Several parents are considering the option of second-hand uniforms in the UK as many incur debts for back-to-school items. According to a 2024 report by the Irish League of Credit Union (ILCU), some 32% of parents are in debt thanks to back-to-school expenses. The ILCU survey was conducted in June and involved 716 parents.
It is true that most parents pay for their children’s back-to-school expenses from personal savings. However, the ILCU study found that as many as 28% of them fall into debt to make such purchases. For parents in this niche, debt on school supplies averages £310 ($408). Meanwhile, that figure is reflective of 2023 back-to-school debts. In 2024, parents in the UK incur £52 ($68) more just to get brand-new clothing for the school year.
It is commonplace to find parents who have maxed out their credit cards to buy school supplies. Some parents opt for Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) offers instead. However, the common denominator is that these parents are in debt, and the interest rates are way higher than taking a bank overdraft.
Interestingly, the back-to-school supply crisis is not peculiar to the UK alone. In the US, a Bankrate survey found the situation even a bit tougher for American parents. Unlike the 28% of UK parents, some 31% of US parents are in debt due to school supplies.
How Much Money Do Parents Spend On School Uniforms a Year in the UK?
In 2024, another survey revealed that 78% of parents spend over £100 ($131.50) on school uniforms alone every session! Indeed, about 57% of these parents cough as much as £249 ($327) on this exact item. Compounding these figures over the 11 years of preliminary British education, parents will part with between $1,447 and $3,600 for new school uniforms for each child.
So, it is no surprise that parents in the UK are heaving under the financial burden accompanying the purchase of school supplies. To dampen the pull of this expense on their budget, many parents become thrifty. The survey also revealed that about 19% of parents are turning to second-hand uniforms for sale in the UK. That’s the only way some of these parents can afford a fresh set of uniforms for the new school year.
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Where Do People Buy Second-hand Clothes From the UK?
More and more parents are buying uniforms for their wards on second-hand online marketplaces. Most of these parents admit that they would gladly purchase brand-new clothing for their kids, but the high cost of school uniforms is not encouraging. According to a survey by Yodel, 71% are concerned about buying brand-new clothing for the new school year that starts in September.
So, about 43% of these parents are going to charity shops. Some others are going through the inventory at school uniform banks to find something fitting for their kids. These banks are in the business of old-school uniform recycling. The garments sold at uniform banks often come from donations, sales, or swaps of no longer-needed items.
Many of the uniform banks are run by schools. However, about 50% of school-going children’s parents also patronize second-hand online marketplaces like eBay and Vinted.
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Vinted: A One-Stop Shop for Almost Everything
Some parents share their experience on these second-hand online marketplaces. Parents looking for fairly used supplies and wanting to sidestep the high back-to-school uniform cost share how they use these platforms to maximize their expenses.
Sarah Allyene explained that she often finds her way to Vinted when her children outgrow their uniforms or change schools. Allyene has two kids, one heading off to secondary school and the other starting primary school in September. She shares about her decision to buy second-hand uniforms in the UK: “Buying two sets of brand-new uniforms after seven weeks of summer holidays is really unaffordable.”
Allyene bought new stuff for her kids, but those have to come with the school logo she bought from the school shop. However, she conveniently got most of the other items on Vinted. Interestingly, Allyene suggests that “often items have never been worn and still have tags, and you can find great discounts.” This indicates that shoppers on this online marketplace can get great quality school supplies at a discounted price.
It gets even more interesting. Some UK parents source second-hand uniforms to reduce the financial drain of the new school year on their pockets. However, there’s a catch to it. Some second-hand online marketplaces like Vinted allow parents to trade in their wards’ old uniforms —well, not old in the literal sense of the word, but uniforms that the kids have outgrown or that they have worn after they change schools.
It is estimated that parents can make up to £150 ($197) from selling old uniforms. They don’t need to go knocking on doors or start a yard sale to sell the items.
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