This was one of the most frustrating resale experiences I've had. I brought in a bag of neatly folded kids' clothes and was told they couldn't even review them unless I unpacked everything into their baskets. After doing that, I was then told everything needed to be refolded again. Completely unnecessary and a waste of time. The staff was rude, unhelpful, and acted like helping customers was a burden. Combined with the slow process and how selective they are, it's just not worth it. Looking at other reviews, this seems to be the norm--long waits, inconsistent rules, and very low payouts. Honestly, I don't understand how this place stays in business when the experience is this unpleasant. Save your time and take your items somewhere that actually values customers. read more

DO NOT COME HERE IF: -You don't want to wait in the store. They make you wait while they go through all of your things. No other store does this! -You have to go to the bathroom. They have no public restrooms -You don't want to be bombarded with Christian music They have two tiny benches in the back of the store for you to sit and wait There is nothing to entertain kids It was freezing in the store. Had I not driven 30 minutes to come here I woulda told them to give me my stuff back so I could leave. I WILL NEVER be returning to this store to sell again Oh and to top it off, they processed someone else's buy before mine that arrived AFTER me! So incredibly frustrated with this store Arrived at 10:10am. Was told it would be a 45 minute wait. I waited a total of an hour and 20 min. They did buy quite a bit of my items so I was happy with that, but for everything that I sold to them, they only gave me $40 which I do feel like is a rip off read more

I came to sell my daughter's clothes. after waiting for 50 minutes the owner came to me asking to wait at the back end of the store. I was not obstructing the entrance and was not interrupting other customers. she was rude and disrespectful with someone that was a frequent client. I won't be back read more

Went in to look at pack and plays for my new granddaughter. No one acknowledged me and they all seemed too busy cleaning to care about customers read more

I am posting a follow up from a 2 year ago review. Apparently I got a message from the store owner telling me to not bring my unchristian self in. I will load to pictures . Thanks Debbie for the note! 2 yrs late read more

Once Upon A Child - This is a private note from Debbie the owner of Once Upon A Child in Carmel - Children's Clothing Near Me - Carmel, Indiana

Will not be back to this location. Rude staff who you also get to listen too argue with each other while you shop. They also did a terrible job sorting through my items. When I left I realized they had split apart outfits that came together??? Also maybe consider playing just some generic music in your store...not everyone wants to listen to really bad Christian rock music. I could go on and on but needless to say, take your items to other consignment stores until this place gets it together. read more

This location is very cramped and not stroller friendly. There is no public restroom and you have to stay in the store while they review your buy. Overall my experience was not great. They make it very hard on moms. read more

They're trying to sell NWT Carter's and Cat and Jack clothes for the price you can buy it new. I also saw a Tjmaxx outfit NWT that was $8.99 originally and OUAC was selling it for $8.50. These prices are ridiculous and out of touch. read more

The previous reviews of this place make me laugh, because they mirror my experience of my recent visit. I thought maybe it was just me that the workers were ignoring, but apparently it's everyone. I got the feeling that the people who worked there wished I wasn't in the store -- I felt like I was bothering them by browsing! A weird thing about this place is that they have a play section full of dirty toys for kids to play with, because they don't want kids to play with the toys they're trying to sell. Fair enough. But the play area is blocked off by 3-foot walls, and there's no way to get in or out without lifting your child in or out of there. It's like a sad, mini jail. So all that would be fine (well, not fine, but slightly tolerable) if the prices were good. But they're not! Do not try to sell me faded, used toys for $5 less than I can buy them new at Target. Or a janky, dirty double stroller for $175, even if it's a Maclaren. Nope, nope, nope. read more

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Just moved to the area, this store is the closest to me. I've been 2 times and will NOT return. The staff is extremely rude.

