How to make the most out of selling at a Harrow Nearly New Sale
Next Harrow sale will be Saturday 18th November 2023
Seller registration open NOW!
(Places limited - registration will close when all places are filled, or a week before the sale)
The quickest, easiest way to declutter and earn money from your unwanted things.
Simply drop your labelled items off to us, then pick up anything unsold at the end - your share of the takings are transferred to your bank account.
No haggling with buyers.
No standing on a stall all day.
No time-wasters not turning up!
Selling is really easy - but here are some tips to help!
- Package things neatly - show them off! You could use a cheap roll of cellophane to wrap things with loose parts, use magic-tape (that will peel off cleanly) or string or cotton to keep parts together, or attach them to a piece of card. If you've got the original box - great! Clear plastic bags are also good, but remember, the nicer things look, the more likely they are to sell.
- bundle similar things together, like books on a theme or toy cars.
- if the toy does something, say what! Ideally include batteries so the buyer can see it working.
- If all the bits are in the game or puzzle, say so! (If anything is missing, say so too)
- attach an explanation of what things are if it isn't obvious, perhaps a photo of the item in use (see the photo of the car-seat protector below). If people need to take things out of boxes at the sale to inspect them, it will put them off and the item will quickly get grubby.
Pricing!
You will need to label each item with your seller number (so we know how much you've sold) and the amount you'd like to sell it for.
How do you know how much to charge?
(NB: all prices need to be in multiples of pounds or 50p - makes things quicker on the till if anyone pays in cash! So £1.50 is fine, £1.75 is not)
Ask yourself two questions:
1) How much would you pay for the item?
2) Do you want to make sure it sells?!
You can either 'price things to go' - pricing them low to make sure they sell, or check places like Facebook marketplace and Ebay for a guide and price them around 'market price'.
Clothes usually only sell if they are priced quite low - unless they are brand new (Write NEW on the price tag) or from a well-known smart brand.
A lot will come down to luck on the day - we've noticed sometimes lots of people are shopping for newborn and nursery things, and other sales most people are shopping for older children!
Our volunteers make selling easy for you, saving you time you'd otherwise spend haggling with buyers on marketplace or waiting in for timewasters. We run the sales to raise money to keep our branch going. Everything sold on the day is split: 70% goes to the seller, and the remaining 30% goes to NCT. Without these sales, we wouldn't be able to keep our Bumps and Babies Harrow going.
Some of the funds raised also go to the main NCT charity. Nationally, NCT have been behind campaigns for things like birth partners being allowed into delivery rooms, increased birth choices and are currently fighting for improved post-natal mental health support
Here are some examples of items nicely bundled up, with explanations where needed:
Below are some photos of what the sale looks like all set up - you can see we've grouped the items with other similar things to make it easy for buyers to browse.
There are some things we can't sell for safety reasons - they are listed at the bottom of this page.
The clothes racks do get really full - make sure labels are attached securely, and if you can, bundle smaller items (like socks, or vests) into multi-packs that can be displayed on tables. If you have a lot of clothes to sell, and you need to use our hangers, we would really appreciate help hanging them when you drop them off! (If you have your own hangers, it does speed things up a lot!)
We do have separate rails for things like fancy dress and Christmas clothes, as well as a maternity-wear section - and if things are new, please write NEW at the top of the label!
More detailed information for sellers
(you will receive more information, plus everything below in your seller pack, once you register)
Please drop your things to the venue between 10.30 - 11am
Pick up for any unsold items is between 5-5.20pm
We will be checking the quality of the items carefully to make sure that we really are a 'nearly new' sale!
All items brought to the sale must be:
- Clean
- Good quality with instructions where possible
- In working order with no broken parts, sharp edges or tears
- Compliant with British Safety Standards
- Safe, fit for their intended purpose and as described
- PAT tested by a qualified electrician, if powered by mains electricity.
There are lots of things sold for babies that are, unfortunately not safe to sell once used. For safety and hygiene reasons you must not bring:
- Counterfeit goods
- Age restricted items such as DVDs, knives etc.
- Items recalled by the manufacturer
- Bednest cribs manufactured before November 2015 with a half fold side
- Baby hammocks
- Baby pods or nests
- Baby sleep positioners
- Cot bumpers, quilts or duvets
- Baby bottle propping devices or baby bottle holders
- Car seats, car seat bases or car booster seats
- Cycle or crash helmets
- Food and drink e.g., sweets, baby food or formula milk
- Used breast pumps or baby bottles
- Mattresses that are not waterproof, firm and flat
- Children’s clothes with cords or drawstrings
- Bumbo floor seats
- Cosmetic products unless unopened and before their use by date
- Bag style baby slings with a deep pouch and elasticated edge
- Other types of baby carriers or slings unless you have attached this safety notice
