Hand-Me Downs

Eh as an avid thrifter I’d say the store is definitely over priced– I mean I understand they have to inflate the price to make a profit and that this store could work for the non-​thrifter but for me… Probably wouldn’t go out of my way to return.
Cute window display though.

Love this place! Wonderful selection, clean used items too. Great friendly staff. They have everything you need for your kids. .from tap shoes to soccer cleats to strollers. Thank you

Hand Me Downs has a new (ish) owner and it’s changed for the better. The selection of used toys and books is excellent — there’s something for babies all the way up to 10-​year old kids. I’ve also found a lot of good deals on shoes here, like Keen sandals in great condition for $ 12 and snow boots for me (I have small feet) for $ 10.
I’ve also sold to the new owner and she’s a pleasure to work with. To sell toys or books, no appointment is needed. Just bring your stuff in, leave it to be looked at, and you’ll get an email or call the next day with an offer. Take it or leave it, and you pick up whatever you don’t want to sell.
I’ve sold toys and books here a few times here and the $$ offered for my stuff was VERY fair. Surprisingly fair — more than I expected. I think I was surprised because it was so different from my experience with another Evanston children’s resale store which offered me hardly anything for the same items. So if you have toys or books to sell (the other Evanston children’s resale shop doesn’t buy books), this is the place.
Check out Hand Me Downs. You won’t be disappointed. And while you’re in the neighborhood, have a burger at Edzo’s which is three blocks away.

In addition to loving anything second hand, I love a second hand store that helps get you the products you need.
On two occasions I’ve been in a bind where I need a dress shirt for my child but have to be at work all day. And I’ve called HMD and the sales person looked for the product, found it and put it on hold and I picked it up later! How awesome is that? Truly awesome for the working parent who doesn’t have time to shop during the day!
And of course they have amazing prices for their barely worn clothes. Today I scored a $ 6 long sleeved Talbot’s dress shirt!
Thank you, HMD!

I went here for the first time the other day and had a great experience! The clothes are higher line and I did not feel they were overpriced. The owner is really nice and the place was very well organized.

This place is great for buying gently used toys or gear. Got some nice toys for my toddler. They have lots of baby carriers and other gear such as high chairs, tables, stroller, etc. Its very clean too.
However, there aren’t enough baby/​kid clothing selections. I like that its not disorganized and jam packed, but they need more inventory. Slim pickings and kind of pricey for what they do have.

While the concept of this store and general selection is nice, let’s get two things perfectly straight: (1) everything in this store is way over priced for used goods and (2) the baby toys and equipment are filthy. Most of the used toys and equipment are typically only about 10−15% marked down from retail. Why are people paying for 3 – 4 year old used toys when you can get the same new model with the 15−20% coupon/​sale in this week’s ad at Babies-​r-​us? Finally, the owner never cleans anything. My mother bought a stroller so we don’t have to schlep ours to her place and when we opened it, we found balls of used tissues and moldy cheerios in the seat and pockets. Other stuff current in the store and purchased by our friends required a good cloroxing before being suitable for children.
In short, this is a great store for lazy people who want to think they are getting a deal (which they are not) and want to subject their children to disgustingly dirty equipment.

As this place has been around now for four years, it’s become a staple. Every season, I come here and resell back my kids’ clothing and gear and pick up the next season’s clothing and gear. I get the best value compared to other resale shops and websites such as ThredUp where I sent them 15lbs of clothing and all they ended up buying & paying me for was 4 items of clothing. At least, here at Hand-​Me-​Downs, what they don’t take, you get to take back and donate elsewhere.
They usually have some great end of season sales like right now, they’re running their 50% off winter items but if you wait another month, they’ll have another sale where you take a paper bag and fill it to its brim of sale items and pay $ 10 for the whole bag. Such a great deal!

I am a resale junkie. I admit it. I’ve been to dozens of places in the Chicago area and in the Milwaukee area. Hand Me Downs is wonderful. They have an awesome selection of higher-​end clothing at reasonable prices (far, far cheaper than ebay, let alone new). Everything is well laid-​out (not cramped) and the store is well lit (VERY important for a resale shop, I think — we need to be able to see the merchandise). They do a great job keeping stuff in its place so the customers can find it easily. I go there every few weeks (yes, I’m a junkie) and it’s a treat. LOVE IT!

Nice place, limited selection as compared to some other baby resale shops I’ve been too. Seasonal clothing items and some toys. The clothing was all in good condition and prices were about $ 6-​$ 7 per clothing item.

They have some pretty neat stuff here for a really good price. Of course the stuff is used but it hardly looks like it. Other than clothes you can find furniture and other little items for your home or apartment.