



Top 40 Brands with the Best Resale Value
This chart provides a deeper dive into brands that best retain value over time, how much you can recoup when reselling each brand, and how popular each brand is in a resale environment. You’ll find that “Family Favorite” brands, like Gymboree and Levis, provide the best return on your initial kids’ clothing investment, followed by “Premium” brands, like Tea and Hanna Andersson.
Rank ▲ ▼ | Brand ▲ ▼ | Price ▲ ▼ Range | Popularity ▲ ▼ |
Avg Retail
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▼
Price for Jeans |
Avg Resale
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▼
Cash Back for Jeans |
Most Popular Items ▲ ▼ |
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1 | Gymboree | Family |
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$34 | $4.76 | Dresses ($2.00 - $5.60) |
2 | Baby Gap | Family | 7 | $34 | $4.76 | Hoodies + Pullovers ($1.50 - $5.50) |
3 | Justice | Family | 6 | $34 | $4.76 | Jeans ($2.10 - $5.85) |
4 | Levis | Family | 5 | $34 | $4.76 | Jeans ($2.10 - $5.85) |
5 | Gap Kids | Family | 5 | $34 | $4.76 | Polos ($.90 - $3.30) |
6 | OshKosh B'gosh | Family | 5 | $34 | $4.76 | Jeans ($2.10 - $3.90) |
7 | Lands End | Family | 4 | $34 | $4.76 | Light Jackets / Fleece ($2.50 - $6.95) |
8 | Adidas | Family | 5 | $34 | $4.76 | Athletics Pants + T-shirts ($.60 - $1.50) |
9 | Limited Too | Family | 3 | $34 | $4.76 | Long-sleeve T-shirts ($.70 - $1.60) |
10 | Rare Editions | Family | 3 | $34 | $4.76 | Dresses ($2.00 - $5.60) |
11 | Mini Boden | Premium | 7 | $51 | $6.88 | Dresses ($2.50 - $6.95) |
12 | Tea | Premium | 6 | $51 | $6.88 | Leggings ($.80 - $2.95) |
13 | Hanna Andersson | Premium | 5 | $51 | $6.88 | Dresses ($2.50 - $6.95) |
14 | Janie and Jack | Premium | 5 | $51 | $6.88 | Sweaters ($3.90 - $8.55) |
15 | Ralph Lauren | Premium | 5 | $51 | $6.88 | Button-down shirts ($2.35 - $6.30) |
16 | Rothschild | Premium | 5 | $51 | $6.88 | Jackets ($9.15 - $20.70) |
17 | Naartjie | Premium | 4 | $51 | $6.88 | Knits + Sweat Pants ($1.00 - $2. 80) |
18 | Lilly Pulitzer | Premium | 4 | $51 | $6.88 | Dresses ($2.50 - $6.95) |
19 | J Crew Crewcuts | Premium | 3 | $51 | $6.88 | Long-sleeve T-shirts ($1.50 - $3.30) |
20 | Lacoste | Premium | 3 | $51 | $6.88 | Polos ($2.35 - $6.30) |
21 | Children's Place | Bargain | 7 | $17 | $1.36 | Long-sleeve T-shirts ($.45 - $1.10) |
22 | Old Navy | Bargain | 7 | $17 | $1.36 | Light ($1.60 - $3.30) |
23 | Carter's | Bargain | 6 | $17 | $1.36 | Leggings ($.45 - $1.10) |
24 | Cherokee | Bargain | 6 | $17 | $1.36 | Long-sleeve T-shirts ($.45 - $.75) |
25 | Circo | Bargain | 5 | $17 | $1.36 | T-shirts ($.45 - $.75) |
26 | Arizona Jean Company | Bargain | 7 | $17 | $1.36 | Jeans ($.65 - $2.25) |
27 | Genuine Kids by Oshkosh | Bargain | 7 | $17 | $1.36 | Overalls ($.60 - $1.50) |
28 | Disney | Bargain | 6 | $19 | $1.61 | T-shirts ($.45 - $1.10) |
29 | Jumping Beans | Bargain | 6 | $17 | $1.36 | Shorts + Skirts ($.60 - $1.35) |
30 | Crazy 8 | Bargain | 5 | $19 | $1.61 | Dresses ($.90 - $3.30) |
31 | Ed Hardy | Designer | 6 | $85 | $10.20 | Hoodies + Pullovers ($5.45 - $6.75) |
32 | Cachcach | Designer | 5 | $85 | $10.20 | T-shirts ($4.65 - $10.35) |
33 | Catimini | Designer | 5 | $85 | $10.20 | Patterned Pants ($8.75 - $13.05) |
34 | Flowers By Zoe | Designer | 5 | $85 | $10.20 | Long and Short Sleeve Shirts ($8.75 - $10.35) |
35 | One Kid | Designer | 5 | $85 | $10.20 | Sweaters ( $7.65 - $17.30) |
36 | Burberry | Designer | 5 | $85 | $10.20 | Dress shirts ($5.85 - $13.05) |
37 | Biscotti | Designer | 5 | $85 | $10.20 | Dresses ($6.15 - $13.70) |
38 | Diesel | Designer | 5 | $85 | $10.20 | Jeans ($6.45 - $14.40) |
39 | Petit Bateau | Designer | 3 | $85 | $10.20 | Dresses ($9.19 - $13.70) |
40 | Juicy Couture | Designer | 3 | $51 | $6.88 | Knits + Sweat Pants ($2.50 - $6.95) |



Summary and Tip Sheet
Don’t have time to dig through thredUP’s data? Here’s a quick summary of the First Annual Resale Report that will help you determine what to buy and what to re-sell to get the best return on your clothing investments.
