As the saying goes, “children grow at least an inch every night.” By age 17, the average child will outgrow more than 1,300 pieces of clothing.
俗語說，「嬰仔一眠大一吋」。到17歲，平均每個孩子會有1300多件衣物穿不下。
Kelly Trella has found a way to get rid of her 2-year-old son's old clothes: She swaps them. Trella was looking for a way to clear out her basement when she stumbled upon a magazine article about “thredUP”, a children's clothes swapping website. She signed up and has been swapping gently used clothes from her Meriden, Conn., home ever since. “Its cost-effectiveness is terrific. It's really great to have an opportunity to share with folks around the country,” she said.
凱利．特雷拉已經找到一種方法來清掉2歲兒子的舊衣服：以物易物。特雷拉正在傷腦筋，不知如何清理地下室時，偶然發現一本雜誌上登了篇介紹「thredUP」的文章，這是個交換兒童衣服的網站。她註冊報名，從此就從她位於康乃狄克州梅里登的住家，跟人交換8成新的舊衣服。「實在太划算了，能有機會跟全美各地的人分享衣服，感覺真棒。」她說。
ThredUP launched in mid-April and now has 15,000 members with another 1,000 being added each week. Founder and CEO James Reinhart says the Cambridge, Mass.-based company is trying to attract parents who are buying back-to-school clothes, which, he says, is one of the largest one-shot expenditures for families during the year. This year, back-to-school spending is expected to be on the rise, according to a recent survey for the National Retail Federation. The survey found that the average family will shell out about $606.40, up from $548.72 last year, to get ready for another school year.
ThredUP網站4月中旬推出，如今已招募15000名會員，每星期仍繼續增加1000人。總部在麻州劍橋的公司網站創辦人兼執行長萊恩哈特說，他們正力圖吸引有意買返校服的家長，他說，這是一個家庭一年中最大一筆開支之一。據美國全國零售聯合會最近一項調查結果顯示，今年回校上課的開支將會上揚，新學年平均每個家庭學前開支約606.4美元，比去年的548.72美元略增。
That thredUP even exists is surely driven by the economy, but there are other ways to swap clothes. The national retail chain Once Upon A Child sells new and gently used products. These days people who once only dropped off clothes are buying them, too, said Dawn Weston, owner of the franchise in Brandon, Fla. “More people are being conservative. They are being conscious of what they spend,” she said. “They didn't have to worry about it before. They still want their kids to have those really nice things, but they don't have the bucks to do it.”
ThredUP這個網站之所以存在，無疑是迫於經濟因素，但還有其他方法可以互換衣服。全美零售連鎖店Once Upon A Child二手店，除了賣新衣也兼賣狀況良好的二手衣。佛羅里達州布蘭登加盟店店長唐恩．韋斯頓說，最近那些原本只來送衣服的人也開始買起衣服來了。「愈來愈多人花錢趨於保守，他們很在意自己的開銷。」她說：「過去，他們不必擔心學前開支問題，但他們還是希望孩子能擁有那些真正好的東西，但又沒有錢買。」
Online back-to-school swapping was a natural extension of clothing rental sites for grown-ups. At renttherunway.com, a $1,050 Herve Leger dress can be rented for $150, “to give every woman in American access to this Cinderella experience” said co-founder and CEO Jennifer Hyman. Expectant mothers can rent a pretty dress at RentMaternityWear.com.
「線上學前換衣」是從大人租衣網站自然衍生出來的。在renttherunway.com網站，一件1,050美元的Herve Leger名牌洋裝可以用150美元租下，共同創辦人兼執行長珍妮佛．海曼說：「就是要讓全美每個婦女都有灰姑娘的體驗。」孕婦則可上RentMaternityWear.com網站租漂亮的孕婦裝。
ThredUP partnered with a Boston charity Cradle to Crayons to give $1 from every swap to the charity to help clothe children and buy them school supplies. The site sends 10 empty post office boxes to each customer. The customer browses the website for boxes of clothing. Once a box is found, the customer pays $13 for shipping and the box is sent to them by whoever currently has it. The customer then agrees to list a box of clothing and they're notified when someone picks it so they can send it off.
ThredUP是和波士頓「搖籃到蠟筆」慈善機構合作，每次換衣只要捐1美元給該慈善機構，就可以幫兒童購買衣物和學前用品。該網站會發送10個空郵件信箱給每位客戶。客戶可以瀏覽網頁上那一箱箱衣物，如果找到中意的箱子，只要付13美元運費，箱子主人就會寄出。但這位客戶也得開列一箱衣服，如果有人選中它時，就會接到通知寄給對方。
Swappers can choose what boxes of items interest them based on variables such as gender, size and season. There are no photos of the clothing, so decisions are pretty much based on brands and descriptions. Participants can choose favorite senders and rate senders on their style, punctuality and quality, similar to eBay or Amazon. ThredUp encourages participants to also create a private swap group, so you can include friends or family members from across the country.
交換者可以根據性別、尺寸和季節等變數，挑選他們較喜歡的那箱衣物，但不提供衣服的照片，所以幾乎可以說大半取決於衣服的品牌和說明。參加者可選擇自己最喜愛的發送者，再類似eBay或亞馬遜，針對衣服的款式、送貨是否準時和品質做個評估。ThredUp也鼓勵會員建構私人交換小組，這樣就可以納入全國各地的親朋好友。
“The first box I got, I paid $13 total and I got 13 shirts. No stains. No tears. Yeah, they have gone through the wash a couple times,” Trella said. She said her son goes to day care full time, so she wants clothes that can get dirty, and the price is right. “You are only shelling out a small amount of money,” she said, “You are giving and you are getting. It's a nice to share.”
特雷拉說：「收到第一箱衣服時，我總共付了13美元，一共拿到13件襯衫，沒有任何汙漬或裂損。但沒錯，他們是下過幾次水。」她並表示，她兒子上全時日間托兒所，因此她希望找到耐髒，價格又公道的衣服。「只要掏出一點點錢。」她說：「有捨才有得，這是很好的分享經驗。」
The basic membership to the site is free; premium is $29.99. The company relies on customer reviews to weed out the people who are giving clothing that is in bad condition. Redbook Deputy Executive Editor Melanie Mannarino said there is an element of trust involved for the people who use the site. The magazine featured the site in its August issue. “It's almost friendly and neighborly,” she said. The risk is whether other people will have the same taste in clothing as you do, she said. But, it's not as limited as shopping at garage sales and thrift stores. Mannarino said the site shows a shift in the American mentality toward saving and conserving. “Now these clothes are going to go to somebody else who can use them.”
基本會員使用網站免費，但要收29.99美元保費。公司再藉由對客戶的評鑑，淘汰那些提供劣質衣服的人。《Redbook》雜誌執行副總編輯梅拉妮．曼納里諾說，使用該網站的人彼此有種互信的元素，該雜誌8月號有專文報導這個網站。「稱得上敦親睦鄰」但她指出，風險是其他人的服裝品味是否跟你相同。但至少它不像在車庫廉售和二手店那麼受限。曼納里諾說，該網站也顯示，美國人對省錢和節約的心態已經轉變，「現在，這些衣服要送到可以穿它們的人手上。」
Kelly Trella, left, searches the site thredUP on her laptop while her son Jake, 2, plays at their home. Jake is wearing an outfit that Trella received from swapping on thredUP.
凱利．特雷拉（左）正在用家中筆記型電腦上thredUP網站搜尋，她2歲的兒子傑克身上穿著特雷拉從thredUP換來的衣服。 （美聯社）