I was surprised how overpriced things were. items were priced at and above new prices. and prices seemed much higher than what I have paid at other once upon a child stores. read more

Unfortunately you can't give no stars, you have to give one. I would not recommend this store at all. They expect you to wait in the store while they go through your kids things. If you're a parent, can you imagine staying in a store for 45 minutes to 1 hour with your baby, toddler or even kid. They are absolutely rude. Do not waste your time!! Go to the 96th street one! So much better and they're so much nicer. read more

Both times I have come in to sell clothing the staff have been rude to me and my child. I would rather donate to goodwill than return to this store. read more

Other stores have a text notification system for sellers. This store makes you wait inside for 45 minutes plus while they go through your clothing. The GM is rude every time I visit. I live in Carmel, but I will be going to an Indianapolis store from now on. read more

I have been to a few of these stores. This was by far the worst. They make you stay in the store while they do your buy, the employees are rude. Then I was told to go sit on a bench in the back like I was in time out. Closer to me but never going there again. read more

Will go to a different location to sell items! Waited 40min and needed to leave for a meeting; still had two people ahead of me. Store requires that you wait inside the small area until they're done. Had to leave. And still didn't sell. The worker seemed very unconcerned about this. read more

I love me some Once Upon a Child, but this particular location stinks. As so many other reviews state, they are way overpriced, and they pay you about 10% of what they will end up selling your stuff for. They claim they pay 30-40% of what they sell it for, but that's simply not true. They will pay you so much less than other locations even though they charge more. They won't let you leave while they work on your buy, and they're super slow. So by the time they finally give you their lowball offer, you'll be so fed up that you just take their sad offer and tell yourself to focus on the fact that you got rid of stuff you no longer need. They passed on several things that I heard them say were "super cute but the tag says 2012" and such. These items were in EUC and still in style (Gap, Gymboree, etc.) The reason the tags are dated is because we tried for years to have a second child, and the barely worn clothes sat in plastic bins while we tried. We finally decided it was time to let go, but the clothes were not touched all those years. We paid full retail prices bc we were young and dumb and bought everything new, and most of the stuff was barely worn and still very stylish. They gave me $33 for a full bin of stuff, including brand new pairs of Coco and Pediped shoes that cost ~$40 each and about probably about 25-30 other nice things. They gave my mom $24 for a bin full of nice toys, including a mint condition Little People talking/musical playhouse that sells on Amazon for $50 and a bunch of other nice stuff. And of course I put over $20 in new batteries in all those toys before taking them to OUAC, so I really made less than $5. I asked them point blank about the amounts they pay. "So do you guys pay a different amount than other locations?" The clerk said yes, each store sets their own pricing and buy amounts. It's up to each individual store. Well that explains it. This store is choosing to rip people off. I should have read the other reviews about the store manager. Until today, I thought they were franchises that followed a set pricing/buying strategy. Now I know better and you do, too. Save yourself the frustration. I won't be going back. It's worth the drive to another Once Upon a Child location! UPDATE: Owner responded quickly stating that they are a franchise with the exact same pricing as other locations. Kudos for the quick response, but that is the exact opposite of what the store employee told me today. I specifically asked her if they pay less than other OUAC stores for the items they choose to purchase. She was very clear that each OUAC store can pay for items and set prices however they want. I told her that this store pays much less for purchased items than other stores in the area, and she simply said "oh" and went on to the next customer. And I know for sure they did not offer us even close to 40% of what they'll charge for these items. Read the other reviews and decide for yourself. read more

Terrible system. Bad customer service. Can't imagine how parents with little ones could ever go here. You will wait at least 45 mins. for your items to be looked at/priced!!!! You're required to stay in the shop while you wait. Meanwhile customers who are shopping need to be helped so the donation process in extremely slow. There has to be a better system!! Staff was slow and two of the three left what they were doing for a minute (?)/break (?) even though there was a lot to be done! The time it took wasn't worth what they gave us for the toys. Will not return. read more

Pros: -Great location (right near Walmart and Carter's for other baby/kid shopping) -Clean -Well organized -Good promotions every once & awhile -Ample parking Cons: -Sometimes a long wait if you want to trade in your stuff for $$ read more

The one and ONLY time I ever have shopped here, I had my 2 year old newly potty trained daughter with me. I had at least $200 worth of clothing in my arms, and had been shopping for quite some time. When my daughter announced she had to potty, I asked the person behind the counter where the restroom was. I was very rudely told that I needed to walk down the shopping center to the Marsh and use their restroom. A CHILDRENS store doesn't have a restroom! At that point, I put all of the things I had spent so long selecting on the counter, took my daughter and walked out. By this time, she had wet herself, which added insult to injury. I will NEVER spend a dime here. The employee was rude, and not having a potty is a deal breaker. The Binford location is much friendlier, and has a nice restroom, and a much better selection of toys. read more

