# Maternity Clothes Rental vs. Buying: Nuuly, Rent the Runway and Resale > A real-numbers breakdown of renting (Nuuly, RTR), buying new, and going secondhand for your maternity wardrobe — so you can spend intelligently across five or six months of changing sizes. *Published 2026-06-25 · By Harper Vance* The short answer Renting (Nuuly at $98/month, RTR from $89/month) makes financial sense when variety matters and you'll use at least five or six items per month. Secondhand platforms (ThredUp, Poshmark) deliver the lowest net cost — up to 90% off retail on premium brands — with resale potential after delivery. Buying new only wins on cost-per-wear for everyday basics worn daily across the full pregnancy. A maternity wardrobe gets used for roughly five or six months. That's a short enough window that the math on buying brand-new, full-price clothing — then having it sit in a bag after delivery — often doesn't hold up. But it's also long enough that trying to get through on two pairs of leggings and a single pair of jeans leaves most women uncomfortable and underdressed for real life. The three-way fork — rent, buy new, or buy secondhand — each works, but under different conditions. ## What Does Each Option Actually Cost for Five to Six Months? The table below uses real 2025 pricing from each platform and assumes a five-to-six-month active wear window. "Net cost" for secondhand accounts for selling pieces back on ThredUp or Poshmark after delivery. Maternity Wardrobe: Total Cost by Channel (5–6 Month Wear Window) Option Approx. Cost for 6 Months What You Get Key Trade-off Nuuly (6 items/month) ~$588 Rotating wardrobe; 500+ brands; free ship/return No mid-month swaps; popular sizes can sell out RTR Basic (4 items/month) ~$534 Designer maternity labels (HATCH, Seraphine, Isabella Oliver) Garment condition varies; limited plus sizing RTR Mid (8 items/month) ~$810 Most volume flexibility; 2 shipments/month Highest monthly spend; not ideal if you prefer basics Buy new — budget tier ~$300–$400 Old Navy, H&M MAMA, Target Isabel Maternity Lower quality feel; yours to keep or sell Buy new — mid/premium tier ~$500–$900 Madewell, Seraphine, HATCH, Storq High upfront cost; best resale value post-delivery Buy secondhand (ThredUp) ~$60–$150 All major brands; up to 90% off retail Curated but limited sizing/color choice at any moment Source: [Nuuly pricing](https://www.nuuly.com/rent); [RTR maternity review, Reviewed.com](https://www.reviewed.com/parenting/features/rent-the-runway-unlimited-maternity-review-is-the-clothing-rental-service-actually-worth-the-money); [ThredUp maternity](https://www.thredup.com/maternity). ## How Does Nuuly Compare to Rent the Runway for Maternity? **Nuuly**, owned by URBN (Anthropologie, Free People, Urban Outfitters), charges $98/month for any six items, with free shipping and returns, no damage fees, and no commitment — pause or cancel anytime. The platform serves sizes 00–40/5X with a filterable maternity assortment across 22,000+ curated styles from 500+ brands. The style tone is contemporary-casual; you're more likely to find an Anthropologie wrap dress or Free People blouse than a structured maternity blazer. One documented subscriber found her six monthly picks would have cost approximately $850 to buy new — a 773% markup on the $98 fee. In November 2025, Nuuly added in-store returns at all U.S. Urban Outfitters locations, improving on the prior mail-only model. The main maternity-specific limitation: you cannot swap items mid-month if a size doesn't fit, and your selections can be out of stock at the moment you're choosing. **Rent the Runway** offers three tiers: four items/one shipment per month for $89; eight items/two shipments for $135; sixteen items/four shipments for $199. RTR's maternity inventory is the most comprehensive of any rental platform — dedicated maternity brands include HATCH, Seraphine, Isabella Oliver, Rachel Pally, and Ingrid & Isabel, plus premium denim from Madewell, PAIGE, Citizens of Humanity, and DL1961. The platform distinguishes between dedicated maternity designs and bump-friendly non-maternity cuts, and its algorithm offers trimester-specific recommendations that adjust to nursing-compatible looks postpartum. RTR's drawbacks are worth naming honestly: garment condition on high-demand pieces is variable, arriving occasionally worn or damaged; and dedicated maternity sizing frequently stops at size 14 or 22 in bump-friendly styles, leaving plus-size shoppers with fewer choices than Nuuly's expanded range. *Bottom line between the two:* Nuuly wins on all-in value for everyday variety and inclusive sizing. RTR wins when your wardrobe skews toward special occasions, premium designer labels, or workwear. ## Is Buying Secondhand Maternity Clothes Worth It? The economics of secondhand maternity shopping are compelling. The [ThredUp 2024 Resale Report (conducted by GlobalData)](https://cf-assets-tup.thredup.com/resale_report/2024/ThredUp_2024_Resale%20Report.pdf) found that 60% of U.S. consumers say secondhand provides the best clothing value, and the global secondhand market grew 18% to $197 billion in 2023 — fifteen times faster than retail overall, with the U.S. market projected to reach $73 billion by 2028. For maternity specifically, the secondhand case is even stronger: high-quality pieces from HATCH, Seraphine, Storq, and Madewell are worn for one pregnancy and often resold in excellent condition. On **ThredUp**, these brands appear at discounts the platform markets as up to 90% off retail. On **Poshmark**, peer-to-peer pricing means Seraphine jeans in excellent condition appear in the $25–$90 range; HATCH pieces in the $40–$150 range. ThredUp accepts less than 40% of submitted