Finding Great Buys for Baby on eBay

I have slowly but surely come to discover the wonders of eBay, particularly when it comes to buying things for my son. I only wish I had checked out the auction site before my son was born…oh the money we would have saved!

Being somewhat neurotic by nature, I have changed my son's nursery theme three times in the past 20 months. The first theme was Moon & Stars which is the set of bedding, rug, and valance that we chose and were given at our baby shower. When my son was about 5 months old I started to notice that he was really into jungle animals like giraffes and elephants, so I decided that his room needed to have a little make-over.

By this time I had been on eBay quite a bit just surfing around and selling some of my son's outgrown items, so I decided to search for crib sets. Lo and behold, I found hundreds! Some new, some used, and all very well priced. I decided on the Carter's Musical Parade line inspired by John Lennon's artwork, put in a bid on a complete, gently used set, and won….for $25! Everything arrived intact and as promised and my son got his nursery make-over. It looked fantastic.

When my son turned 19 months old, I was starting to feel that the soft pastels and whimsical jungle animals of the Musical Parade design were too soft and babyish for him. I got back on-line and searched eBay for a new crib set. Since my son still loves animals, but is a rough and tumble "big boy" I decided on a gorgeous safari set from Pottery Barn Kids which had more primary colors and defined prints than our current bedding and décor. Once again, I put in a bid, watched the auction for a week, and won the bumper and crib skirt for a grand total of 99 cents. I was shocked and thrilled, especially since the set was brand new, in its original packaging, and the crib skirt alone retails for $59.

I have been telling all of my friends who are expecting babies to go to the store, pick out the crib set that they want and then search for it on eBay. The money that can be saved is incredible! I have been able to buy my son brand new Ralph Lauren shoes for $10, a new pair of Tommy Hilfiger sneakers for $5, and a set of 6 winter fleece sleepers for $1.99. And the list goes on. His Baby Einstein videos come from eBay and I have scored incredible prices on those as well as on framed artwork for his bedroom and bathroom, hard to find toys, and much more.

Chances are, if you are looking for any specific item for your baby, you are likely to find it on eBay for a lot less than you would anywhere else. And every penny saved can go right into your little one's college fund! As for me, I will continue searching the auctions, hopefully not changing my son's room for a fourth time, but he is outgrowing his clothes and shoes again, and I might just want to add a little something for myself…..