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Buying Woven Wraps (New or Used)

Used Baby Carriers are big business, and why not?   It never hurts to save a few bucks, and most wrappers would argue that a woven wrap–like a good wine–improves with age (and use–probably not true of wine).  A new wrap sometimes needs breaking in to soften it up, while a used wrap may already be two years softer than the new one.

Watch out for this pitfall though: sometimes the hunt for a wrap on the swaps can be difficult, hair raising, and nerve wracking.  The buying and selling of wraps, like the buying and selling of stocks, is not for the faint of heart.  You need to weigh risks and calculate security (Does this seller have feedback?  How much? How old?  How good?) and logistics (Is the seller paying shipping?  Is insurance included? Is this wrap in this country? How did I end up on the Australian Swap Board?).

You may need to make split second decisions, and if you turned away from the screen for a moment to wipe a toddler’s nose or change baby’s diaper, you may return to find that you missed out on the deal of the century.  The emotional turmoil can be stressful.

Or maybe you thrive under pressure.  Some people bet on cockfighting.  The Wrap Swap is more humane.

But, maybe it’s not the best place to refer brand new wannabe babywearers to.  They might just back away in horror and go to Babies R Us instead.  They might get burnt by a bad deal.  They might become stressed from stalking the swap for a perfect buy, and what new mom needs added stress?

Instead, I suggest:

• buying her a wrap as a gift (if you are close enough, and have the means).
• sending her to a reputable retailer locally or online (I know a good one if you need a recommendation).
• or even helping her pick out a wrap and then stalking the swap for her so she doesn’t have to.

Keep in mind that we retailers of new wraps, every one of them I have ever come across, are really friendly, eager to help, knowledgeable, and generally trying to make anything from a few extra bucks to a decent living to support our families in a business that we believe in strongly.  We didn’t pick baby carriers after researching “most lucrative business plans” but by following our interest in wanting to help moms.

And think what else she’ll get out of it: someone to answer questions and help with any problems, and in most cases a return/exchange policy in case she got the wrong size or the colors look different in person.  She gets a relationship with a person to help her get started wrapping.  Don’t hesitate to refer someone to us–she’ll be in good hands!