items, which keeps quality standards higher than most peer-to-peer platforms. ThredUp's Clean Out program also allows you to mail in your pieces post-delivery and receive payout — making secondhand a virtuous cycle where you buy low, wear well, and recover a meaningful portion of cost after birth. The honest limitation of secondhand shopping is timing and selection: you're working from available inventory at a given moment, which means your exact size in a specific brand may not be there when you need it. Building a secondhand wardrobe works best when started early — ideally before or early in the second trimester — so you have time to layer in pieces as they appear. A practical hybrid that works for most budgets Own a small base of everyday items (two pairs of leggings, two or three neutral tops, one pair of maternity jeans) bought secondhand or at budget-tier new. Rent via Nuuly or RTR for the variety layer — different dresses, occasion pieces, anything you'd wear fewer than eight times. Resell everything post-delivery to recoup cost. This approach typically produces a six-month net spend of $200–$400 for a genuinely functional wardrobe. ## When Does Buying New Maternity Clothes Make More Sense Than Renting? Buying new beats renting or secondhand in two scenarios: when you need a specific functional item that doesn't exist at your size in the rental inventory, and when per-wear math is genuinely favorable for daily-use basics. Consider leggings. A pair of **BLANQI Everyday Maternity Belly Support Leggings at $42** worn three times a week for 20 weeks of pregnancy and 10 weeks postpartum (90 wears) costs $0.47 per wear. A $108 **Beyond Yoga Spacedye Love the Bump Midi Legging** at the same frequency runs $1.20 per wear. Neither number is available from a rental subscription, which charges per-item-per-month regardless of how many times you wear each piece. For daily-use items worn repeatedly across the full pregnancy, owning is almost always more cost-efficient than renting. Buying new also makes sense for items where fit truly matters and you can't risk a size being unavailable — particularly maternity bras and supportive leggings, where proper sizing has a direct impact on comfort. The brands that earn buy-new consideration at their price points are the ones designed for multi-use longevity. **HATCH Collection** ($98–$268/item) designs explicitly for wear before, during, and after pregnancy — customers report wearing pieces five or more years post-delivery. **Storq's 4-Piece Maternity Capsule** ($288 for four foundational pieces) is built on the same logic. Both hold strong resale value on Poshmark and ThredUp, partially recouping the initial investment. For budget-first shoppers, **Old Navy** ($35–$65 for maternity jeans; $20–$35 for activewear) and **H&M MAMA** at comparable price points provide genuine everyday function without the investment. Independent reviewers have described H&M MAMA denim as rivaling higher-end brands in quality at budget prices — a reasonable starting point for core pieces. **Target's Isabel Maternity by Ingrid & Isabel** ($25–$35 for leggings) rounds out the budget tier with crossover-panel designs that read as non-maternity and carry forward postpartum. *A note on fabric and chemical exposure during pregnancy:* If you're building a maternity wardrobe from any channel, it's worth knowing that performance textiles — especially activewear and leggings with stain-resistant, water-resistant, or anti-odor finishes — sometimes carry PFAS or phthalate-based coatings that can permeate the skin barrier with prolonged contact. For daily-wear items, look for OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification (which confirms third-party testing free from harmful substances) or a higher proportion of natural fibers. Storq holds OEKO-TEX certification across most of its line; Madewell's TENCEL™ lyocell blends and Seraphine's approximately 80% natural-fiber compositions are better choices than fully synthetic stretch construction. Washing new garments once before wearing removes residual manufacturing finishes at any price tier. This is general information — for specific concerns about chemical exposure during pregnancy, talk with your provider or midwife. ## Sources 1. [Women's Subscription Clothing Rental](https://www.nuuly.com/rent) 2. [Rent the Runway Unlimited Maternity Review: Is the Clothing Rental Service Actually Worth the Money?](https://www.reviewed.com/parenting/features/rent-the-runway-unlimited-maternity-review-is-the-clothing-rental-service-actually-worth-the-money) 3. [Maternity Clothing: New & Used On Sale Up To 90% Off](https://www.thredup.com/maternity) 4. [ThredUp 2024 Resale Report](https://cf-assets-tup.thredup.com/resale_report/2024/ThredUp_2024_Resale%20Report.pdf) 5. [5 Maternity Clothes Rental and Styling Sites, Tested by Expectant Moms](https://www.thebump.com/a/maternity-clothes-subscription-boxes) 6. [Nuuly Maternity: The Smart Way to Dress Your Bump (Without Buying a Whole New Wardrobe)](https://hip2save.com/product-reviews/nuuly-maternity/) 7. [Rent The Runway Maternity Review](https://www.mysubscriptionaddiction.com/rent-the-runway-maternity-review) 8. [An Honest Nuuly Clothing Rental Review — Photos Included](https://stylecaster.com/fashion/outfit-ideas/1186240/nuuly-review/) 9. [Hatch Products for Sale up to 90% Off Retail](https://poshmark.com/brand/Hatch) 10. [US secondhand market projected to reach $73B by 2028: report](https://www.fashiondive.com/news/thredup-2024-resale-report-global-data/711500/) --- Source: https://natalnew.com/maternity-style/maternity-clothes-rental-vs-buying Index: https://natalnew.com/llms.txt · Full text: https://natalnew.com/llms-full.txt