MyTOT will be the first place to look for second hand goods
MyTOT is the site for parents looking to sell or buy good second hand children's items.
Everyone knows how expensive it can be kitting out your kids, so this new app - born in Edinburgh and quietly launched just a couple of weeks ago - is aimed at making the most of past purchases, and making it easy to pick up some new things, usually at a bit of a discount.
This could be a good way of decluttering and if you buy here then you are contributing to the circular economy rather than buying new. MyTOT is all about sustainability. It is free and easy to register on the app which is available on Google Play and on the App Store. There are no transaction fees or listing fees for the moment, and the app has been launched ahead of plan in a determined effort to help parents out in 2021.
Edinburgh-based MyTOT wants to be the first choice for parents looking for quality second hand children's goods, and founder Kirsten Bell explained that she recognises the pandemic could mean that at least some of the High Street has to move online. MyTOT is a "parent-powered marketplace where you can buy and sell quality second hand, unused and unique children's goods". There are various categories of goods for sale - everything you need for the young people in your life, from clothes to toys. One of their aims is to save parents valuable time when searching for items they need.
It is very quick to list items, add photos and add them to your own 'shop', allowing you to recover some of your investment in bigger items like prams and car seats, and reduce waste by selling the items your child no longer needs rather than adding them to landfill.
We spotted a Frog tadpole bike suitable for a toddler, which has never been used, bundles of books, buggies and clothes of all shapes and sizes. All items are listed with a photo by the seller and the payment through PayPal offers you protection just in case anything goes wrong.
As well as pre-loved goods there are handmade items, an area which Kirsten wants to develop even more, allowing local crafters a place to show off their wares without leaving home.
As well as a buying and selling platform, the app will connect parents, retailers and charities who sign up. There are already some really useful parenting tips on the Facebook page.
The company has partnered up with the charity Cash for Kids, and has already donated to the charity which responds to children with life limiting illness, or other support needs or indeed who are living in poverty in Edinburgh and the Lothians.
Items are delivered by Parcel2Go which claims to be the cheapest parcel delivery in the UK. There are plenty of guidelines for sellers and, perhaps more importantly for buyers, about preparing goods for delivery by cleaning and disinfecting them.
And there are rules for posting any items on the site to protect buyers. The app has been developed with advanced technology to protect any users against trolling and data breaches.
Kirsten Bell is the co-founder of myTOT and concentrates on marketing, business development and communications. She is an experienced graphic designer and marketer, with direct experience in advertising and marketing in the retail sector. Kirsten was the lead graphic designer and head of marketing for Arbuthnott Investment & Lettings prior to founding myTOT.
After studying visual communications and graphic design at college, Kirsten then graduated with a degree in public relations, marketing and events management, and she was recently shortlisted for the Business Women Scotland, Start-up Business of the year
2020.