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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To buy baby clothes from Ebay?

468 replies

memoo · 27/01/2009 19:37

Long story short, I'm pregnant with my 3rd, baby isn't due til sept but we are absolutly broke, struggling to pay the rent let alone buy new baby things.

So I decided to start buying a few little things each week from ebay. I've bid on some babygrows and a pramsuit, both used but look lovely and clean.

I was casually telling a work colleague about it today and she turn her nose up when I told her I was getting stuff from ebay. She said she "would never put her baby in second hand clothes" and "you don't know where they've come from" she went on to go on about how baby clothes aren't really expensive anyway etc etc

Maybe I'm being over sensitive but she made me feel really bad, as though I was getting second best for my baby but the way I look at it is that the baby won't know or care and newborns are only in stuff for 5 minutes so even second hand stuff will have lots of wear left in them.

Like I said, maybe I am being over sensitive (pregnancy hormones are raging) but she has made me feel like I'm not doing the best for my baby.

Is it really so bad to get second hand clothes for a new baby?

OP posts:
seeker · 27/01/2009 20:03

Have a look at my post of 19.59, daftpunk - what do you think?

Original poster
memoo · 27/01/2009 20:06

seeker, you are 100% right!

OP posts:
ilovetochat · 27/01/2009 20:07

i'm going to agree with daftpunk, I wouldn't buy clothes for my baby from e-bay.
She has had hand me down coats from friends, equally i would wear things my friends had worn. But i don't wear 2nd hand clothes and therefore nor does my dd.
she has a lot of gifts and then i buy cheap essentials. she has a lot of asda stuff and it washes great, has never lost any poppers etc and is all packed away for a 2nd child now.

tiggerlovestobounce · 27/01/2009 20:07

I think that it is really sensible to put a baby in 2nd hand clothes. They last far longer than the average baby wears them for.

I do understand a bit what Daftpunk is saying, the very first outfit that each of my DDs wore was brand new, but after that it was back to the hand me downs.

noonki · 27/01/2009 20:09

I didn't buy either of mine a single item of clothing bar shoes until they were two. absolutely everything was second/third/tenth hand

it's hardly as if they are going to go
'hey mum sort it out will yer, I look like a right chazza case'

reasons for not doing it:

  1. save you money to spend on far more important things (which is pretty much anything else imo)
  2. far more environmentally friendly
  3. less likely to make some terrible hormonal choices.
  4. they grow out of stuff before they have worn it twice
  5. cheap clothes are made by children not much older than your newborn
  6. no fecker will know as they hardly get wornout unless the baby kicks it legs really really hard.
daftpunk · 27/01/2009 20:10

ok..i'll get straight to the point;

there is no way any baby of mine would be dressed in 2nd hand baby clothes bought off ebay....omg, clothes that other babies had been sick all over...come on!

Ambi · 27/01/2009 20:10

DD is in only ebay purchases, she's far trendier than the cheap supermarket clothes I would have ended up buying for her.

treacletart · 27/01/2009 20:10

Personally, I think it's evil not to buy second-hand if you can.

cmotdibbler · 27/01/2009 20:10

I buy second hand clothes from Ebay, and so does DS - no problem. He had second hand nappies too.

Def do a post on Freecycle - it can actually be hard to get rid of baby stuff on there as so many people have things to give away

The very first outfit my DS wore was not only second hand, but had been worn by many other babies, and was dug out of a drawer in SCBU for him, and not chosen by me at all

noonki · 27/01/2009 20:13

err daftpunk, have you heard of a washing machine?

daftpunk · 27/01/2009 20:15

err yes...but that's not the point.

seeker · 27/01/2009 20:15

So do you throw clothes away if your baby has been sick over them? Do you hand down in the family?

DorisIsAPinkDragon · 27/01/2009 20:15

God No, the majority of my dd's (x2) wardrobe is second hand I would rather save the money and spent it on something I think needs to be bought new i.e car seatDH used to be a bit of a snob til he realised they are wearing alot better than we can afford

FWIW if you're not due till sept you can get loads and loads of really good bargins at carboot sales during the summer, which is great as you a) get a feel of the clothes first and b0 can often get them ALOT cheaper than ebay+postage.

personally I go for what I would class as good brands, the designers at debenehams, next and maybe mothercare as I find the superstores tend to wash out/ lose shape quicker (once they've got to the second dd anyway.

