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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To sell DDs car seat?

26 replies

LEMisdisappointed · 10/09/2013 20:56

Or will it just not sell? I know you aren't supposed to buy second hand car seats in case they have been involved in a crash or damaged in some way? It just seems a shame to just throw it out - i don't have anyone to hand it down to. Its a stage 2 i think. Been sat upstairs for ages.

OP posts:
MsVestibule · 10/09/2013 21:01

We sold ours, got £50 for it on ebay. I wouldn't buy one second hand one, but obviously other people do!

Gobbolinothewitchscat · 10/09/2013 21:07

Loads of people do. I think I'm the only person in our NCT group who has just bought a new second stage car seat

hoists judgey pants

Twattybollocks · 10/09/2013 21:10

Lots of people but second hand car seats, you only have to look on eBay to see that. Do make sure that it is within the recommended 5 year limit before you sell though, if its older than that then its probably not safe and should be scrapped.

Original poster
LEMisdisappointed · 10/09/2013 21:15

Twatty, it probably is older than five years - does that mean i shouldn't sell it then? Why is that? have they changed in design or something else? Wouldn't want to sell or even give away a seat that wasn't safe in any way

OP posts:
ClaraOswald · 10/09/2013 21:18

Plastics can start to degrade between 5 and 7 years after manufacture, especially at points where pressure may be applied by the seatbelt. Also it can be affected by extremes of temperature in storage.

PoppyWearer · 10/09/2013 21:18

I ended up Freecycling ours as I explored all other options and really didn't want it to end up in landfill. Someone bit my hand off!

I put a reference in my offer post to the guidelines on car seats and advised the taker to look at them before taking the seat.

Original poster
LEMisdisappointed · 10/09/2013 21:23

Thanks Clara, i'll not sell it in that case - DD is 8 now and im guessing we got it when she was between one and two, maybe earlier. We still have her bugagoo (im a bit of a hoarder!) i will get round to selling that one day :)

OP posts:
specialsubject · 10/09/2013 21:31

generally they are fine to sell IF they have not been in an accident, dropped or exposed to lots of UV or extreme temperatures. If any of these apply, don't sell it.

basically if you would be happy for a child of yours to use it, sell it. Otherwise don't.

of course the buyer has to decide whether they trust you. :-)

Oldraver · 10/09/2013 22:32

If its a popular seat try selling the covers seperately. I got £25.00 for mine. To buy replacement new covers cost nearly £50.

QOFE · 10/09/2013 22:37

Slightly OT but...

That thing about the plastic degrading - how does that work with seats like ours then, which claims to go from 9m to 11yrs? Does that just mean its suitable for that age range but not that one seat will actually last that long? Its a beastly bloody swizz if so!

Justforlaughs · 10/09/2013 22:40

I've never heard of the 5 year thing. I am using my older DCs hand me down car seat for DD2 now, I had no idea that this was not a good idea. (and I gave one to my DN as well Blush)

hettienne · 10/09/2013 22:43

Most seats will have date on them, or the manual will say how long they last for - it varies depending on brand I think. Yes, 9 months to 11 years just indicates the age/weight range, no guarantee of it lasting 10 years.

landrover · 10/09/2013 22:47

Prepare to be flamed!, but surely the idea that the plastic degrades is bollocks!!!! surely? (but i prepare for somebody to prove me wrong Grin )

unlucky83 · 10/09/2013 23:02

Which did a crash test on a 10 yr old britax one and it was scary!
I think they could be made safer - but they are deliberately designing them/exaggerating degradation so they can't be past from sibling to sibling (the 5 yr thing)
All which tests were scary - the one I was most Shock at was a corner impact one - seems the 'normal tests are done for a square on either front or back ...
So a corner impact at 30mph threw a 9 month old out of the side of one those adult seat belt type with a clip ones (which may not still be legal now?)
In general the seats that were safest were the ones that covered just one stage - and the most dangerous ones were not necessarily the cheapest...and some of the cheaper ones were good ...if correctly fitted...
Worth the £1 trial thing to check it out
Also get your car seat fitted and see if your local police force will check your seat fitting ....especially if you use in different cars - my old escort was terrible for 'buckle crunch' - DD1 spent most of her early years in an unsafe seat...(bought seat for one car and moved it into my 'new' car...the escort...)

