells a selection of new items.<\/p>\n Mosey asks customers to launder the clothing before sending it in. But if something needs \u201ca little bit of love, we will try to take that extra step to make sure it\u2019s clean,\u201d says cofounder Hack. Shoes, bibs, and a few other categories of children\u2019s goods are not accepted. <\/p>\n Erica Lyon, 39, who lives outside Boston, ordered her first Mosey bag in July. As of late September she had sent in four bags of outgrown clothing from her daughters, ages 5 and 1. <\/p>\n Between the price of the bag, the credits she received, and buying four new-to-her items, she recalls spending roughly $20. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sending in nice stuff that at one point I did spend a substantial amount of money on, but otherwise there would have been zero return,\u201d Lyon said. She learned about the company because she used to work with Hack, years ago at online art marketplace Artsy.<\/p>\n Before discovering Mosey, Lyon said, it felt overwhelming to sift through her children\u2019s clothing to find things that could be donated or given to a friend. <\/p>\n Lyon is excited for more secondhand clothing to be available on Mosey. In the early days, she would pester Hack, saying, \u201cI\u2019m ready to buy stuff. She\u2019s already noticed an increase in inventory since then, she said. <\/p>\n Selling more than used clothing<\/p>\n The secondhand industry is already booming. <\/p>\n Online consignment store ThredUp estimates the secondhand apparel market will reach $78.8 billion by 2030<\/a> in the U.S. and that the online resale market will to continue to grow in the coming years. <\/p>\n Hack said she believes there\u2019s \u201ca lot more willingness to participate in secondhand, for kids specifically\u201d than there once was.<\/p>\n \u00bb READ MORE: Shopping secondhand for kids\u2019 stuff is getting more popular in Philly<\/a><\/p>\n Consumers want to know what happens to their clothing after they get rid of it, says Baeza of Drexel.<\/p>\n \u201cOne thing people are getting really keen about is transparency and authenticity, and really understanding where things are going,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Mosey could have access to a generation that\u2019s already used to buying secondhand too, says Baeza. More Gen Zers, known for their affinity for thrifting<\/a>, will soon become parents.<\/p>\n Mosey could face challenges as they get more clothing if it leads to a bottleneck of items that need to be photographed for the website, says Baeza.<\/p>\n