I sold my husband on the idea of cloth diapering with the cost savings it would provide us.  I began researching cloth diapers before I was pregnant with my first kiddo, so once I had my positive pregnancy test in-hand I immediately began building our cloth diaper stash.  I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on pee and poop catchers either, so I focused on purchasing prefolds and covers to build the bulk of our stash.  Because the cost of prefolds is minimal, I purchased all of our prefolds new and found some great sales to add to our stash (an Econobum buy 1, get 1 sale was a memorable one, as they were prefold+cover sets).  The expense of all-in-one (AIO) diapers was intimidating to me, knowing I would need at least 24 diapers to start, so I began shopping used diapers to try out different styles.

 

I’ve had, and continue to have, great experiences buying used diapers, and wish to share some great resources with you.  Here are some places to look for used diapers:

eBay – I purchased several used diapers through eBay in the beginning, and a HUGE diaper lot as well, but eBay is probably the last place I would look for used diapers these days (unless I’m looking to buy an entire lot of diapers).

Thrift Stores – I’ve not had the luck of finding used diapers while thrifting, but know that many people have found great deals on cloth diapers in thrift stores.  Some thrift stores carry them on a regular basis, as some manufacturers will donate their seconds-quality diapers, so keep your eyes-peeled for a great cloth diaper deal.

Children’s Consignment Sales – In the past year I’ve been seeing more and more cloth diapers being sold at my local children’s consignment sales and I love it!  While I’ve not seen any diapers I HAD to have, it’s nice to see cloth becoming more mainstream.  The only downside to buying through children’s consignment sales is that they are typically only biannual events, so you have only two chances a year to grab cloth diapers (but it’s great for adding to your stash).

Craigslist – This will depend upon your area.  Living in the Philadelphia area, I’ve had great success buying and selling diapers on Craigslist, as there is a large cloth diapering community here.  However, while we lived in the Central PA region it was slim pickings.  It never hurts to take a look, as you don’t have to bother with shipping (this is what I love most about buying & selling on Craigslist).  Another great reason to buy cloth diapers on Craigslist is that you have the opportunity to look at the diapers before you purchase them — no surprises.

Local/National Buy, Sell, Trade (BST) groups on Facebook – Again, this is going to depend on your area.   If you buy from a local group, and meet in-person, you save on shipping and can inspect the diapers before you purchase.

BST website – There are websites, such as Cloth Diaper Trader, devoted to listing cloth diapers for sale or trade, or buying diapers you are in search of.  I’ve had success selling and trading a few diapers here.  The one trade I did do was backed with a PayPal exchange, which I recommend doing to help protect yourself from dishonest people.  Again, you’re dealing with strangers, so going this route can be a crapshoot.

Used Diaper Retailer – This is, by far, my favorite way of buying used cloth diapers and training pants these days.  Using a cloth diaper retailer for buying, selling, and trading diapers is the smoothest way (and requires the least amount of work).  Many cloth diaper/natural parenting retailers buy and sell used cloth diapers in their retail spaces, but if you don’t have one near you (or are looking for a specific diaper) a dedicated used cloth diaper retailer is the way to go.  I use Re-Diaper.com and never have to worry about the condition of the diapers I am purchasing.  I’ve purchased and traded several diapers through Re-Diaper and have been extremely pleased with my experience.  When I’m finished with cloth, I can even de-stash through Re-Diaper without all of the work of trying sell each piece myself.

Curious to enter the world of buying, selling and trading diapers? Check out these 6 Questions to Ask Before Buying, Selling and Trading Cloth Diapers.

Buying used diapers is an economical way to build a cloth diaper stash, as well as being an affordable way to try different styles and brands of diapers.  Do you/would you buy used diapers?  Where are your favorite places to purchase used diapers?