As soon as the holiday season ends, the resale of toys on the Internet is in full swing. Following the annual trend, the world saw a new record in toy purchases this year. Children find themselves more and more exposes to solicitation – via screens in particular – and yet their effective playing time is decreasing. What should you do with unused toys? Recycle them? Resell them? Exchange them? Throw them away?
by: Charles-Louis Machuron
photo: Marisa Howenstine on Unsplash
Dominique Bissot, the founder of KidsAgenda, the guide to children’s activities in Luxembourg, has chosen to rent them. On the principle of subscription gift boxes, it offers to rent for 1, 3, 6 or 12 months depending on the designated topic for one or more of its twelve thematic boxes composed of three toys. Let’s learn about KidsBox, the startup Dominique is launching today!
Made in Europe
Here is an eco-responsible gift that should please many families and children from 0 to 6 years old. Selected by the founder herself, the manufacturers produce these toys locally and in Europe only. “Each region has its own expertise. It is important, in my opinion, to promote the local know-how of craftsmen,” Dominique Bissot explains. “As a mom, I want toys to be as eco-friendly as possible. The three toys selected have an average final market value of 75€ and can be used to create thematic boxes such as “circus,” “pirates,” “dreamers,” and more.
“Each month, the subscriber chooses from the available boxes a single one s/he wants to receive. Each box contains three toys accompanied by a descriptive sheet, a life-cycle sheet and a satisfaction sheet.”
Entrepreneurial support
To make his project a reality, Dominique Bissot has chosen to follow the Impuls program to support social entrepreneurs in Luxembourg. Training, workshops, coaching and networking allowed the entrepreneur to validate and formalize KidsBox. “Although I have the experience of my blog and my guide, I wanted to learn more concretely about entrepreneurship and get feedback from experts, especially for the validation of my business model and for the implementation of a transactional site,” the founder added. “In the end, this program gave me the opportunity and courage to formalize my idea and move forward step-by-step until the official launch today.”
How does it work?
On subscription, of course! Four subscription formats are available: one month, three months, six months and a year, at a price of €25, €70, €135 and €255, respectively. Available online, the boxes target individuals, companies (gifts for employees), paediatricians, hospitals, daycare centers, concierge services, hotels, and more.
Each month, the subscriber chooses from the available boxes a single one s/he wants to receive. Each box contains three toys accompanied by a descriptive sheet, a life-cycle sheet and a satisfaction sheet. At the end of the rental period, parents are invited to return the toys to the KidsBox startup – prepaid postal packets or parcel pickup points – before these same toys are returned to another family (after being cleaned with environmentally friendly cleaning products, of course). An example of a circular economy!
