Minn. Moms Design App For Parents To Buy, Sell Kids Clothes

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – It's that time of year for back-to-school shopping. There's new way to shop for your kids clothes without having to go to the store.

Kidizenis a mobile app that allows users to buy and sell gently-used clothing so parents can get high-end brands at a fraction of the cost.

Randi Pivec loves to dress her kids in the latest trends, but that can add up.

"My younger one, he's a 1-year-old , I mean he's constantly out growing his clothes," she said.

But Pivec started saving money using the app designed by two Minnesota moms, who themselves wanted to spend less and find new use for their kids used clothes.

"I had this tiny little baby and rooms full of clothes and gear and everything," said Dori Graff, a co-founder.

Graff and co-founder Mary Fallon decided to take their background in retail and develop Kidizen.

"You wear something once and it can get ruined, so why buy new?" Fallon said.

The app allows parents to sell clothes by snapping a photo, and naming their price, or they can buy clothes by simply adding items to a cart and the seller ships them. Users can customize their feed down to gender, age and style so they only see clothes that fit their child's needs.

"You can follow other users if you like their style, and they seem like a good match, you follow them and their items go into your feed," Graff said. "We're really looking to match up parents."

Kidizen has been available for less than a year, but already has gained more than 20,000 users nationwide.

"We finally got to that place where we feel like we're making a difference," Fallon said.

That's what's most special for the two moms– giving thrifty parents a way to spend less on clothes, while spending more time with their kids.

"I like how easy it is to use that I can just lay the clothing on the floor, snap a couple pictures," Pivec said. "And you're done."
There's no fee for listing an item, but during a sale, Kidizen charges the seller a 7 percent charge.

It's available for iPhones right now for free. The Android version is expected to be released next year.