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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

I can't ever imagine being so financially well off that...

293 replies

DontBiteTheBoobThatFeedsYou · 30/10/2019 19:44

... I would pay £49 for a toddler puddle suit from Mountain Warehouse when I could buy a second hand MW one on eBay or fb for £3.

There's a few of these like this.

Same goes for buying things such as Bumbos brand new. Jumperoos or vtech walkers.

Who actually buys these brand new when they can constantly be found for a fraction of the price in immaculate condition elsewhere.

OP posts:
StarlingsInSummer · 30/10/2019 20:36

I usually buy new because I’m time poor and financially well off. I’d rather order something in the right size, online, that I know will be decent condition, than spend time searching for an adequate secondhand equivalent.

underneaththeash · 30/10/2019 20:36

I wouldn't pay that either (and we're high earners). Are you sure it's not a skiing suit?

ThatMuppetShow · 30/10/2019 20:37

It was not £49 even at RRP! It was £30, I got it for £18, annoyingly I subsequently saw it reduced to £12. I'll sell mine on for £5

shhhh... I never quote the price I paid, I always quote the highest price it was ever sold for. Grin

People love the idea of buying a bargain and feel they come out winning, why removing that pleasure for them?

SoyDora · 30/10/2019 20:37

Yeah, I don’t know anyone who has paid more than £60 for a brand new jumperoo, even though the RRP is supposedly £100.

StarlingsInSummer · 30/10/2019 20:37

And then I give stuff away to charity when DS is done with it, so I’m helping poorer/more thrifty people too.

imclaustrophobicdarren · 30/10/2019 20:39

I just bought a second hand Fendi jumper for DS, I'm so chuffed with it Grin

FemaleEcho · 30/10/2019 20:39

I won't buy anything from Facebook market place. Nothing. The four thing I've bought (one being clothing) turned out to be damaged, fake or stinking of cigarettes. I won't buy anything from there again.

eBay, I would buy owned Primark types clothes but nothing that's meant to be designer as they're often fakes too.

£49 disposable income isn't really that well off, it's a lot of money yes but it's hardly financially secure and it depends on how the rest of household income is used. A lot of adults, even ones on low incomes spend that on cigarettes a month, or on buying a few bottles a wine to drink each weekend.

SoyDora · 30/10/2019 20:39

I agree NoIDontWatchLoveIsland, my children aren’t particularly heavy on their toys and look after things but only the completely unused toys are in ‘perfect’ condition.

Camenbertsmuggler · 30/10/2019 20:40

I brought a lot of really great second hand stuff when I was on mat leave, but now I am back to full time I just don't have the time to trawl through fb and arrange a collection. It's easier to buy from amazon and get it delivered tomorrow.

Matereality · 30/10/2019 20:41

I'm genuinely grateful to the people who buy new and sell used. Without access to second hand furniture, clothes, toys and household goods we would have struggled at times.

minipie · 30/10/2019 20:41

I usually buy new because I’m time poor and financially well off. I’d rather order something in the right size, online, that I know will be decent condition, than spend time searching for an adequate secondhand equivalent.

This. I’m totally happy with second hand in principle and prefer it from a waste/ecological viewpoint. But I don’t have time to do numerous trawls through ebay or facebook selling pages or charity shops hoping the right thing happens to be available.

MitziK · 30/10/2019 20:45

Depends. Have you ever been on the receiving end of other kids calling you Charity Shop Sally/Jumble Sale Jenny/Bin Diver Ben?

A lot of parents have experienced that or seen other kids go through it and sworn that theirs will never be made to feel like that.

From a practical point of view, most charity shops seem to think that a £2.50 Primark top that's faded and bobbled is worth £5 and a motheaten, slightly smelly coat is worth £24.50, so it's cheaper to catch one bus to and from a proper shop or click to order brand new rather than make multiple trips, only to see utter shit. You don't end up with clothes moths in your house from new clothes, either.

