About Us

PR3LOVED, A MUM & DAUGHTER TEAM.

WE GREW OUR BUSINESS TOGETHER IN COVID-LOCK DOWN, WE WERE THE 1ST AND  NOW THE LARGEST PR3LOVED ONLINE BABY STORE IN AFRICA.

WE NOW HAVE OPENED A SHOW ROOM IN WYNBERG, SANDTON... EEEKK... PINCH ME... COME VISIT US:)

Gratitude is a powerful catalyst for happiness.

I’m writing this post to reach out from the bottom of my heart to all you wonderful mommies who have supported PR3LOVED. I’m truly humbled and grateful for the response we have had and need to thank you all.

I started this business with the aim to help moms-to-be and new moms from making the silly and VERY expensive mistakes I made. I knew I could provide an unmatched service and I was determined to share my knowledge of do’s and dont’s. Thank you all for trusting me... it’s very nerve wrenching choosing the right things for the most important person or persons that are about to come into your world and thank you for trusting me with helping you choose the right goods to make life easier and more enjoyable with your precious gift from above.

I always wanted to remain anonymous and just work in the background but more and more I’m seeing how important it is to put a face behind the screen so I’ve decided to share my story with you on why I started PR3LOVED.

Firstly my name is Lexi and I’m a mom of 3 perfect little boys.

I struggled for a few years to have my son and after 1 round of IVF I was fortunate enough to be blessed with my first born. My whole world changed, I spent every cent I earned on baby goods ( o how I wish pr3loved was around then) I fell for every “special” at mama magic and I thought every baby item was necessary. I used to excuse my baby shopping with, “it’s ok I’m not going to have any more kids” (as I never thought it was possible) but little did I know...when my first born was a mere 6 months old, I fell pregnant with natural twin boys, yes you heard me TWINS!!!! I was over joyed but nervous... I had 3 babies in 14 months!

It was only fitting in this crazy life I lead to have 3 babies 2 days before my 30th Birthday, which happens to fall on the 30 of the 3 month AND my lucky number is also 3, all my numbers in my life are in-fact 3’s: 3 dogs,3 babies, 3 or maybe 33 crazy personalities and definitely the next 3 years of absolute chaos. This is how the name PR3LOVED came about...

From lessons learnt from my first and seeing how little you actually use so many items and how costly they are to buy new, I started looking for second hand/ like new premium baby goods online... I didn’t want to go on gumtree and OLX and get scammed or meet a random person somewhere and I certainly didn’t want to purchase another of everything X 2 new but there was no one and nothing online to help me. I soon started PR3LOVED with the goal to help, advise and sell preloved premium goods that are in 100% working and still look like new at affordable and unbeatable prices.

I pride myself on service and I’m here for you new mamas or mama’s to be... even if you just need a question answered please don’t hesitate to ask...

I truly hope PR3LOVED lives up to all your expectations and as we grow from our birthing phase, may we grow healthier every year. 

Happy 2nd Birthday PR3LOVED, we love watching you grow!

Blessings from us at PR3LOVED 🙏🏻

​Interview with BYY

1.What was your ‘lightbulb moment’ - when you realised there was a need for your business? 

I struggled for a few years to have my son and after 1 round of IVF, I was fortunate enough to be blessed with my first born. My whole world changed, I spent every cent I earned on baby goods (o how I wish PR3LOVED was around then) I fell for every “special” at mama magic and I thought every baby item was necessary. I used to excuse my baby shopping with, “it’s ok I’m not going to have any more kids” (as I never thought it was possible) but little did I know...when my first born was a mere 6 months old, I fell pregnant with natural twin boys, yes you heard me TWINS!!!! I was over joyed but nervous... I was about to have 3 babies all under 14 months old. Now that I had spent all this money buying the best of everything for my first born only 6 months ago, I decided to start looking for a second hand twin pram. I dragged my mum around with me to people’s homes, met people at petrol stations and other random venues (to try ensure as much of a safe environment as possible) and I was just not satisfied with the condition of the items vs the exorbitant prices people wated for their goods. I thought there must be another way and that was the moment I decided I would create a safe shopping environment with good prices for both seller and buyer and change the stigma of second hand goods and so it began.

2.You’ve said that you bought a lot of unnecessary things when you had your first child… like what? 

Expensive, heavy travel systems and lots of small items as well. All babies are different, some like rockers, some won’t go in a rocker, we often get swayed by salespeople in shops to buy things we may not need so I always tell my new moms, less is more and only buy what you really need, and when you done, we sell it for you so you can buy the other items you need for the new stage your baby is in.

