Changeroo: Changing the World With Your Kids’ Wardrobe

In my dreamworld of ethical and environmentally friendly consumerism, I would be filling my children’s wardrobes with Canadian-made apparel constructed from only the finest in sustainable, North American milled textiles.

Sadly, the only dreamworld I inhabit is the one in which I cannot remember my locker combination and am late for a final exam for a class I’ve forgotten to attend all semester.

So how do I respect my eco-goddess values AND my family’s budget when we’ve got four children to dress? I shop second hand.

I can’t believe that I spent my prime shopping years not fully appreciating the joys of thrift stores. (And by prime shopping years, I mean that teenage era when I had time and money to kill and wasted it cruising the mall instead of charity shops.)

When my son was born, I came to fully appreciate the joys of thrift shopping, and I would time his nap so that I could shop while he snoozed in his stroller. Thrift shopping requires patience and a good eye; it is not a quick pop into a store that is guaranteed to have what you’re looking for. The payoff is worth it to me: you save money and you save clothing from the landfill.

Alas, it is not fun to thrift shop with four children in tow. Specifically, four children who don’t yet understand how much fun thrifting can be. More specifically, four children including toddler twins who do NOT think it is fun to nap in their strollers while mommy cruises the aisles.

Nowadays I do not get to do as much thrifting as I’d like, but I still do my best to avoid buying children’s clothing new. If I’m lucky, I find suitable items on our local swap and shops, but I’m often a bit disappointed by quality once I get the items home. When I do get a chance to hit the thrift shops, I’m typically in a rush; I get home and realize I completely forgot to look for the one thing we really needed.

Luckily, there’s Changeroo! Based in Beaconsfield, Quebec and serving Canada and the US thanks to the wonders of the postal service, I can do my thrifting from home, in the comfort of my pyjamas, in the quiet evening hours while my little clothes horses are asleep.

Run by Liane, a mama of three who needed a #mamahustle that she could do from home, Changeroo buys high-quality, brand-name clothing from local families and sells them online. It’s all the convenience of e-commerce with the benefit of second-hand prices and knowing your own hard-earned cash is going into the pockets of families like yours.

One of the pitfalls of shopping used is the dubious quality of items on the racks, whether at a charity shop, on Facebook Marketplace or at a garage sale. I often discover only once home that my purchases have a broken zipper, a missing button, a stubborn stain or a ripped seam.

Liane takes professional quality pictures of all pieces listed on Changeroo, so you know exactly what you’re getting. (Arguably even more so than when shopping from stock images on retail sites!) Changeroo inspects each and every garment to make sure their strict quality standards are met. If there are any defects, even minor, they are clearly described in the item listing.

Changeroo carries brands like Gap, H&M, Gymboree, Souris Mini, Mexx, Zara, Guess and Hatley at excellent prices. Our $100 Changeroo shopping spree netted nine items for my cubs, and I would estimate the retail value of the lot to be at least $275. All of the pieces arrived in pristine condition, exactly as described.

Changeroo’s website is easy to navigate and well organized. Inventory is constantly changing as new items are added daily, so you still get that “thrill of the hunt” so many of us thrifters thrive on and miss when our busy schedules and growing families mean we can’t bargain hunt for hours on end.

Consider Changeroo for your kids’ back-to-school shopping needs! You’ll find items for newborns all the way to size 16. Shipping cost depends on order size and address, but orders over $99 ship free within Quebec and Ontario, and orders over $120 ship free to other provinces (excluding Nunavut, the NWT and the Yukon.) Americans enjoy free shipping on orders of $135 or more. If you are local to Beaconsfield, QC, save even more by picking up your order, and earn cash by selling your children’s outgrown, quality clothing!

New customers can use coupon code MamanLoup15 to save 15% off their first order until July 31, 2020.