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Parents are increasingly turning to second-hand online marketplaces to find school uniform items as the cost of essential school supplies continues to rise.
According to data from the parcel company Yodel, up to 47 percent of parents buy or have bought second-hand school uniforms and 28 percent are willing to do so in the future.
With schools set to reopen for the new school year in September, many parents will find they need to replace their child’s current school uniform, with 56 per cent reporting they are worried about having to buy new clothes.
Significant Expense: Buying branded school blazers and ties can be difficult for parents, especially if they have more than one school-aged child.
Parents’ concerns come as 71 per cent said they have seen the cost of school uniforms rise in the past two years.
As a result of the high costs they face, around 43 per cent of parents are turning to charity shops, while almost half are considering buying items from school uniform banks.
These are markets run by schools where parents can donate, sell or exchange uniform items that their children no longer need.
Nearly half of parents now buy some of their children’s uniforms from second-hand markets such as Vinted and Ebay.
However, with specific items required by different schools, often with branded insignia, it can be difficult to find suitable items without heading to approved stores.
In many cases, parents are required to purchase branded items such as jackets, ties and physical education uniforms.
For parents who have several children in school at the same time, school uniform costs can easily run into hundreds of pounds.
In July, the new government promised a Child Welfare Bill, which it says will address the amount of branded items schools can require.
He said the move would “reduce costs for parents and remove barriers that prevent children from accessing sport and other school activities.”
Before Labour’s election victory, current Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said Labour would introduce a limit of three items of branded school uniform.
The growing number of people choosing to buy second-hand uniforms comes as figures from Hodge Bank show parents spend an average of £422 on school uniforms each year.
Total costs before school returns for the new year could reach up to £1,100, the bank said.
According to Clearpay data, grandparents are increasingly helping to pay for school supplies: in the last year, purchases of school bags among those aged 57 and over have increased by 483%, while purchases of PE equipment have increased by 338%.
School uniforms make up the majority of this expenditure, reaching £422 for secondary school.
Meanwhile, parents spend an average of £62 per pair of school shoes, according to cashback site Rakuten.
Christie Cook, Hodge’s general manager for retail, said: “For some families, buying new uniforms can be a challenge, but there are alternatives. Second-hand uniforms can be found on platforms such as Vinted or eBay, in charity shops and through school uniform recycling schemes.”
‘You can find almost everything on Vinted’
One mother, Sarah Allyene, said she started buying second-hand uniforms to help her children cope with the cost of growing up and changing schools.
She told This is Money: ‘For parents like me, with two children starting completely new primary and secondary schools this year, buying two new sets of uniforms after seven weeks of summer holidays is really unaffordable.
Often, items have never been worn and still have tags on them, and you can find great discounts.
‘At that age, uniforms get lost or children outgrow them very quickly, but now you can find almost everything on Vinted as easily as on the websites of major retailers or on the high street.’
Like most parents, she still has to buy branded school supplies, but getting the rest secondhand has left her with more money to spare.
She added: ‘I’ve bought some new items from the school shop, mostly those that need the school logo, but the rest have come from Vinted. Often items have never been worn and still have tags on them and you can find great discounts – I ordered a jacket for £14 which is selling for £23.
‘It’s also much more sustainable to buy second-hand uniforms, and you know that perfectly good uniforms won’t end up in landfills.’
A new jacket cost Sarah just £14 when she bought it second-hand.
While buying second-hand school uniforms is a proven way to avoid big costs before a new school year, selling old uniforms when your children grow up or change schools could also allow you to offset the costs of replacing the old uniform.
Parents can earn up to £150 an ear selling unwanted uniforms, Yodel said, with 13 per cent of parents turning to online selling platforms to sell their items.
Meanwhile, 30 percent of parents choose to throw away old uniforms or keep them.
Sam Holden, commercial director at Yodel, said: ‘The booming used uniform market is a win-win for parents and we are seeing millions of school uniforms coming through our network to be given a new lease of life.
‘There’s never been so much choice when it comes to back-to-school shopping – people are saving big and making extra money by selling clothes their kids have outgrown.’
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