Carla, the founder of Glam Up Kids, moved from Brazil to Sweden in 2009. She is a trained nursing assistant, but she has always had a desire to run her own business. An interest in sustainability is also something she’s had for a long time. As a nursing assistant, Carla was involved in environmental issues at work, and at home she’s always been careful about sorting her trash.
From Idea to Reality
However, it wasn’t until after she had her first child that the idea for Glam Up Kids was born. Carla realized just how much money was being spent on children’s clothes, which her child quickly outgrew. Some items weren’t even worn. That’s when the idea struck: Why not make life easier for all parents facing the same challenge while also contributing to more sustainable consumption? No sooner said than done. Andreas, Carla’s husband, also joined the business later when they converted the sole proprietorship into a corporation. With extensive experience in the telecom industry in support and customer service, he has contributed his expertise in customer behavior and business process optimization. Together, they have developed Glam Up Kids into the company it is today.
The inspiration to start Glam Up Kids came from the family’s own needs. After realizing how much money they spent on clothes for their first child and how quickly the child outgrew them, it became obvious to buy secondhand when their second child arrived. At the time, there weren’t many companies that focused exclusively on secondhand children’s clothing, which was exactly what Carla was looking for. She wanted to be able to shop from an online store just like when buying new clothes, but for secondhand items. From that vision, Glam Up Kids was born, and orders started pouring in on the very first day after they launched the website.
At first, the company was run out of their home, but demand grew rapidly. During the first four years, their apartment filled up with boxes of children’s clothing, which eventually made it impossible to continue operating from there. Moving to a larger space of 200 square meters became necessary. Despite the new space, even that is now starting to feel too small. With a rapidly growing presence on social media—especially Instagram, where they have nearly 33,000 followers—expansion is a reality.
Why Tradera?
For Carla and Andreas, Tradera was a natural part of the company’s journey. Carla started selling her own children’s clothes on Tradera and was quickly impressed by the platform’s reach and customer base. They even say that Tradera was one of the factors that motivated them to start Glam Up Kids, as the platform gave them a better understanding of the demand for secondhand children’s clothing. Today, they use Tradera as one of their primary sales channels and appreciate the ability to sell both at fixed prices and through auctions, which adds a dynamic element to their sales. “We love the excitement of selling at auction and letting customers decide the price,” says Carla.
They are also pleased with Tradera’s easy integration and the ability to reach customers both in and outside of Sweden. The support they’ve received from Tradera’s sales team during their startup phase has also been greatly appreciated. For Carla and Andreas, Tradera is the obvious choice when it comes to selling used children’s clothing, and they look forward to a continued and deeper partnership.
The Challenges of Secondhand Goods
Running a secondhand business is not without its challenges. Every garment is unique, which requires a large volume to keep the business running. In addition, sorting the clothes is a labor-intensive process that is still done manually, as there are no pre-existing records or systems for the items that are dropped off. Production and logistics need to be constantly improved to meet demand, which requires both time and resources.
The Future of Glam Up Kids
With a focus on sustainability and growing demand for secondhand items, Glam Up Kids has an exciting future ahead. The company plans to continue expanding and finding new ways to improve production, while inspiring more parents to choose secondhand over new. “It feels really great that we’re contributing to more sustainable consumption while helping other parents find affordable, high-quality clothes for their children,” says Carla.
