The Best Places to Buy Preloved Baby & Children's Clothes in Australia

by Daisy Chain Clothing April 22, 2026

Children can grow through clothing remarkably quickly. A jumper that fits perfectly at the beginning of winter can be too small before the season is over, while some baby clothes are outgrown after only a handful of wears.

That makes children's clothing particularly well suited to buying secondhand.

Australian parents now have plenty of options—from traditional op shops and community markets to Facebook Marketplace, eBay, resale apps, brand-specific marketplaces and specialist children's clothing stores.

But they offer quite different shopping experiences. Some are best for bargain hunting, some for finding a particular item, and others make it easier to buy several pieces in the same size without dealing with multiple sellers.

Here's how the main options compare.

1. Op shops and charity stores

Op shops remain one of the most accessible ways to buy secondhand children's clothing in Australia.

Major organisations such as Vinnies, Salvos, Red Cross and Lifeline operate stores around the country, alongside independent charity and community op shops.

The attraction is simple: prices can be low and you never quite know what you'll find. The trade-off is unpredictable stock. Finding several specific items in the right size and season can require repeat visits.

Particularly useful for: bargain hunting and unexpected finds.

Keep in mind: selection and condition can vary considerably between stores and visits.

2. Community markets, children's markets and car boot sales

Markets, school fetes and community sales can be particularly useful when parents are clearing an entire size or season at once.

That can make them a good place to find inexpensive clothing bundles rather than purchasing one garment at a time.

The limitation is availability. Markets operate at particular times and locations, and the sellers and stock can change from one event to the next.

Particularly useful for: bargains, bundles and buying directly from other parents.

Keep in mind: what you'll find on any particular day is unpredictable.

3. Facebook Marketplace and Buy/Swap/Sell groups

Facebook Marketplace and local Buy/Swap/Sell groups give parents access to clothing being sold directly by other families.

Prices can be excellent, particularly when someone is clearing a whole wardrobe. Local pickup can also eliminate postage.

The trade-off is that each seller has their own photographs, descriptions, prices and collection or delivery arrangements. If the eight garments you want belong to five different sellers, you're potentially dealing with five separate transactions.

Condition is also subjective, so examine photographs carefully and ask questions if anything isn't clear.

Particularly useful for: local bargains and wardrobe bundles.

Keep in mind: buying multiple items may mean dealing with multiple sellers, collections or postage costs.

4. Gumtree

Gumtree is another option for individual garments and larger clothing lots, with local buying still an important part of the experience.

Like other peer-to-peer marketplaces, the quality of listings varies, so check photographs, descriptions and exactly what's included before buying.

Particularly useful for: local listings and clothing lots.

Keep in mind: selection and listing quality depend on individual sellers.

5. eBay Australia

eBay can be particularly useful when you know what you're looking for.

Its search and filtering tools make it easier to hunt for a specific brand, garment, size or design rather than relying on whatever happens to be available locally.

You'll find individual garments and bundles, ranging from everyday children's brands to designer, boutique and harder-to-find pieces.

For inexpensive garments, remember to consider the complete cost including postage. A cheap T-shirt can become considerably less of a bargain when shipped on its own.

Particularly useful for: specific brands, sizes and harder-to-find garments.

Keep in mind: factor postage into the total price, particularly for inexpensive individual items.

6. Vinted and Depop

Australia's resale-app options have expanded too.

Vinted launched in Australia in July 2026, providing another peer-to-peer marketplace for secondhand fashion, ranging from everyday clothing to more premium pieces.

Depop is more fashion-focused and can be particularly useful for distinctive, vintage or fashion-led pieces.

Both offer access to stock from many individual sellers, which creates plenty of variety but can make buying several garments more fragmented.

Particularly useful for: browsing secondhand fashion and finding distinctive pieces.

Keep in mind: you're generally purchasing from individual sellers rather than building one order from a single retailer.

7. Brand-specific resale marketplaces

Some children's clothing brands now have their own official secondhand marketplaces.

Bonds Village Marketplace and Purebaby Pre-Loved allow customers to buy secondhand products from other owners of those brands through official resale sites powered by Treet.

This can be particularly useful for baby clothing if you already know which brand you want. Instead of searching a broad marketplace, you're browsing secondhand stock from one label. Listings are reviewed before going live, and purchases are covered by Treet Protection.

These are still peer-to-peer marketplaces rather than conventional secondhand stores. The clothing generally remains with the individual seller until it sells and is then shipped to the buyer. Bonds also allows sellers to create multi-item bundles.

Particularly useful for: parents specifically looking for preloved Bonds or Purebaby clothing.

Keep in mind: selection is limited to the particular brand and you're generally still purchasing from individual sellers.

8. Specialist secondhand children's stores

Specialist resale stores concentrate specifically on baby and children's clothing rather than selling every category of donated goods.

