A guide for parents
NCT nearly new sales: how they work, and how to do well at one
What actually happens, what you keep when you sell, the trick that gets you both a better rate and first pick, and what to do in the eight months between sales.
What's in here
- The two kinds of nearly new sale
- Selling: what you actually keep
- Should you volunteer?
- How to price things so they sell
- Buying: get there early
- What you cannot sell
- The one real limitation of nearly new sales
Nearly new sales are the thing parents recommend most, and honestly they're brilliant. Local, cheap, and a whole hall of children's clothes sorted by size. If there's one near you, go.
They're also a bit more complicated than they look from the outside, and there are a few things I'd want to know before registering.
The two kinds of nearly new sale
Ticketed sales are the common format. You label your things at home, drop them off on the morning, and volunteers sort and sell them for you. You go home. Later you get paid the sale price minus a commission.
Tabletop sales are a market. You book a table, stay for the duration, and sell directly to buyers. You keep everything you take.
Most branches run the first sort, and the difference matters: one costs you a commission and a morning, the other costs you a table fee and the whole day.
Selling: what you actually keep
At a typical ticketed sale, NCT takes around 30% and you keep 70%. There's usually a small registration fee as well, a few pounds, and it varies by branch.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| Register | Online, small fee, you get a seller number |
| Seller pack | Arrives a couple of weeks before, with labels to print |
| Label at home | Your number, the age it suits, a description, and your own price |
| Drop off | Morning of the sale, in boxes marked with your name |
| Collect | Early afternoon, and the timings are strict |
| Get paid | Bank transfer, two to four weeks later |
You set the prices, not the branch. And do bear the payment delay in mind if you were counting on the money.
Should you volunteer?
Two perks for helping: a lower commission, and you get in before everyone else. The second one is worth far more than the first.
| How you take part | Commission | You keep on £100 | Early entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drop off and collect | ~30% | £70 | No |
| Volunteer half a day | ~26% | £74 | Yes |
| Volunteer a full day | ~22% | £78 | Yes |
Typical rates, which vary by branch. Check your local one.
Be clear-eyed about the money. Eight extra pounds on a hundred pounds of sales, for a full day at the hall, is about a pound an hour. As a way to earn more from selling it's poor, and you would need to be shifting several hundred pounds of stock before the commission saving justifies the day on its own.
The early entry is the actual prize. Volunteers get in before members, who get in before the public, and at a busy sale that window is where the good stock goes. If you're going mainly to buy, helping is the difference between first pick and picking over.
And the sales only happen because people help. Every nearly new sale is run entirely by volunteers who have small children of their own and would rather be with them on a Saturday. They sort thousands of items, staff the tills, tally up every seller's takings and stay behind to clear the hall. If nobody volunteers, there's no sale, which is why branches sometimes cancel them.
So the honest reason to help isn't the eight pounds. It's that these sales are one of the few genuinely good things parents do for each other locally, they raise money for a charity that supports new parents, and they exist only for as long as enough people give up a morning.
The early entry is a thank you rather than a wage. Worth doing at least once if there's a sale near you.
How to price things so they sell
Clothes sell at nearly new sales when they're priced low, which is worth weighing against what the same bundle would fetch online. That's the consistent advice from the volunteers who run them, and it's worth taking seriously.
The exceptions are things still with tags, and recognisable smart brands. Those hold their price. Everyday supermarket basics don't, and priced hopefully they come home with you.
The question to ask is which you want more: the money or the space. If it's the space, price everything to go. If it's the money, price at what you would pay yourself and accept that some of it returns.
And there's a luck element nobody can plan for. Some sales are full of people shopping for newborn things, others for four-year-olds. The same box can do well at one sale and poorly at the next.
Buying: get there early
Entry is a pound or two and goes to the charity. Members get in around half an hour before the public, volunteers earlier still, and at a busy sale that half hour is most of the good stock.
Bring more bags than you think, cash as well as a card, and clear the boot before you leave the house. If you've a baby with you, a sling beats a pushchair. Church halls at a nearly new sale aren't pushchair country.
What you cannot sell
There are real restrictions, for safety rather than fussiness. Car seats, cot mattresses and anything with a safety history are generally out. Anything mains powered needs to have been tested by a qualified electrician.
Items are checked on arrival, and things that don't meet the standard are handed back. Each branch publishes its own list, so read it before you spend an evening labelling.
The one real limitation of nearly new sales
They happen a few times a year. Most branches run two, plus a Christmas toy sale.
Children don't grow on that schedule. A sale in March is no help in June when your child has moved up two sizes and the next one is in October. That's the gap, and it's the reason most parents who love nearly new sales still end up with bags in the loft between them.
Volunteer once if you can. You get in before everyone else, and honestly they only happen because people turn up.
🌱 What we do between sales
We built Swapaboo for the eight months in the middle. Same idea as a nearly new sale, running all the time rather than twice a year.
You photograph what your children have outgrown, we check and value each piece, and that value becomes credits you spend on the next size from another family. No labelling evening, no pricing decisions, no drop-off window, and no waiting a month to be paid.
Every item is checked and graded before it lists, and the condition is shown before you claim it. You pick every piece yourself. The only money that changes hands is the delivery or collection, from £1.99.
We're opening in small batches and it's invitation only for now.
And if there's a sale coming up near you, go to that too. They're genuinely good, and the two aren't in competition: one is a room full of things twice a year, the other is what happens in between.
Common questions
How do NCT nearly new sales work?
You register online, receive a seller number and printable labels, price and label your own items, and drop them off on the morning of the sale. Volunteers sort and sell them, you collect anything unsold that afternoon, and you are paid by bank transfer a few weeks later, minus the branch's commission.
How much commission does NCT take?
Typically around 30%, so you keep 70% of what your items sell for. Most branches reduce it for volunteers, often to around 22% for a full day of helping. There is usually a small registration fee as well, and rates vary between branches.
Do you have to be an NCT member to sell?
No. Anyone can register to sell at a nearly new sale. Membership matters more for buying, since members typically get in half an hour before the general public, which at a busy sale is most of the best stock.
How do you price things for a nearly new sale?
Low, for ordinary clothes. Items still with tags and recognisable smart brands hold their price, but everyday basics only sell when they are cheap. Decide whether you want the money or the space, and price accordingly, since anything unsold comes home with you.
When do you get paid after a nearly new sale?
Usually by bank transfer two to four weeks after the sale, once the volunteers have tallied everything up. It is not same-day money.
How often are nearly new sales held?
Most branches run two a year, often spring and autumn, plus a Christmas toy sale. That is the main limitation: children grow continuously and the sales do not, so there is usually a long gap between one and the next.