Well, now. Did you hear the one about the head of a Baby Clothing company who came out swinging when she discovered a group of mums on Facebook selling on her brand's clothing when their babies have outgrown them? You could say, if people are daft enough to pay inflated prices in the first instance, then it makes sense to sell them on; we all know baby clothes are often outgrown before they become worn.
But have you noticed this obsession with selling? In the days of yore, we offered hand-me-downs to friends' children. I remember one friend with older girls would arrive with a big black rubbish sack, saying gaily, "Brought a bundle for Britain!" as if we were post-war refugees. After, she'd gone, we'd forage through and salvage one, maybe two dresses and consign the rest to a jumble sale where they should primarily have been delivered.
If ever, I passed anything on, I had my mother's example in my mind: clothes washed, folded and anything bobbly or showing signs of wear, jettisoned beforehand. And a bag. A suitable bag. Not just any old supermarket bag, but the most upmarket, I could muster. Presentation is all.
I remember standing at the school gate once when the mother of a child I barely knew asked me if I wanted some tights after her daughter. I said, to be polite,"How kind." The next day she turned up, and showed me a mangled selection of well-shrunk, thickened tights in a Tesco bag. Smiling, I said, "How very kind.."
"So fifty pence then? Be fair.." This was twenty five years ago when fifty pence could buy you quite a lot more. I smiled wanly and found the coin.
So upon reflection, maybe not such a new idea after all.
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