This article is sponsored by Hanna Andersson, though all opinions are my own. This article contains affiliate links, meaning that if you make a purchase from them then I may receive a small commission. Thank you for your support of Sustainable Rainbow.
Hanna-Me-Downs
I’ve been a big fan of Hanna Andersson, the iconic, sustainable kid’s clothing brand that’s been around for over 30 years, ever since my first child was born in 2018. I wrote about the brand in my blog post featuring sustainable baby brands, and their items are still in constant rotation in my children’s wardrobes! Not only are they made with organic, fair-trade materials, they are also made to last through years of play. My 1-year-old has been wearing items that my 4-year-old wore as a baby, and they still look good as new. We have a few items that have made it through multiple family members after my oldest wore them and are now back to my baby, and even those still look great! Their recently launched Hanna-Me-Downs site is a testament to this: it is a resale site specifically dedicated to re-selling preloved Hanna Andersson clothes and accessories.
As someone who loves to buy secondhand, and also someone who loves to resell, I was very excited to discover that this site exists! It can be hard sorting through all of the different baby/kids clothes listings on all of the different resale sites to find high-quality products, and this puts them all in one place. As a reseller, they also make it very easy to use. I’m breaking down everything you need to know about shopping and selling on this site, so let’s dive in!
Buying Experience
The website for Hanna-Me-Downs is linked at the top right of the main Hanna Andersson site, labeled “Pre-Loved”, but you can also click here to navigate to their homepage. This is a completely separate entity from the main site, so shopping carts are not connected. When you buy from the Hanna-Me-Downs site, you are buying from an individual seller, not from Hanna Andersson directly. Some of the benefits of this are saving money, having access to items that are no longer on the site, and supporting the circular fashion model by keeping clothing out of landfills. There really are no risks to this, as there is great buyer protection if items are not as described (I detail this more below).
When you navigate to shop on the website, there are many different filters you can apply to find exactly what you’re looking for. You can filter everything from overall size/style (baby-toddler, kids, adult, pets), to category and size of clothing, to condition of the item (never worn, excellent, moderately worn, well-worn). There are many items on the site that are brand new with tags!
Prices are almost always 50% off of retail or less, though sellers can choose to set their price as high or low as they’d like. Shipping is not included in the listing price and is $7.00 per order. If you buy multiple items from the same seller, the shipping charge stays the same, but you have to pay additional shipping fees for each seller you buy from (which is standard for sites like these since you are buying from individual people and not a warehouse).
I ordered 16 items from 13 different sellers on the Hanna-Me-Downs site. As with most reselling sites, there was a range of when sellers shipped the items, from the next day to 10 days later. If the seller hasn’t shipped after 10 days, you are given the choice to cancel your order.
I had to return one item, as it was not as described (it was significantly more worn than the listing description and photos indicated), and the process was seamless. I was offered two options: a partial refund if I kept the product, or a full refund if I returned the product. I chose the full refund option, and I was provided with a return label very quickly. Another item I received was not the same item that was pictured in the main photo (after listing my own items on here, I see how it can happen but be sure to check all photos when purchasing). I was offered a partial refund, which I didn’t even request since I should have looked at all the photos more thoroughly, but I thought it was generous that they offered. Every time I interacted with customer service, they were prompt, professional, and kind. .
The only things the website doesn’t have that I wish it did are a way to filter for the most recently added items and a way to communicate with the individual sellers through messaging in some way, though this is more of an issue with the parent site Archive than with Hanna Andersson.
Selling Experience
I’ve been a part-time reseller for over a decade, and have sold almost $100,000 in merchandise across multiple platforms. Selling on the Hanna-Me-Downs site is easier than any of the others I’ve tried so far!
You can use your desktop or phone, and both methods are equally easy to use. When you list an item, you start by locating the Style ID number on the tag (which the website walks you through). You’ll then select your item from the list that pops up and a listing will be created with pre-populated information and a stock photo.
You’ll be prompted to add your own photos of the item, and you can check boxes indicating any possible flaws your item may have. There is also a space to include any comments about the item.
It will then display a suggested price range, and give you the option to set “smart pricing” which will automatically reduce the price over time to improve the chance of it selling.
Once you sell your item, you’ll get a prepaid shipping label to print off, with the option to scan a QR code at the post office if you don’t have a printer.
Similarly to other sites/apps, the buyer will have 3 days to inspect the item after it is marked as delivered to confirm that it arrived in the condition described. If they do nothing, you will get your funds after 3 days. I recommend all resellers set their expectations accordingly; don’t plan to have that money any sooner than 3 days from the time of delivery + the time it takes to transfer to your bank account. Most buyers won’t take the time to accept the item/rate the seller, though the site does send two notices to buyers reminding them to do this (one when it arrives and another a day or two later).
Sellers that offer multiple items for purchase are likely to make more sales, especially on a resale site where you have to pay shipping separately for each seller you buy from. When I am shopping on the site and see an item I like, I always look to see what else a seller has in their storefront to see if I want to bundle and save on shipping.
You can choose between receiving 70% of the sale price in cash, or 125% of the sale price in store credit to the main Hanna Andersson site. At this time, because the resale site is separate from the main site, you cannot use the store credit on the Hanna-Me-Downs site. The 30% cut is about average for most sites once you take fees into account, especially since they handle returns and customer service. I love that the option for redeeming store credit is even higher than the sale price, as it’s something you don’t see often!
Overall, I have really enjoyed my experience with buying and selling on the Hanna-Me-Downs site and will continue to use it. I’m excited that there’s a new way to pass along high-quality pre-loved clothing in a direct, easy way, and I’m even more excited about there being a new place to find great deals on a brand I love!