Where To Donate Your Kids' Outgrown Stuff in San Diego
That old saying is true that "They grow up so fast", but what do you do with all of their stuff they outgrow?! Don't throw it away, you can actually make some money from it. Or at least you can donate it to local charities and help others out who may need it. You get rid of the stuff, you help others out and you can make some change from it; that's a total win-win!
A few tips before you load up those bags of clothes & toys...most places won't take them if they're worn out, broken or dirty. You may have more luck with Goodwill, Salvation Army and AmVets for these items since some of their workers will clean them up and make minor repairs.
But for items that are gently used, clean and still in good condition, consider taking them to one of these places.
CHILDREN'S CONSIGNMENT SHOPS IN SAN DIEGO
They'll sort through your items, pick out the good stuff, the name brands and what they need for that season and will either pay you on the spot a small commission or will pay you later when someone buys your items. This is a great deal because you can actually make a little bit of money back and put it towards your kids' newfound interests.
These are local consignment shops in San Diego. Call them for selling hours, some require appointments, and to find out what items they're currently accepting based on the season.
Conceptions Children’s Resale (Santee)
9470 Cuyamaca St, Ste. 100, Santee 619-596-2229 conceptionsresale.com
Baby Go Round (Grantville)
6360 Riverdale St., San Diego (Grantville) 619-281-2229 babygoroundresale.com
Little Love (La Jolla)
1110 Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla 858-230-6857 littlelovesandiego.com
Junebug (Solana Beach)
142 N. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach 858-755-2152 junebugoncedros.com
La Costa Kids (Encinitas)
372 N. El Camino Real, Encinitas 760-944-9076 lacostakids.net
CHILDREN'S TRADE-IN SHOPS IN SAN DIEGO
If your kids' toy section could use a refresh, take out the ones they haven't used in a long time and trade them in for something new. These shops will buy or trade you for your old toys and video games.
Call them for selling hours, some require appointments, and to find out what items they're currently accepting based on their inventory needs.
Replay Toys (North Park) This is a wonderful mom-owned business and she even homeschooled her young children in this shop during the pandemic. She had to close her beloved shop for a while until she found a new location nearby; which she recently opened back up again at the end of 2021.
3825 Ray St., North Park 619-294-5904 replaytoysboutique.com
Game Stop (all over San Diego) You can trade in or sell your video games for cash for credit to all Game Stop stores. They're located all over San Diego. gamestop.com/trade
CHILDREN'S DONATION SHOPS IN SAN DIEGO
If you just want to drop your stuff off and be done with it, here are some great local charities that will take it off your hands. They'll go through your items to select what meets their criteria and they'll put it up for re-sale in their shops or will donate it to various underserved or low-income families in San Diego.
Twice Treasured Thrift Store (La Mesa) This is located inside Journey Community Church and it's an all volunteer-run organization.
8363 Center Dr., La Mesa 619-741-0290 journeycommunitychurch.com/twicetreasured
Home Start Thrift Boutique (Normal Heights) Your donations will be resold in their thrift shop with proceeds going towards local child abuse prevention programs. They also have a Maternity Housing Program that helps young mothers with job training and becoming self-sufficient.
3611 Adams Ave., Normal Heights 619-906-5996 home-start.org/thrift-store
San Diego Rescue Mission (Bankers Hill) Donations go to the local homeless population they serve or to one of their thrift stores where they employ homeless workers and help them with job skills. They often need baby and children's items, clothing, shoes, jackets & blankets. You can even schedule a pick up or drop them off.
120 Elm St., Bankers Hill
619-819-1793 sdrescue.org
American Cancer Society Discovery Thrift Shops (Point Loma & Rancho Bernardo) Your donations will be resold in their thrift shops and a portion of proceeds will go towards funding cancer research. They accept clothing, jewelry, furniture and housewares.
3609 Midway Dr., Point Loma
619-224-4336
16787 Bernardo Center Dr., Rancho Bernardo
858-385-0479
Gently Hugged (Rancho Bernardo)
Two public health nurses founded this organization when they saw low-income families didn't have many of the basic needs to properly dress their newborns. Gently Hugged collects items for preemies through 1 year to help them thrive in their first year of life.
They'll accept new and gently used clothing, clothing accessories (socks, onesies, hats) and blankets. They'll even put a collection bin at your local family-oriented business, preschool or playcenter and love it when families host donation drives at their baby showers and birthday parties.
Bonus: They're located at the fun and family-friendly Bernardo Winery!
13330 Paseo del Verano Norte, Rancho Bernardo
858-771-4987
SELL IT YOURSELF!
Okay so this one isn't a "consignment" option, but you can sell these items yourself if you want to put some extra work into it. You can take photos and group your items into "lots" (like a bag of size 2T clothing, or a bag of baby toys, etc.). Use apps to post up what you have available to sell, and this is where the extra work comes in.
You'll have to manage the inquiries from people who say they want to buy it, schedule a public meeting time and place and make the transaction. Some of these initial inquiries don't follow up or don't show up and there can be some uncertainty about their intentions and your safety by transacting in-person with a total stranger.
I've done this several times myself, but each time is a little nerve-wracking not knowing who will show up. Luckily I haven't had anything bad happen and it's all worked out, but you never really know what's going to happen. Sometimes I'll send my husband, but always make sure it's in a public place where there's always a lot of other people around. Never take your kids with you and take another adult if possible. You can either choose to accept cash, use Venmo, CashApp, PayPal or some apps let you accept payment through the app itself.
Here are some 3rd party apps that you can use to sell these items yourself. I've personally only used OfferUp, LetGo and 5Miles, but I've had the most success with OfferUp and still use that one frequently. I haven't used any of the others on this list.
OfferUp
Facebook Marketplace
Facebook local groups (aka "Buy Nothing Groups", etc.)
5Miles
LetGo
VarageSale
eBay Classifieds
Selio
SocialSell
Listia
Mercari
Decluttr