My store is often filled with Gymboree. People are selling it in droves and people are buying it... so what is it with this American brand Gymboree? What's the big fuss about? It may seem that the brand Gymboree is WAY out of  your rices range, but you aren't taking into account what the brand is all about! I am here to try and help you de-mystify the phenomenon.

I started buying NEW or NWT Gymboree on Ebay for my girls after I moved to Australia (where there are no Gymboree shops) from the UK (where there are) because I missed it so much and it was then the only way of getting it. Then I realised that the value of second hand Gymboree clothes was awesome, they were selling for as much as brand new pieces. At that time there was about 1 page of Gymboree on ebay.com.au and now there are about 42! So I sold a few of both my daughters outfits including some cute socks and hair clips after they had had good wear out of them and I sold them for nearly as much as I had paid for them in the USA. And THAT in a nutshell is what all the fuss is about!

Gymboree comes out with "lines" every 3-4 weeks, sometime more often for special events like Christmas, Easter, Halloween and Fourth of July. They do clothes for babies, infants, girls and boys to 12 years old and even matching MUMMY stuff sometimes too. They also do handbags, charm bracelets (releasing 2 charms per line for a bracelet), Gymbelles (see below), hair accessories, beach towels, swimwear, shoes, sandals, blankets (very sought after), as well as amazing outfits with so much detail. The lines are named making them easy as pie to search for on eBay and therefore very successful.

There is an awesome site called www.gymbohaven.com which is FREE and lists every line that Gymboree have every produced including the tag code and prices and of course lovely photos (which you must not copy for your listings, however tempting it may be, because you are infringging copyright!). One of the great things about Gymboree is that no one line is the same as the next.

Gymboree has its own online site where you can buy the entire range and the DO ship to Australia, BUT I have found that buying on eBay is still cheaper (and of course it gets you feedback score where buying on line does not).

Now I want to talk about quality. Gymboree is HIGH quality and the clothes last and last. Also, whilst the lines are all different some can be interchaged especially the hair stuff, socks, tights, handbags, charms, and dolls clothes (yes they do Gymbelles with matching clothing from each line!) between lines, so you don't need to buy everything from each line. They even do dressing up clothes to die for and sleepwear that you will never tire of.

My favourite lines are Sweet As Sugar, Teachers Pet, Chelsea Girl, Petite Fleur, Sugar and Spice, Tutti Fruiti, Star Spangled, Sweetheart, It's A Girl Thing, Spring Fun, Sugar Cookie, European Holiday, Flower Power and the list goes on!

My final point is one that I mentioned first up. The ability to resale Gymboree clothing that your kids have had good use out of for nearly as much or in some cases MORE than you paid for it. Selling items in co-ordinating sets often raises the price you are likely to get at auction. There have been so many times when I have bought outfits or LOTS as they are called from eBay had Lottie and Sasha wear them and then sell them for really good money (enabling me to buy more!).

So, yes, Gymboree may seem expensive but it is WORTH every cent. From the styling, quality and sheer pleasure your kids will get from wearing it and being the only kids not in Fred Bare or Target at that special event to the fact that you can often get your money back, GYMBOREE is the best and one of the most popular selling brands on eBay.com and soon eBay.com.au. It is on the eBay PULSE for number one searched for term under infants, toddlers and girls items!