PlanToys, the global leader in sustainable toy manufacturing, announced that the celebrated second-hand children’s marketplace, TOYCYCLE, will be the preferred partner of the manufacturer to buy and sell second-hand toys effective immediately.
“The problem is offloading all that stuff in a short period of time when you’re busy working and trying to raise kids,” says Rhonda Collins, Founder and CEO of TOYCYCLE. “We had no more use for the cradles after about five months, but we did need cribs at that point. The bouncers and swings were replaced by jumperoos around 7 months,” says Collins. “And of course, the clothing and the toys – it all has to be swapped out every few months in the early years.”
With the Recommerce partnership, TOYCYCLE will ensure continued life for PlanToys’ items that children have outgrown. TOYCYCLE and PlanToys will be creating a network of parents and retailers across the country to divert gently used toys from the waste stream to the TOYCYCLE marketplace. This enables families to shop for quality second-hand products in a convenient and reliable eCommerce environment.
The partnership addresses the after-use phase of PlanToys products, closing the final loop of the product lifecycle. The companies hope the model will engender greater sustainability in the toy industry as a whole at a time when recommerce markets are growing rapidly. TOYCYCLE provides pre-paid shipping labels to easily send in unused toys. Their services also include a quality check, listing and selling of the toy on behalf of the seller. Some studies suggest that as much as 80% of all toys end up in a landfill. It is part of PlanToys’ greater mission to create a global circular economy of toys, kicked off earlier this year with the PlayCycle initiative.
Founder and CEO, Rhonda Collins, leads the TOYCYCLE team. She is a mother of twins and a graduate of both Y Combinator’s Startup School, and The Batchery Accelerator.
Collins started TOYCYCLE after experiencing first-hand the challenge of gearing up, and then gearing down as her kids grew. She was overwhelmed by the need for baby carriers and bouncers, cradles and swings, strollers and car seats. For more information, visit www.PlanToys.com.