I thought possibly it was just me, but I was not surprised to sign on here and see others sharing the same sentiments. As a military mom, I've shopped and sold to OUAC stores all around the country and this is by far the worst store I've ever been in. This is the only one I know of that forces you to remain in the store while they look over your clothing, even if they're super busy. Yet they don't even have a restroom and LORD HELP if your children actually want to play with the toys in the toy section!!! The first time the store staff were rude to my boys, I blew it off even though my kids were playing very nicely. Second time I had an arm load of clothing and toys I was purchasing when another employee told my boys they couldn't even be in the toy section without an adult. I had actually just sent them over there to pick something up they'd asked me for since they'd behaved so well while I shopped. When I said something to the manager on duty she didn't even apologize or look me in the eyes or seem to give a single crap... just said "well ma'am, that's store policy." Today I was waiting while selling clothes and was contemplating buying a table and chair set in the toy section when an employee told me "that's not really meant to hold your weight, there's a small bench around the corner." Seriously? This is definitely my last time here. Love the brand but this location is horrid. Rude, rude, rude staff. And management couldn't care less that they're losing customers because there's always more people to be rude to, I guess. I'll drive to any of the other locations after this before I return to this Carmel one. read more

The manager here is rude. The store is very nice and organized but I'm giving one star for the terrible customer service. I have been coming here for 10 years and it's never been like this. We were treated terrible and they acted above us. She spoke Spanish about us to the other employee. Since I speak Spanish also I knew what she was saying. I took my stuff and went to the OUAC on 86th street. I won't ever be back. read more

Wonderful experiences while shopping there! Everyone is so sweet and helpful! I love the atmosphere (including the music playing). Thankful for a place to sell and buy gently used items! Such a blessing:) read more

How is it that a kids clothing store doesn't have a public restroom? Once upon a Child in Carmel/Westfield. Told me to take my daughter who was about to pee in her pants to bed bath beyond, because it was the closest public restroom. I was going to just her pee right there in the floor but I didnt have my bag with replacement clothes. I told them that accidents do happen and the girl working there told me that maybe my daughter should be wearing a diaper. She 3... I will not be going back. This is the second time I have had a bad experience. The other time I tried to return some shoe that didn't fit and I was passed the return date, but fine I'll "sell them" back to the store. They Offered me one dollar for a pair of shoes I payed 12$ for with the tags and stickers still on them. All they had to do was put them back on the shelf. Talk about markup. That's 22$ profit for a pair of kids shoes size 4... After they sell them again. read more

Its my second time vising this store and probably the last. Staff personnel is not very pleasant, and prices are too high. I cant believe things that they are selling and prices they are asking for, plus those items are not fully completed, why those prices are so high, I don't understand? You can purchase at Wal-Mart or Target brand new item for the same price. Isn't this store supposed to be marked down, since its a second hand store? read more

Looking to see where the closest OUACs were to me. But based on these reviews and the snarky responses by the store manager to the reviews, I will definitely not be going to this location. read more

Purchased a really cute ski jacket with bibs yesterday. Took it out of the bag last night and the security tag was still attached. Very frustrating as I am from out of town and they are closed on Sunday. My husband was able to remove it without getting ink on the bibs. read more

I love shopping at these franchises. However, I can't find even one preemie outfit. When I asked an employee, they apparently put them in with all newborn clothes. It's so hot in there and it was impossible to find any. Preemie clothing is difficult to find in stores and it would be worth having a section separate for this sizing. read more

I have been to this store a handful of times and each time have had a great experience. I was able to find several pairs of shorts for my 2nd grader that still had tags on them. There is a wide variety of clothing for all ages. Each time I have visited I've have been greeted by the staff. read more

If I could give this place zero stars, I would. I went into the store today to find my daughter some snow boots. All of their shoes are next to the toy area. I was trying to steer my daughter closer to the shoe boxes so I could find shoes while she looked at toys. All I said to my daughter was, "let's go play with the toys on the other side so mommy can find shoes" and an associate immediately jumped on that, saying "these toys are not for playing. This is for shopping." I explained to her that I used that wording to get my daughters attention and we weren't planning on playing with anything. She didn't care at all or apologize for her harsh attitude towards us. Must you be reminded that you work in a kids store? Heaven forbid kids come into the store with their parents and look, let alone touch, the toys. I immediately left because I was so upset by her attitude. This isn't the first time I have felt angry leaving this store but it will be the last. I will NOT be returning here. read more

