Secondhand DS for xmas for nieces?

[SoddingSoda]

Would it be acceptable to get my two nieces (5&7) two secondhand (in good condition) Nintendo DS lite for xmas?

They seem to have toy/cluddly/game imaginable. I've asked them what they want and it's either a £100 skateboard or a phone (they're not allowed). Usually I get them a craft and a lego set each, but for £30 it can be completed in 30minutes/doesn't seem to go far.

I don't have enough money to buy them the new DS each, but I could get two good condition DSs with around 15 games for £60- and I know they'll love it. They're really not into toys (minecraft/pokemon go/phone game obsessed.

Is this a bit weird? Or any other suggestions?

Go for it I bought my own kids second hand ds's a few years back they didn't even question that it was second hand..for the amount of time they bother and the fact I knew they'd get dropped etc I wasn't spending £100+ on them.

I wouldn't have an issue with that. We're looking at second hand DS lites/2DSs or Wiis in Game/CEX for DS and he's that age.

It's something completely different and would potentially give them a new way to look into their interest in games.

Personally I wouldn’t buy second hand for someone else’s children but you know your relatives , I also wouldn’t be getting games machines for someone else’s 5 yo but again you know your relatives .

I wouldn't have an issue with the fact they were secondhand but lots of parents wouldn' t be keen on DC of those ages having an electronic device - so I'd check with a parent first.

I didn't even think of them trashing it themselves. I must admit they're pretty useless at looking after things, so they'll probably drop it before they open it!

But how did you explain them being used i.e if it had small scratches on the screen? I've looked on ebay for DS stickers so they won't see any marks on the cases but the screen there's nothing I can do apart from clean it?

We bought a second hand Nintendo 3DS for our DS. It was password protected so we sent it off to Nintendo to get it unlocked and restored to factory settings . It took about 3 weeks to get it back. DS didn't notice the scratches!

I think that's fine. I got my ds a secondhand Wii a few years ago...he never even noticed.

Yes think about unlocking / resetting issues

I sold mine in excellent condition and about 4 months later the buyer needed a password from me for something he wanted to do on the ds, had been fine up till then

Luckily we worked it out from the prompt question but wasn’t ideal

DS has had quite a few things second hand (bike and scooter being current notable ones), and DH and I get the occasional thing second hand too.

Would calling it "New to you" help? You could even explain that "some things cost a lot of money totally brand new, but because this had another owner before I was able to buy you both one". I wouldn't make an issue out of it if it doesn't come up though. Obviously you know your DNs so would know if it's something they're likely to ask about.

Yes RE: making sure they're unlocked/had a factory reset.

Mine didn't notice/mention scratches etc I just got the best cond ones I could with boxes etc.

No problem with second hand, BUT the newer games won't play on the DS Lites.
So they would be limited to any of the older games (labelled Nintendo DS) but anything new (Nintendo 3DS label) won't play on it.

Make sure you check it's been formatted before you give it as a gift - my son bought one and it had lots of the previous owner's personal information on it.

I didn't even think about a password! A lot less has ruined Xmas! Thank you!

I'd hunt out some educational games i.e language coach/spelling/puzzles which my sister will probably apply the same rules as the kindle i.e half an hour of games and half an hour of reading. They spend a fair amount of time travelling internationally and killing time between extra-curricular activities so i'm sure my sister won't mind.

If they didn't have everything I wouldn't buy secondhand but I literally don't have clue what to get them.

Thanks for all your replies :)

I would be wary of DS lite..Simply as you can't get new games for them..

The second hand bit wouldn't concern me though..Not sure of cost of "DS second hand.

You can get them skins to put over the DS. It also helps to tell the ds's apart as well as the ability to personalise them for each child. Or even better a bumper case as these things break so easily!

The DS Lite is too old a model imo. Can you afford a 3DS or 2DS instead (used with fewer games)? As newer games haven't been made for the DS Lite in a really long time, the girls may want an upgrade for their birthday/next year so that they can play newer games.

Can't see a problem. I got my dad a second hand ds years ago. It came from china and apart from being held in customs for about 4 weeks (never found out why) he liked it. It did arrive on time for Christmas haha.