About second hand car seats?

[Pandora2016]

All of the guidance seems to state emphatically that you should not buy a second hand car seat. Which seems logical to me.

Yet there are loads of them for sale????

If buying a second one is so terrible, shouldn't this be banned? Exactly who is buying them anyway?

I think the guidance is just to make sure you know the history of the car seat. In an ideal world there would be some way of checking the safety of a used seat as really the amount if perfectly good seats that get chucked to landfill for no good reason is probably sickening.

I have had no problem accepting a car seat from a known person - friend or relative - where it's going to be used infrequently (grandparents' car - mum used the same seat for 3 children, until she was in an accident the seat had never been removed from the car). Perhaps other people feel the same?

But when I'm getting rid of old ones to the tip I do make sure I slit the straps and if possible separate the big parts so they can't be sold on. If I'm sending it to the tip it's because it's not safe to use.

I have recently bought one from some one I know and trust. So I think that's OK. If you don't know the history then you risk it having been in an accident and not protecting the child properly.

I know many people who ignore the law with regard to car seats never mind guidelines.
I think in general people are happy to ignore guidance that is inconvenient for them.

I've sold on a couple, each one used only a few times; they were for a guest. They weren't pricey to start with, each one sold for a tenner and I knew that they'd been kept out of sun and heat, were only a couple of years old and never been in an accident. Had this not been the case, they would have gone to the tip.

obviously I have an honest face; but that's because I am honest.

My dh is a baby seat trainer so I asked his opinion on this. He says he would never accept a second hand seat even from family or friends. He says that you will not be aware of any wear and tear or slight damages that may compromise the safety of the seat. It bugs the living day lights out of him when people buy the cheapest shiteist seat (even when he's told them it won't fit correctly!) basically people putting price ahead of the safety of their child

I tried to give my DDs bike helmet to a charity shop this week and it was rejected as they don't accept them - presumably for safety reasons. I was surprised tbh, I thought it was only 2nd hand car seats that are a no no

The guidance just ensures that the manufacturers sell more seats

The guidance tries to ensure that your child will survive in the case of an accident, dh also says some of the best seats aren't the most expensive ones

I think this is where people struggle though GipsyDanger because if there can be wear and tear etc that could compromise safety that isn't obvious then surely even a seat you buy for a one year old could have the same hidden damages by before the child has grown out of it.
Similarly with cheap, shitey car seats, people think if they are for sale then they must be safe.

I wouldn't buy or sell a second hand seat. I would pass one on to someone though.

Glad it's not just me thinking this. My local FB selling page is full of them.

car seats have to pass safety tests. No UK company should be selling any that don't pass the test. If they are, get on to trading standards.

but they are big lumps of plastic and it goes against everything in most of us to throw them away. Especially as with these there is no 'away'.

I have used one from a relative, as I knew the history of it.

I could never understand why people spent so much on prams but then bought cheap car seats

I once went to see one that was advertised nearby and when I took off the cover there was a bloody great big crack in the seat.

Gipsy are you able to let us know which ones are good please?? I have a Maxi Cosi cabriofix for the baby and a Nuna Rebl for the toddler, are they ok?? I did lots of research and went to an extremely reputable seller. But I would be interested in his opinion. Thank you!

I think some people see prams as a bit of a status symbol.

I've gifted the DCs old seats that were in decent condition to friends who've had babies, mainly because we spent a fortune on good-quality car seats at each stage/change. Both are still in proper car seats now (10 and 5) and will be til I think they have fully outgrown the need.

I had a crash with DS2 in my car when he was 20 months old, and although the car was written off we were fortunate to only have a bit of bruising. DS2's car seat was replaced immediately by our insurers, who were great, and I went to take the old one to the tip to get rid of as the insurers said it absolutely wasn't safe to use as the crash could've done unseen damage. The chap at our local tip dismantled it into what seemed like a thousand pieces when he saw it because he said that people will go down there and pick up old car seats, not having a clue wether they've been in crashes previously, so they're now destroying them the very minute they arrive. I was astounded that anyone would even think of using something they've no idea about to try and keep their most precious belonging safe. But then decent car seats are ridiculously expensive, so I can see why they might.

As long as you are 100% aware that the seat hasn't been in an accident then there is no reason why you shouldn't buy used, much prefer my child to be in a quality used seat than a brand new budget one. I do etc frustrated with people who insist on their children wearing helmets for bikes/scooters but then use a non high back booster

*get not ect

I don't have a car, but have had to buy car seats for DS for whenever we used taxis or lifts.
He has just grown out of his high backed booster. It has been used less than 10 times and stored in his room when not in use. It is immaculate.
Ideally I would like to sell it for £20 but guess not possible.
Just seems such a waste for it to end in landfill.

I have bought a second hand car seat on Gumtree. I know the guidelines. .. But I am so skint that I decided to take a look at the people selling it. It was a good quality car seat at a fraction of the price it would have been new, and I believed them when they said it was safe to use.

I don't drive, the car seat was only used a handful of times in friend's cars.

I know that loads of people will think that I was wrong

When ds2 grew out of it, I did utterly destroy it before sending it to the tip. I knew that he had knocked it over once or twice while playing with it when it was stored in the hallway waiting to be trashed.

I have sold a car seat on gumtree, I wouldn't buy one there though! I know the people who got mine got an accident-free, not too old, good quality make seat for a bargain price. The thing is though they don't know that, not for sure.