Trading in unicorns: The role of exchange etiquette in managing the online second-hand sale of sentimental babywearing wraps

Abstract

Since the 1970s, an international market has been growing in the production and sale of fabric specifically woven for ‘babywearing’. These ‘wraps’, a simple piece of cloth for baby carrying, have a long tradition throughout the world but are increasingly marketed to ‘high-end’ collectors as well as ‘modern’ young parents. New releases of limited edition and boutique ranges create competition over highly desirable and often quite unattainable wraps that must be tempted out or awaited in the second-hand forums. The community describes the search for these desperately desired goods as the search for ‘unicorns’. But obtaining one’s unicorn requires others to part with material objects made incommensurable through the intimate, inter-embodied ‘skinship’ practice of wrapping and carrying a child. This article explores how the emotional entanglement of these second-hand goods is negotiated through an emerging exchange etiquette that attempts to protect the illusion that one is trading in incommensurable goods.

For love and money: Navigating values at the antiques roadshow event

“…So, if I find out that she's worth some money, I will sell that.” Trying to relinquish these objects can be difficult. Djohari has shown that when women sell baby wraps, highly sentimental items, the acquired money is often repurposed toward an equivalent emotional meaning, such as paying for a “special” family event (Djohari, 2016). While few attendees revealed any plans for spending money gained from future sales, economic valuations have the potential to transfer sentimental meaning into new objects or memories.…”

Secondhand consumption: A systematic literature review and future research agenda

“…Furthermore, Yan et al (2015) investigated the effects of environmentalism and perceptions of contamination on college students' decisions to acquire secondhand clothing. Additionally, Djohari (2015) delved into the exploration of trade etiquette and its influence on consumers' engagement in secondhand consumption practices. These studies collectively contribute to a deeper understanding of the various factors that shape individuals' intentions and behaviors within the realm of secondhand consumption.…”

“…Notably, economic values (Waight, 2019), ownership of goods (Kim & Jin, 2021), and income (Norum & Norton, 2017) serve as key determinants of secondhand purchases. Additionally, various other factors that are found to play a dynamic role in shaping consumers' attitudes toward secondhand items include cultural influences (Slaton & Pookulangara, 2022), contact salience (Bezançon et al, 2019), product history (Kim et al, 2021), exchange etiquettes (Djohari, 2015), product scarcity (Chang et al, 2019), and consumers' repair skills (Norum & Norton, 2017). Each of these elements plays a unique and significant role in the evolving landscape of secondhand consumption.…”

Haecceity of Becoming-Mother: A Diffractive Analysis of Babywearing Through a Global Pandemic

“…There are a range of carriers available from structured, buckles, half-buckles, ring slings, woven wrap, mai tai, onbuhimo, and all come with their own challenges, suiting different bodies or circumstances, and holding their own cultural meaning. Djohari (2016) reveals the agentic power of carriers as an object. She examines how the physical structure of the woven wrap-its malleability, the "give," how it feels to work with, is enmeshed with feelings of sentimentality linked to its intimate usage-each wrap possessing its own character.…”