What are clear-out bags?

 

What are clear-out bags?

Clear-out bags are the most hassle-free way to declutter your children's outgrown clothes while ensuring each item finds a sustainable new purpose.

Plus, they earn you credits to refresh their wardrobe from our kid-centred second-hand shop.

Say goodbye to uncertain charity shop trips and wondering about the fate of your hand-me-downs. Bid farewell to concerns about proper recycling. Simply send us all the clothes they no longer need and we’ll do the rest, making conscious choices effortless.

 

How does it work?

A clear-out pack includes a clear-out bag, FREE return shipping, and an instruction leaflet with FAQs.

Here's the breakdown:

  1. Earning Credits: For every bag of clean, wearable children's clothing (ages 0-14 years), you earn instant credit for every item we can sell. The rest will be donated to our charity partners or responsibly recycled here in the UK. Check out the list of brands that we resell HERE.

  2. Simple Steps:

    • Order Your Clear-Out Pack: click HERE to purchase a pack.

    • Fill the Bag: Include any clean, wearable items your child has outgrown. Please note: No underwear, socks, baby vests, or babygrows, unless they were purchased from us or a brand we love. Please ensure the bag is full and items are in wearable condition.

  3. Return the bag:

    • When your bag is ready for return, scan the QR code on the bag and follow the simple process to create a return.

    • An automated email to take you to Royal Mail and create a shipping label or QR will be sent to you. Once you’ve created your label, please keep a record of your tracking number.

    • For multiple bag returns, please fill out the Royal Mail form separately for each bag, using the same shipment ID each time.

    • Once submitted, there may be a brief delay before you receive the automated message from Royal Mail containing your QR code/label. Please allow 10-15 minutes for this message to arrive in your inbox.

  4. Tracking the Return:

    • Royal Mail will notify you when your bag reaches our warehouse.

    • Check the tracking status HERE using your tracking number in case the notification is missed.

  5. Processing by Experts:

    • Our skilled team will categorise items for resale, donation, or responsible recycling and give you instant credit for anything we can sell. For current processing times, click HERE.

  6. Credit Notification:

    • Once processing is complete, an automated email will share your results and credit details.

    • Your earned credit is automatically added to your sales account – no waiting for items to sell!

 

What happens to my clothes?

All items will be assessed by our expert team. Items which were purchased from thelittleloop or a brand partner will be sold again onsite. For these items you will earn additional credit. For items not from brands we love they will be donated to our clothing bank partners so that they can bring joy to families in need. Items which cannot be worn again will be responsibly recycled here in the UK.

 

What kinds of items will you accept?

We welcome any clean, wearable children's clothing items ranging from ages 0 to 14 years.

"Wearable" indicates that the item is in a condition suitable for donation or resale without requiring any additional refurbishment.

Please remember that we are unable to accept underwear, socks, baby vests, or babygrows unless they were originally purchased from us or a brand we love.

Items that are soiled or damaged are not suitable for donation and may impact your credit due to the associated costs for laundering or repair.

 

Do I need to wash them first?

Yes please. Items which are soiled cannot be passed on to our charity partners for reuse. For items from ‘brands we love’ we can accept minor stains as long as the item is otherwise in very good condition. And no need to iron. We use steam to sanitise and reshape if needed

n.b. please wash clothes using a detergent. Unfortunately we have had several incidences of bags of clothing washed with an eco-egg which have not met our strict standards. These items have a distinct smell which takes us lots of washes to remove, meaning we’re sadly unable to offer credit for them.

 

How much can I earn and what does it cost?

Any item we can resell on our site you will earn 25% of the resale value of the item, calculated using the item’s RRP and condition. Items we can resell are:

  • items originally purchased from thelittleloop

  • items purchased from our brand partners

  • items purchased from brands we love

Keep in mind that the resale price varies based on the item's condition. If you prefer to know how much you might earn in advance, you can try our clever trade-in tool.

You will not earn credit for bags containing only items which we cannot sell. However we will happily donate these items to our charity partners, giving you peace of mind that they’ve gone to to a good home.

 

How long does it take to process my bag?

Our current processing time is 8 weeks from the date your bag arrives at the warehouse.

Royal Mail will have sent a notification upon delivery to the warehouse. If you missed it, simply enter your bag’s tracking details HERE to check.

This may fluctuate depending on the time of year and how busy we have been. We’ll endeavour to keep this page updated with the latest timeframe.

Once the process is complete, you’ll receive an email confirming your results and credit.

Keep in mind that this automated email might find its way into spam folders, so please ensure our address is added to your safe sender list.

 

How do I announce my bag for return?

To return your bags, follow the steps outlined below:

  1. Log in to your sales account OR scan the QR code on the bag.

  2. In the “Your Bags“ tab you will see your clear-out bags.

  3. Select the number of bags you wish to announce.

  4. Confirm the return by tapping the green button.

  5. Tap to confirm again.

  6. Look out for an email with return options and instructions, sent to your account email. This will take you to Royal Mail where you can create a free return label or QR code.

For multiple bag returns, please fill out the Royal Mail form separately for each bag, using the same shipment ID each time.

Once submitted, there may be a brief delay before you receive the automated message from Royal Mail containing your QR code/label. Please allow 10-15 minutes for this message to arrive in your inbox.

Please be aware that automated emails sometimes find their way into the junk folder. To ensure you receive our communications, please ensure we are on your safe sender list.

 

What size are the bags?

The clear-out bags measure 70cm in length and 55cm in width.

On average, they can comfortably accommodate 20-30 kidswear items, depending if they’re baby, bigger kid, or outerwear items.

 

How full do the bags need to be?

We ask that you please only return full bags - full to the top so it can still be comfortably closed (please see image below).

There are two reasons for this request:

  • the fewer shipments we send, the lower the impact of shipping on the environment

  • Each shipment sent, costs us a postage fee. To enable us to continue to offer free shipping for our bags, we need to avoid unnecessary additional shipments.

    Thank you for understanding! :)

 

Reasons why a bag does not earn credit

A heads up about item credit. We won’t be able to give credit for your item if:

  • Item needs laundering

  • Item is damaged

  • Items is a category we can’t accept*

Your credit for sellable items may also be affected if the bag contains to many items which can’t be donated of resold and need to be recycled instead. OR too many items we can’t accept*

Even if your items don't get credit, rest assured, we'll still responsibly repurpose them.

*items we can't accept: shoes, underwear, socks, baby vests, or babygros unless they were purchased or a brand we love