Twattybollocks · 11/09/2013 06:25

I think its the polystyrene impact absorbers that degrade the worst, and think about it, your car seat is in the car day in day out, in the winter it can get down to -10 overnight, in the summer the temp can get up to 35-40 in a closed car on a sunny day, and the sun will likely be on a car seat at some point.

Original poster
LEMisdisappointed · 11/09/2013 08:11

Twatty the seat has been indoors but I still think ill not sell it though as id worry

OP posts:
ebwy · 11/09/2013 10:01

my bloke is a mechanic, and a close friend is a paramedic. Both of them were fine with me passing the stage 0 seat (bought 3 years ago) down to my second child, but both want to smash it up so no-one can "rescue" it from the recycling centre, and don't want me to pass it on due to age.

Since they've both seen the aftermath of unsafe seats (one the poor kids, the other the blood in and on the cars) , I'll be listening to them and not passing it down again.

neither had any problem with getting a seat that will (theoretically) last my eldest until he's 12, though

Tailtwister · 11/09/2013 10:05

I've never sold a car seat, but the plastic degrading issue has me wondering about seats like high back boosters which are supposed to last from around 4/5 to 12. Surely the issue is the same for these?

Original poster
LEMisdisappointed · 11/09/2013 10:10

I wondered that tailtwister - we have one of these now although we have removed the back bit now because DD was finding it uncomfortable so it is effectively just a booster seat to put her in the right place for the seatbelt - there is always a little bit of me that worries every time we go in the car :(

OP posts:
MoaningMingeWhingesAgain · 11/09/2013 10:13

We also have the 9m-12yr carseats, that we bought because they go to 12. It's insane.

Magicjellyflood · 11/09/2013 10:18

Sorry to change subject slightly but is it a bugaboo bee that you have LEM? Smile

leeloo1 · 11/09/2013 10:28

"but the plastic degrading issue has me wondering about seats like high back boosters which are supposed to last from around 4/5 to 12. Surely the issue is the same for these?"

It is the same issue with these. I rang the manufacturer of a seat that had an age range of 4-12 years and they confirmed that it shouldn't be used for longer than 5 years due to plastic degradation. Its v annoying.

Original poster
LEMisdisappointed · 11/09/2013 10:56

Magic- no sorry, its a frog :)

Leeloo - I can't help but wonder if the manufacturers are treading on thin ice with that one! I mean, we bought DDs seat (and it wasn't cheap!) with the intension of her using it until she is 12 ish, we now only use the booster seat of it anyway but it wouldn't have been any use to us now anyway - I certainly wouldn't have paid all the extra £££ if i had known, would have gone for a cheaper version then bought a booster seat Angry

OP posts:
unlucky83 · 11/09/2013 17:01

If they are just used as a booster I would think they should be fine ....
The degradation of plastic problem is around the harness etc -so on impact the harness bit and therefore child come flying out of the fastened in seat...
A booster - putting the belt under the arms tend to keep the seat under a lighter child (imagine a relatively heavy booster seat with a light child on top -the danger is the booster comes out from underneath as they fly forward) but then they sell lightweight boosters without arms... the main impact pressure will on the child from the car seat belt...

unlucky83 · 11/09/2013 17:03

If they are just used as a booster I would think they should be fine ....
The degradation of plastic problem is around the harness etc -so on impact the harness bit and therefore child come flying out of the fastened in seat...
A booster - putting the belt under the arms tend to keep the seat under a lighter child (imagine a relatively heavy booster seat with a light child on top -the danger is the booster comes out from underneath as they fly forward) but then they sell lightweight boosters without arms... the main impact pressure will on the child from the car seat belt...