3.What do you wish you’d known then, that you would like to share with moms today?

I wish PR3LOVED was around, I would not have bought ANYTHING brand new, these items are used for such a short amount of time and most second hand ones are “LIKE NEW” and often you can purchase better products/brands(better quality) second hand for half the price of the “cheaper branded” new items. Also prepare properly before you go shopping (I have you sorted, see questions below)

4.Why do you think moms are choosing to sell through your site rather than selling directly via gumtree etc (the answer is quite obvious but I do need it on your own words)?

  • We provide a safe environment for both seller and buyer, there is no hassle for the seller, items are collected directly from them and they are paid by us. Safety for the buyer as well,  even if you buy through gumtree and get paid in cash, there is a chance you are followed and robbed for that cash by the seller. Aswell as pram scamming, whereby you are sent fake EFT notifications and no money reflects into your account.

  • We also guarantee the quality and condition of our Preloved goods, on websites like gumtree etc, people often don’t disclose damages, we provide full transparency on all the items we sell and a full refund within 24 hours if you are unhappy with your goods.

  • It is always better to buy from reputable companies online and we have definitely ensured that we provide that professionalism and security, for both seller and buyer.

5.What’s the most popular product on your site (in terms of what people are trying to sell, and what other moms want to buy)?

The most popular items we sell are definitely prams and car seats, as well as our Buzy Stepz, we can sell between 20-30 Buzy Stepz a month. Lots of mums buy interesting things overseas and once use, we sell them, these items are sold in minutes. Rockers, trikes and jumperoos are also extremely high sellers. We are predominantly a PREMIUM preloved seller and try our best to keep inline with this, when vetting items sellers wish to sell.

6.Are you exclusively focusing on baby products or are you still selling wedding gowns? 

I exclusively focus on the baby side, and my sister on the wedding dress side. I’m currently growing the baby business by adding a clothing element and we have been contacted by interested individuals to grow other aspects of PRELOVED.

7.Do you plan on evolving the business in the future (to include non-baby products, sell new products etc)?

We are always growing and evolving and we do sell a few new items online, however we are very pro conscious consumerism, and are driven by a commitment to help make purchasing decisions that have positive social, economic, and environmental impact. In saying that we have launched a very popular “new” item known online to some as a kitchen helper, we call ours, BUZY STEPZ, this is consciously sourced and handmade wooden steps with extra safety bars to allow your little ones to cook in the kitchen with you safely. We have now also launched a variety of other wood items which include: toy zoos (a cage to keep toys in to keep kids room clean and looking good) dog and toddler beds, toy boxes and more.

We have also just launched 9FIVE Preloved Baby clothing, where we pay individuals upfront for their preloved baby/maternity clothing, this is very exciting for us and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for 9FIVE. 

8.Because you clearly are an expert in this field, please could you put together a list of the Top 10 (or whatever the number is) products you think new moms really need? Depending on the answers, I may even be able to turn this into a separate, but related, article. 

My top 5 items would be the following, but I have something even better, I have put together a full guide which I call the “Baby Bible”, on how to prepare for the new baby, it’s an quick and easy read and tick sheet to assist new moms to not make the same mistakes I did and make better choices, this can be purchase on our online store https://www.pr3loved.com/product-page/preloved-baby-bible.

 

My top 5 include:

  • Baby Bjorn carrier

  • Baby Zen Yoyo pram

  • Stokke Sleepi

  • Stokke Tripp Trapp

  • Mamaroo rocker

Although these items do come with a high ticket price, second hand is far more affordable, and I always tell my mamas if you don’t waste on a lot of unnecessary items, these items won’t break the bank.

9.Is Pr3loved your full-time job?

I call PR3LOVED, my 5th child, first my hubby, then 3 sons, then PR3LOVED (ONLY JOKING) I’m an economist by profession and used to work in a big bank but yes now PR3LOVED is a full time commitment. My mum quickly joined me as a 50% partner, as PR3LOVED grew exponentially during lockdown as we were one of the only places you could purchase all the baby goods you needed.

10.In the beginning two years ago, was it just you running the business? How many people do you have working with you now?

I’m a complete control freak, I built the website, I created all content, run all finance and social media accounts, I used to liaise with both buyers and sellers and load all products. My mum quickly came in board and I have now hired two other individuals under the PRELOVED BANNER.

My sister runs the bridal side Worn1nce but I also built that website and run the finances for Worn1nce. We know 9FIVE will take the second hand baby clothing industry by storm and in saying that, we will definitely be hiring more people as we grow.