HeyNotInMyName · 30/10/2019 20:46

Well I did. Because of the lack of time. Because I never bought anything unless I REALLY needed it, which meant I needed now rather than 3~4 days time.
And then I used it with dc2.....

But more to the point, I don’t think there is any need to be judgemental about it. If people weren’t doing that, you couldn’t get your £3 bargain. They are living their life differently. And that should be ok

Original poster
DontBiteTheBoobThatFeedsYou · 30/10/2019 20:46

Again.
I wasn't referring to clothes.

OP posts:
Silvercatowner · 30/10/2019 20:47

I was brought up on second hand stuff. We had very little money and EVERYTHING was scrimped and saved for. It was, for me, quite grim. I buy stuff full price with no regrets at all. I can afford to (and don't have time to trawl charity shops and ebay) so I do.

Chocolateandamaretto · 30/10/2019 20:47

I have bought plenty of second hand for my kids, and 10 years ago when I was a student with a young baby and barely a pot to piss in that was all we could afford. But now I have to say I find eBay and Facebook selling to be harder, more unpleasant, and far more full of time wasters and piss takers. People who want something for nothing and people who want to sell heavily used items for £5 off brand new. It’s depressing and I can’t be arsed anymore, so whilst I like a charity shop crawl we do have more new stuff now we can afford it!

SoyDora · 30/10/2019 20:47

Yeah, I once gave loads of shoes to a charity shop in a very well off area, and was surprised to see them in the shop window for the same amount I paid for them! And they sold!

Xmasbaby11 · 30/10/2019 20:48

We buy a mix of second hand and new. It was easier buying second hand when they were tiny. Now dc are 5 and 7, they are in clothes for longer. I'd rather go to a shop and try it on and know dc are happy with it than risk something online. There's not so much kids clothes in charity shops past age 3/4.

I shop in mountain warehouse though snd it's pretty cheap. Surprised at £49 for a puddle suit!

SoyDora · 30/10/2019 20:49

I shop in mountain warehouse though snd it's pretty cheap. Surprised at £49 for a puddle suit!

Me too. I brought two brand new puddlesuits from there recently for £12 each.

ThatMuppetShow · 30/10/2019 20:50

Again.
I wasn't referring to clothes.

what category do you think your puddle suit actually falls into?

Redwinestillfine · 30/10/2019 20:50

I buy most stuff second hand. The things I don't are mattresses, car seats and school shoes/ uniform. Everything else is fair game. It's good to recycle, and I can't afford new prices often.

apples24 · 30/10/2019 20:50

I'm with you OP.

We're objectively financially well off, but nearly everything DS has has been bought second hand or has been handed to us from friends with older kids. He has a couple of things I've bought new and I've done that because I didn't find what I was looking for second hand.

I buy second hand/happily use hand me downs because I want to reduce waste and want to avoid the possibility of another child in dubious conditions having made my child's stuff... Money does also come to it, I frankly rather but £200/month to his JISA than use it to buy stuff.

SoyDora · 30/10/2019 20:50

*bought!

HeyNotInMyName · 30/10/2019 20:52

@PurpleTreeFrog, another way is to just buy less things... and repair stuff.
It’s impossible to only buy second hand anyway (you could but not all of us could and find what we need)

LonginesPrime · 30/10/2019 20:54

is a plastic jump suit clothing?

Isn't it? Confused

As others have said, OP, for me it's more about being time-poor than financially well-off.

And it's worth remembering that there are lots of people who will buy new for some things but second-hand for others - in exactly the same way that people do their weekly ship at Aldi but go to Waitrose for the items they don't like to compromise on. And everyone's list of which items they want the new/expensive versions for will be different.

I buy some stuff second-hand, some stuff new and often freecycle/donate stuff.

Whether I buy new depends on what it's for, what I'm prepared to do to save money on the item, how quickly I need it, whether it's a present, whether it's something I'm going to use a lot/for a long time, whether I care about after sales care (for household stuff, etc). There are so many variables that it's quite difficult to accurately judge the mindset of a person buying a specific new item.