Children sell their outgrown toys in their own toy store

The toys have taken over the bedroom. And the living room. And probably the hallway too.

BUT, remember how much fun it was selling lemonade on the pavement? A toy store here is just like that. Only it's open all year, and what the children sell are toys they have grown out of.

The children run the store. You keep an eye on it.

Two logins, two jobs

You have the account. Your child has their own profile inside your account, with their own avatar and their own PIN. The store is theirs, and they are the boss. You are the assistant in the back room:

• You set up the account and the subscription.
• You keep an eye on what is put up for sale.
• You send the toy once it has sold, or arrange a safe handover with people you trust in your groups.

The money goes straight to your account. Automatically, with no haggling and no messages.

Children cannot buy toys, see who bought, or get to the money. And nobody on Loopyty can write to anyone else. We don't have messages.

Who can buy?

Anyone. Once the toys are published, anyone anywhere in the country can buy them. The stores and the toys are shown on your seller profile and on Loopyty's front page, so they're easy to find.

If the buyer isn't in one of your groups, you send the toy with Helthjem.

If the buyer is in one of your Loopyty groups, you can meet instead. Groups are for people you know: neighbours, the class, family, good friends. Anyone in the group can invite people with a link, so only share it with people you trust, and who you'd happily let your children meet when a toy is passed on.

No postage, and Loopyty still keeps the payment safe. Read more in How groups work.

What can children sell?

Almost everything they have outgrown. And that's more than you think:

LEGO and building sets · Dolls and action figures · Figures and animals · Soft toys · Toy cars and vehicles · Pretend play · Costumes · Baby toys · Board games · Puzzles · Learning toys · Science and experiments · Electronic toys and games · Musical instruments · Arts and crafts · Books and comics · Collectibles · Sports and outdoor toys · Party decorations

Last year's birthday decorations? Those too. Missing something? Let us know.

Four ways to run a store

On your own

The child's own store. Many go for a favourite, like LEGO or dolls and action figures. Others sell a bit of everything.

With the family

Brothers and sisters can run a store together. All their names are on the deed, and you use one of the family's deeds.

With friends

Friends can run one store together. The children add each other to their crew with their friend code. Each child gets their own friend code when you start the subscription.

Is the friend not on Loopyty yet? Then you can invite their parents. You probably share the same goal: fewer toys on the floor at home.

Everyone needs a subscription to run a store on Loopyty. When you join a store, you become a co-owner of it. Nobody is a guest. When a toy sells, the money goes to the person who listed it in the store.

Design duty takes turns. One week at a time, one child in the crew is on design duty and chooses the wallpaper, sign and colours. The week after, it's the next child's turn, in the order they joined. If there are more than five of you, each turn lasts one day. The store's name stays the same, because it's the store's address.

If someone is away for a week, they lose nothing. Their turn comes round again next time.

Together the children show their toys in the same store and save towards shared goals.

With a bigger group, like the class or the team

When a bigger group runs one store and saves towards a shared cause, more people can join through a link. Each family that joins needs its own subscription. Then every family lists the toys they have at home, and nobody has to collect toys. The money goes to the person who listed the toy, and they pass it on to the shared cause.

Here too, design duty takes turns, so every child in the crew gets to be on design duty and choose the wallpaper, sign and colours. If there are more than five of you, each turn lasts one day instead of a week, so nobody waits for months. The grown-up who set up the store can change how long the turns last.

Sit back (almost)

Tidying happens without tears, because the child decides what moves on. They list the toys, keep track and count down to their savings goal. You don't need to approve everything. You keep an eye on things from Homebase and check the parcel before it's sent.

Just like the lemonade stand: real customers, real money, and more space on the floor.

Choose the subscription that suits you