Second hand clothes

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Do you buy second hand clothes for your children and AIBU to ask why and how you feel about it?

I love secondhand clothes/furniture/Christmas decorations. Friend of a friend has a Christmas theme for her decorations each year. She spends a fortune and then after Christmas it all goes to the charity shop. Bonkers and stupid but very handy that people do this. I have picked up some beautiful things over the years thanks to people like her.
All our furniture bar sofas and white goods is preowned; stripped down and repainted to look like something in the Cotswold company brochure but for a tiny cost.Gives me enormous satisfaction to have a look in mind from a high end brand of anything and to copy it for far less money.Especially if someone thinks I've spent a fortune

I don’t buy second hand, but I do receive and use a lot of hand me downs and I pass my children’s things on to friends with younger children. I also have far smaller wardrobes for my children than most people I know - so what I do buy new gets well worn. Can’t say it’s really about the environment though, I just don’t like waste.

I buy second hand less necessary items like christmas clothes or one wear items, and buy new but good quality basics like leggings, t shirts, jumpers. Socks and pants are always new or I make them

Yes.

For environmental reasons.

I feel really happy about it.

Yes. Boden jeans and Monsoon “dress” coats. I then resell on EBay when DD grows out of them. Sometimes sell them for more than I paid. Will be buying more clothes off EBay this year as better for the environment. As other posters have said, you can get some fantastic bundles. Still sore about missing out on a lovely shorts and t-shirt Joules bundle for my son a couple of years ago!!

Yes, for environmental reasons.

I have always loved second hand shopping, especially when the children were small. unfortunately for me whilst it’s great for the environmental reasons it’s left the shops with very little in and extremely busy as it’s definitely now very acceptable. Horrified every time my adult daughter goes to urban outfitters at the cost.

My DD doesn’t own anything new. All her Christmas presents were second hand. I only buy underwear new. Love Depop and eBay!

We’re on high salaries but are trying to be as close to zero waste as possible. Our refills cost us a small fortune so I think we’re cancelling out the saving from new clothes.

My daughter is ok with it. She recently grew out of something she loved and asked to put it on olio so another little girl could love it.

Teaching them about a circular economy is important as I think that’s were we are going.

So many baby clothes are donated to charity shops with the tags still attached. Presumably because the baby was too big /long for new born size before they had a chance to wear them. Beautiful things for £1.00 .Daft to buy new

No,
I don't have a need to for financial reasons, may only have one DD, they're not little for long I spend money on a lovely new wardrobe for her in every size. Slightly shallow sounding I know, but the truth. It's almost a hobby for me I suppose. I keep all her clothes though for another DD to giveaway/sell eventually.

I did for my elder 2 as their father (now ex-h) was tight with money (wouldn't let me have any). I remember DS needing a snow suit and between the 5 charity shops in town I ended up with 3 almost new ones (in 3 different sizes so saw him through 2 winters) for less than £10 between them. None of them looked worn!

I was only allowed to work part time and wasn't allowed to keep much money for myself. I also lived a 5 minute walk from the town center so popped in a couple of times a week for the charity shops. Rarely bought new unless it was in the sale.

I used to love finding the bargains!

Yes I buy second hand clothes for my children and gratefully receive hand-me-downs too. DS1 trashes clothes so it’s a waste to buy new things for outside playing and rolling around in mud. It’s better for the environment and saves money so I don’t see why some people have a problem with it? 🤷‍♀️

I don’t be buy their clothes second hand or shoes. I really enjoyed buying the baby clothes for ds when I was pregnant and they were unisex so dd has worn them. In fact she wears all his old clothes apart from the dresses family buy for her. The charity shops are about the same price as Asda for clothes and if I buy new the clothes still look good on my second. They’d do a third child!
Almost all of my baby equipment was hand me downs, almost all of their Christmas presents this year were second hand, coats etc are second hand. I’ll buy second hand or pick up on freecycle most furniture. Got given a vacuum cleaner and an almost new mattress recently. Crockery, cutlery, pans etc all second hand if I can get them. Quite happy with hand me down or second hand sheets, duvet covers and towels, if it’s from a relative pillows and duvets as well.
I don’t buy myself secondhand clothes as it’s difficult to find the makes I want and I’d rather have new and fewer items

Yes always. Bundles from eBay , or free from local clothes swaps. I feel great about it. I often get stuff that looks new, It saves money and it's better for the environment.

I buy most of Marketplace.
I buy some new if I can't find what's needed, but only if there's been a really good sale, and usually a season ahead.

We have three boys between us that ruin clothes so easily so I'd rather pay £1-2 per pair of jeans than £10+ if they're going to ruin or outgrow them. Things like snowsuits that can be passed down to all three I'll buy new at 70% off a season ahead in the clearance etc.

Part of its financial part is the waste of most clothes. I also cloth diapered for environmental reasons.

And I mostly buy second hand for myself too.

Sometimes. But we rely on new clothes from family as presents!

My clothes are mostly second hand , only exception is gym clothes.

Unfortunately I've seen on MN those who throw in landfill uniform that has a pen mark or stain then buy brand new. I despair.

No, but we do get a lot of hand me downs from extended family and some neighbours with older dcs. We buy very little for our dcs as a result, but what we do buy, we buy new

I used to buy a lot for myself second hand, but it became a bad habit! Bought so much on ebay

I'm doing a no buy / low buy fashion year in 2022, including no second hand

Yes. Facebook bundles. I can buy nearly new items for less than £1. There is the environmental impact as well.

I brought my sons up with everything secondhand because I was a single parent. They wouldn't accept it during the mid to late teen years but now they are late 20s they are fully embracing it again. Eldest son has a very outdoor lifestyle and in the last week has acquired a free inflatable kayak from a work colleague and a tent from Facebook for half the price of a new one . All their clothes are second hand and youngest son has got all his baby clothes and baby equipment free from fb marketplace. Absolutely amazing what's out there.

Yes and buy a lot second hand for myself. DS rarely wears a coat, so I buy second hand ones, I got a lovely european brand ski coat in as new condition for a fiver, new cost just over a hundred pounds, he will probably wear it a maximum of 10 times this year, when it is proper 'big' coat weather. Seems a bit mad to spend a fortune on something that he won't really wear very often.

Don’t have any feelings about anything second hand. Have always had a mixture of new and second hand. Don’t have an issue with either.

@RedCandyApple

No as I find them cheap enough to buy new and I wouldn’t wear second hand clothes either personally

Same here although I understand the reasons why people do

Yes. Mainly economic reasons. Also to avoid waste.

I have no problem with it. I only buy in good condition.

Tbh I'd view anyone who actively dislikes secondhand clothes as a pompous twat probably. And a fool.

Actually, having said we don't buy secondhand, we did do the bundles on ebay. Some of them are amazing actually.

Apart from Christmas presents though, I really can't remember buying clothes for our dcs in absolutely ages! The perks of being the younger ones in the extended family - a lot of slightly older cousins