Second-hand app is helping parents save money on children’s essentials

A Sustainability site is ‘immune to price hikes and inflation’ helping parents save money whilst still supplying essentials for their children.

The YoungPlanet App, which was launched in 2019 by married couple Jason and Emma Ash, allows for families to give and receive second-hand items for free.

YoungPlanet allows for users to list unwanted items on their site which range from clothes, household essentials and toys.

This year the platform has distributed over 30,000 children’s items, worth over £1m, to new homes.

New research completed by Confused.com shows 43% of UK adults have turned to buying second-hand due to the rise in living costs.

YoungPlanet have noticed more people are struggling with the cost-of-living as in the past eight weeks they have seen 17,000 new users have signed up to the site which has increased their community to 150,000. 

The number of users on the site are also predicted to spike in the run up to Christmas, as RSV Media have recorded 48% of UK shoppers plan to purchase pre-loved items for gifts this year in order to cut down costs.

Jason Ash, Co-Founder of YoungPlanet said, ‘Since YoungPlanet is immune to price hikes and inflation, we’re seeing a spike in the number of items that are being shared through our site ahead of Christmas, with more people favouring pre-loved alternatives over buying brand new.

‘Our aim is to provide users with an easy and accessible way to combat rising costs and environmental concerns, whilst building a community of eco-conscious sharers.’

As well as helping families save money during this difficult financial period, the digital platform is also helping to fight against the climate crisis by reducing national waste – the 30,000 children’s items that have recently been donated to YoungPlanet would have ended up in landfill. 

Mr Ash said, ‘With COP27 headlining the news this week, discussions about the circular economy are more important than ever.

‘Not only is our platform tackling national waste by extending the circulation of high-quality items, but our free business model enables users to drastically cut their costs.’ 

Photo by Sandy Millar