Brand Winners
If you’re hoping to recoup the most from your kids clothing spend, we recommend investing in these brands, which retain the best resale value over time: Gymboree, BabyGAP, Justice, Levis, GAP Kids, OshKosh, Lands’ End, Adidas, Limited Too and Rare Editions.
condition is key when reselling clothing
Condition of the clothing is number one when it comes to any type of resale. Most consignment shops or websites won‘t accept any clothing that has stains, tears or even showing excessive wear or pilling. Make sure your clothing is in practically new condition before sending it in. Here are some expert tips on how to keep your clothes in great condition:
- Try not to use hot water when washing clothes because color will fade more quickly.
- Hang or store polos with the collar turned up to prevent fading aroudn deep creases.
- Don’t overdo detergent because the residue can actually attract dirt.
- Avoid shrinkage by only putting clothing in the dryer if you have to.
- Purchase an electric lint shaver that can remove pills and signs of excessive wear.
- Treat stains immediately before they set—especially grease!
- Try to hand wash clothing with embellishments, or turn them inside out in the washer.
- Wash all clothing before bringing or mailing it to a consignment shop.
When to splurge, when to skimp
Quality is key. Invest in “Family Favorite” brands like Gymboree and GAP, or “Premium” brands like Hanna Andersson and Janie & Jack to get the best return on your initial investment. “Bargain” brands like Carter’s have a lower ROI, because they are more likely to show wear and tear. If you’re working with a tight budget, here are some more specific recommendations on when to splurge on higher-end brands and when to skimp:
- Resale Pro Tip—Outerwear: If you’re on a budget, buy “Bargain” brand jackets like Carters. Normally, you’ll want to avoid cheaper brands if you’re planning to resell clothing, as they'll show more wear and tear. However, jackets are washed infrequently and better retain their value.
- Resale Pro Tip—Formalwear: Splurge, spurge, splurge on “Premium” or Designer brands like Janie & Jack! High-end formalwear flies off resale shelves because thrifters want the pricey look for special occasions, without the pricey tag. Plus, high-end formalwear is just that much cuter for photos!
- Resale Pro Tip—Casual Staples: Don’t skimp on the clothing that your children will wear daily. Dresses, jeans, light sweaters of “Family Favorite” and “Premium” brands like Gymboree, GAP or Tea Collection are versatile and hold up well after many wears and washes.
- Resale Pro Tip—Play Clothes: Your best bet is buying and re-selling “Family Favorite” brands like Gymboree or OshKosh when it comes to play clothes. You don’t want to splurge on designer duds for this everyday wear, and “Bargain” brands will show excessive wear pretty quickly.
Other sites that help you turn clutter into cash
Just in time for spring cleaning, here’s a list of great websites that can help you turn clutter into cash—all without leaving the house!
clothing
thredup.com: Order a free Clean Out bag online, and send in your kids’ clothing for free using a pre-paid shipping label. You’ll earn 20%-40% of the resale value.
theRealReal.com: Luxury designer resale, all online. Perfect for the Louis Vuitton bag that needs a new home.
Gift Cards
GiftCardGranny.com: A gift card exchange that helps you trade in gift cards you aren’t planning on using for cards you will use, or for cash.
GiftCardRescue.com: Similar to GiftCardGranny.com, and you get up to 90% cash-back on any gift cards you sell from major retailers.
Gold
GoldFellow.com: We’ve all heard of Cash for Gold, but there’s another option for your once loved jewelry. Gold Fellow will even take broken jewelry.
electronics
Usell.com: An incredibly simple way to sell your cellphone or other electronics. Get an offer, choose a buyer and ship it for free.
Secondipity.com: A selling portal perfect for bigger ticket items like TVs. Best part? With every item you sell, they’ll make a donation to a classroom in need.
used instruments
UsedInstrumentBuyer.com: Instruments are often hard to sell on Craigslist. Used Instrument Buyer will give you a quote upfront, and ship it for free.
Books
BookScouter.com: Type in the ISBN, and Book Scouter will search all the sites that are currently paying for used books to give you a quote.