DO NOT SELL at The Carmel, Indiana Once Upon A Child location. Instead go, directly, to the other North Indy Location at 1210 W 86th St. 317-884-8422. Trust me. In my experience, the 86th street location buys more of a seller's items at a better price. They are also infinitely kinder and more customer service oriented. The Carmel location has absolutely the worst customer service I have ever experienced anywhere. You would think that Once Upon A Child Franchise Owners/Managers would be deeply invested in their sellers since they depend on them for stock. However, sellers are abysmally treated at the Carmel store with no proper waiting area and no public restroom. (NOTE: My wait today ended when I walked out of the store with my items after 45 minutes.) Store policy mandates that in order to sell, you must wait in said store with no proper waiting area or public restroom. Guests are not allowed to wait in their car or shop nearby stores while they wait. THIS POLICY IS RIDICULOUS. Not only is the store uncomfortable for anyone waiting to sell but the OVERWHELMING smell from their feeble attempt to mask whatever odor comes with an accumulation of second hand items is enough to induce at least a sick headache and/or nausea if not a full-on asthma attack. The owner/manager on site today was an inflexible, micro-manager more interested in controlling everyone in the entire store rather than promptly serving her customers' needs many of whom had been waiting for an hour or more. In the past, I have tolerated this location with their extreme wait times and rude behavior for very little gain. They do not pay well for items. In the future I will either go to the 86th Street location, yard sale, give to friends, donate to local shelters, or just go to Goodwill. This place is NOT worth your time, energy or effort. read more

Kind of overpriced for mediocre brands with wash wear. Also, no public bathrooms! A store that caters to families/kids with no bathroom for customers. They direct you to Bed, Bath and Beyond. Every other children's consignment shop I've been in not only has a bathroom, but a changing table and some have nursing chairs read more

Can u give a negative star? They don't deserve one star! Just saying this is my first time here, I brought one small basket of girls clothes to sell. I was greeted and told I could wait in the back where they have benches to sit or shop. I was not given any time frame just told where to go to wait and that I can't leave the store if I wanted to sell the clothes to them. For over an hour I am sitting here on the hard plastic bench and still no progress! We inquired with no response, only I can't help I'm hanging clothes up. I've asked for additional help and the girl gives me a huff and puff and goes to the back. This is the worst! Now there are four employees (including the manger) working the front. The employees are all gossiping about the customers. One customer complained about to the staff about the customer service and when she left the store they gossiped about her. Another customer complained that they should not talk about the customers and when she left they gossiped about her. I've about had it and have asked politely for someone to please help me go through my basket or I will need to leave. While I wait here on this bench at least I have the time to complete this honest review!! Thumbs down for sure! Stay away if u value your time and your sanity !!!!!!! Follow up ....after almost 2hrs waiting and a meager offer for our things the manager was very rude and defensive to me. This store has ZERO CUSTOMER SERVICE at this place and ZERO CHANCE I WILL RETURN TO ANY STORE NAMED ONCE UPON A CHILD. You know in retail they say if you do it right the customer will tell one person about their great experience but if you do something wrong the customer will tell 10 people. I agree with this old saying. read more

Disrespectul to their own customers, and horrible customer service! I made the mistake of going back 5 years after the first bad experience in this store.....and AGAIN experienced blatant disrespect from the cashier, AND the manager. The products and clothing they carry are dirty and musty smelling, and are definitely not worth what little savings you get. I highly recommend going elsewhere if you are looking for used childcare items. read more

I've been buying and selling here for years and will continue to as long as I have little ones. Highly recommend!