That can make browsing easier and more consistent. Stores may curate what they accept and organise clothing by size or garment type. Some operate physical stores, some sell online and others do both.

Prices may be higher than the cheapest op-shop or Marketplace finds, but the trade-off is a more curated shopping experience.

Our individual Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth guides include local specialist stores.

Particularly useful for: shoppers who value curation and easier browsing.

Keep in mind: finding the absolute lowest price isn't necessarily the main advantage.

9. Specialist online children's resale stores

Online specialist retailers offer another model: search a large secondhand catalogue and choose the individual garments you want from one inventory.

This addresses one of the less obvious inconveniences of peer-to-peer shopping.

Suppose you need a jacket, three T-shirts, two pairs of shorts, a jumper and a dress in your child's next size. On a marketplace, you might find all eight—but from several different sellers.

With a specialist retailer, you can effectively create your own bundle, choosing the particular garments you want and combining them into one order.

Daisy Chain Clothing

Daisy Chain Clothing is an Australian online retailer specialising in preloved baby and children's clothing.

We individually list thousands of garments across different sizes, brands and clothing types. Each garment is checked before listing, and customers can combine items from across the catalogue into a single order for Australia-wide delivery.

That won't suit every shopper. If you enjoy searching op shops for a bargain or someone nearby is selling exactly the bundle you need, those options may make more sense.

But when you're trying to find several different garments in a child's size, being able to search a large range and choose exactly which pieces you want can make secondhand shopping considerably more convenient.

Particularly useful for: building a multi-item wardrobe, shopping across brands and buying several secondhand garments in one order.

Keep in mind: convenience and selection are the main advantages rather than relying on the chance of finding the cheapest individual bargain.

Which option suits what you're looking for?

If you're looking for...	Consider...
Very cheap individual finds	Op shops
Low-cost wardrobe bundles	Markets or Facebook Marketplace
Something available locally	Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree
A particular brand, size or hard-to-find garment	eBay or resale apps
Preloved clothing from one particular brand	Brand-specific resale marketplaces
Distinctive or fashion-led pieces	Depop or other fashion resale marketplaces
A curated in-person experience	Specialist children's resale stores
Several different garments in one online order	Specialist online children's resale stores

There isn't one universally best place to shop secondhand.

A child's wardrobe might contain an op-shop jacket, a Marketplace bundle, a particular dress found on eBay and several everyday pieces bought together from a specialist retailer.

The more useful question is:

Which option works best for what I'm trying to buy today?

Buying secondhand kids' clothes in your city

Looking for local stores, markets and other options? We've created detailed guides for:

These guides focus on local places to shop, while this national guide covers the different ways Australians can buy secondhand wherever they live.

Want to get better at buying preloved?

Finding somewhere to shop is only part of buying secondhand well.

Condition, sizing, materials, price and how much use your child is likely to get from something all affect whether a garment represents good value.

Our Ultimate Guide to Buying Preloved Children's Clothing in Australia covers what to look for when buying, including sizing, condition and getting the most from preloved clothing.

And if you're shopping for a baby, we've looked at how much you can save buying secondhand for your baby's first year, including which types of baby clothing can be particularly good secondhand purchases.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I buy secondhand baby clothes in Australia?

Options include op shops, markets, Facebook Marketplace and Buy/Swap/Sell groups, Gumtree, eBay, resale apps such as Vinted and Depop, brand-specific marketplaces, specialist children's resale stores and online secondhand retailers. The best option depends on whether your priority is price, selection, convenience or finding something specific.

Can you buy secondhand kids' clothes online in Australia?

Yes. Options range from peer-to-peer marketplaces such as Facebook Marketplace and eBay to brand-specific marketplaces and specialist online children's resale stores. The main difference is whether you're purchasing from individual sellers or choosing several garments from one retailer.

Are op shops cheaper than buying secondhand kids' clothes online?

They can be. Op shops can produce exceptionally cheap finds, but prices and selection vary. When comparing online options, also consider postage—particularly if inexpensive garments are being purchased separately from several sellers.

What should I check when buying secondhand children's clothes?

Check the overall condition and areas that receive the most wear. Look for stains and marks, pilling or fading, worn knees and cuffs, loose stitching, damaged zips or fastenings and stretched elastic. For online purchases, clear photographs and accurate condition descriptions are particularly useful.

Where can I buy bundles of secondhand children's clothes?

Facebook Marketplace, local parent groups, Gumtree, markets and eBay can all be useful for pre-made bundles. Some brand resale marketplaces also permit bundles; alternatively, a specialist retailer can allow you to choose several individual garments yourself and combine them into one order.

Can I buy different brands of preloved children's clothes in one order?

Yes, through multi-brand secondhand retailers. This can be particularly useful when you're building a wardrobe around a child's size rather than looking for one particular label. On peer-to-peer marketplaces, whether you can combine items depends on what each seller has available.