Most of the mums at my toddler group swap clothes around once they've done with it aswell.

There is no shame it's just efficient and effective recycling.... you're the one saving the planet

seeker · 27/01/2009 20:15

What is the point then?

EachPeachPearMum · 27/01/2009 20:17

right... because posset doesn't wash out, does it?

PLus- who's to say the clothes have actually been vommed on? Loads of things on ebay haven'nt even been worn- mainly because people are given too much stuff when they have babies.

daftpunk · 27/01/2009 20:26

seeker;

the point is...i wouldn't dress my babies in clothes bought from strangers... it's not right..... well, not for me anyway.

and of course i wouldn't throw out clothes my baby was sick over, because it's my babies sick...not a strangers.

thankfully i was able to dress all four of my children in the most beautiful baby clothes (all new)

Original poster
memoo · 27/01/2009 20:28

What I resent Daftpunk is being made to feel like I care less about my baby because I have bought her second hand clothes.

OP posts:
PootleTheFlump · 27/01/2009 20:28

When my friend unexpectedly had her baby early, I ordered loads of brilliant stuff off ebay in tiny baby sizes - it was great, came in big bundles so loads of choice and absolutely none of it was dirty or worn. Most was next, M&S etc. A lot of it I gave to a colleague at work who's neice was v prem, and the rest (more gender spec) I donated to SCBU.

As other friends heard I had taken it to the hospital, I have been offered bags of stuff to do with as I see fit and have turned into a bit of a co-ordinator for recycling various age/gender stuff round friends/SCBU/refuge so they have what is right for them at the time. No one has ever complained when offered a big bag of lovely, soft clothes for free. I can't believe anyone would rather spend money when they don't need to!

I do know one friend who stated they would never dress their child in anything 2nd hand, and insisted on buying everything from Vertbaudet etc - it didn't last long when they saw how quickly they got through stuff & how willing others were to have it off them after!!

Good on you, feel proud not guilty!

Original poster
memoo · 27/01/2009 20:30

Thanks pootle, Good post1

OP posts:
lovelylullaby · 27/01/2009 20:31

Personally I'd rather work less hours and earn less money, so I can spend more time with DS. Which means I often dress him in second hand stuff and buy him second hand toys, as we can't afford much new stuff.

daftpunk · 27/01/2009 20:33

memoo...you know i don't think that.

trixymalixy · 27/01/2009 20:36

YANBU.

Your colleague is an idiot.

It is a great idea to get second hand clothes from ebay.

We're not exactly struggling, but I buy most of my DS' clothes from ebay.

You get much better quality stuff for a fraction of the price. It allows me to keep up with the neighbours who all dress their kids in expensive clothes for less than the price you can buy stuff in Primark.

My best buys have been a beautiful Gap jacket for £3.99 which looked brand new and a really cute pair of dungarees for 1p!! (OK £2 includng postage, but still a bargain!!)

leya · 27/01/2009 20:38

Where on earth are you coming from daftpunk???
Clearly you are using this as a 'BOASTING' opportunity! I have 5 dc's, and have been very fortunate to not have to cut back a little on my spending with any of my dc's. I think your being very unfair in saying that it is wrong to buy used items, it's also degrading. If I have bought anything from Ebay, I check out the persons profile first, and only buy from 100% positive feedback seller's. Go for it, buy used, we are all supposed to be promoting recycling, your helping the enviroment!

leya · 27/01/2009 20:38

Where on earth are you coming from daftpunk???
Clearly you are using this as a 'BOASTING' opportunity! I have 5 dc's, and have been very fortunate to not have to cut back a little on my spending with any of my dc's. I think your being very unfair in saying that it is wrong to buy used items, it's also degrading. If I have bought anything from Ebay, I check out the persons profile first, and only buy from 100% positive feedback seller's. Go for it, buy used, we are all supposed to be promoting recycling, your helping the enviroment!

Anglepoise · 27/01/2009 20:38

YABU - stop bidding against me!

I'd rather keep stuff out of landfill, give my money to other families rather than big supermarkets, and put DD in stuff that has had all the chemicals and processing crap washed out of it (anyone remember the lady who had a bad reaction to her Spanxx pants?)