1. No bathroom. In a children's store, where people are shopping - with children. And they are VERY rude to tell you use OTHER store's bathrooms (that those stores pay to maintain) and then come back to shop! This is *NOT* the same as in a mall where there is a common bathroom provided by the mall! 2. No returns on shoes (like new soccer cleats). That are already used. The reason? "People" were buying "nice dress shoes" to wear for an event, and returning them. How would you know when the shoes are already USED, and "nice dress shoes" in those dirty bins - I don't think so! I had to put the soccer cleats back because No, I'm not going to go all the way back home and bring my kids to try them on! 3. Many clothes are out of season, stained, pilled and over priced. They automatically price up brands like Gymboree, even if it is in terrible condition or is not a desirable piece - often higher price than you can get brand new on sale. You have to wade through many overpriced lesser brands like Jumping Beans & Circo (Target) or clothes with tags cut out. Use Facebook garage sale/bin pages or Craigslist - much better clothes in nicer condition at a cheaper price. read more

This is my second time visiting this location; I wish I lived closer! Both times I've been there, selling my kids' clothes, the staff has been very friendly. Each time I've received over $40 for clothes that I was just going to donate. Ironically, they chose not the best of my clothes. And they only offered $4 for a pair of Burberry jeans that was only worn once! But there's no fuss or attitude if you don't want to sell. Those Burberry jeans are going on eBay, so no big deal. The store is stuffed with clothing! They definitely have more girls than boys clothing. Some of the Nike/UA I think is a bit over-priced, especially for used clothing ($10 - $14 range). However, if you look there's deals to be had. The shoes are especially over-priced as well. $25 for very used Sperrys or Keen. Not a deal. However, some of my favorite brands, like Gymboree, are very, very cheaply priced. Today, I found a NWT Crazy 8 shirt and a NWT Abercrombie shirt (on the 70% off rack). I paid $5 for both - that's better than Goodwill! Unlike Half Priced Books or other consignment stores, I've been pleased with the amount they've offered. They don't want you to leave the store while your order is being processed, which makes sense. There's no public restroom, but you can leave the store if you need to go somewhere else. Neither of those things bothered me or would deter me from returning. read more

I'd advise not bringing your kids with you to this location. I frequent Once Upon a Child at multiple locations and have always had good experiences. I recently moved to Carmel and just started going to this location and while the clothing selection for brand name is nice, the experience here is terrible. I let my kids look at toys almost every time we go into the store but today i noticed signs saying the kids aren't allowed to touch the toys which is fine (other locations don't always have this policy and my kids often want to sit and read a book or something)but the play area is terrible. An associate walked almost on top of my kids huffing and sighing instead of pointing out the sign to me, so that is embarrassing. Their carts do not have seats or room for a child to sit in which is strange for a children's store where moms shop. They will only accept one laundry basket of your items a day, which as a mom to four kids, means I'd have to make multiple trips a week to benefit from a trade in. And since my kiddos couldn't hold a toy car while in their stroller as I shopped, I went to purchase suckers and was told they aren't allowed to eat them in the store. My twins were secured in their stroller. I know these are minor things but, shopping as a mom with three kids is already hard, so being in a store for kids shouldn't feel like being in a high end breakable figurines store. I was nervous at every corner because they made it so hard for me to be in the store with my kids, honestly, it easier for me to grocery shop with all four of my kids than it is for me to take any of my kids to this location. So unless you can go at night or pay a babysitter, be aware taking your kids with you may be stressful. read more

I stopped going here years ago. The items aren't great quality, and the selection for boys is terrible. I typically just go as a seller and would buy while in store. I stopped going because they require you to wait in store. I am not waiting alllll that time when the other OUAC allows drop offs--wayyyyy more convenient!! And, the other OUACs even give text alerts when the buy is ready. So, I tried to sell at this one again. I have really nice items. One again, the staff is really slow and frankly a bit lame on customer service. I will never go back to sell or buy. They just don't put the customer first by any stretch of the imagination, and I refuse to be a patron anywhere that doesn't have a customer centric model. It's like this location goes out of their way to make things antiquated and more difficult for customers. read more

I was just there last week, I took some of my baby's clothes to sell. They did not take everything I had but I got a great offer for the items they were able to take. I was able to buy my two kids clothes for this winter. I was very happy with the clothing I found. I found a lot of nice new clothes at a great price. my daughter loves going there, she loves the employees and the owner has always been very nice to me and my kids. I been going there ever since my 7 year old was a baby and I will continue going there as long as I am able. read more