Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to give ds second hand playmobil for his 5th birthday?

29 replies

queenoftheslatterns · 15/04/2010 12:47

ds will be 5 at the end of the month and he is obsessed with pirates and playmobil. last year he was obsessed with star wars, the year before it was trains. previous years I spent a fortune on toys. this year I cant afford it. we are seeing a specialist rmc cons privately which is an expense that we hadn't counted on, mners have been unbelieveably generous and donated, but it will still be expensive. so I have decided to buy ds second hand playmobil for his birthday. if he grows out of it by next year I wont be as much out of pocket and playmobil lasts forever.

but sil was horrified that we will be giving ds used pressies. AIBU?

OP posts:
paisleyleaf · 15/04/2010 12:49

yanbu at all. He'll be getting a better present for the money spent and will love it.

hocuspontas · 15/04/2010 12:50

Often done it in the past. If it was loose or unboxed I'd put it in cellophane with a big bow to make it look special!

Apart from a couple of sets all our playmobil and lego has been second-hand. It lasts forever. Go for it!

emsyj · 15/04/2010 12:51

YANBU in my view - I have bought some second hand stuff on ebay for our new baby even though we could 'afford' to buy new, plus we've accepted some generous gifts from a friend who has 2 children and has things that she wants rid of. Some people are very precious about not giving second hand or cheap things to their children, but I think it's a bit ridiculous. Playmobil is great and it's pretty hardwearing from what I've seen so your DS won't know the difference. Just do it and don't tell anyone! I haven't told anybody that we have some second hand stuff for the baby - just because I can't be arsed dealing with their reactions. I have bought clothes for myself on ebay and see no reason not to buy some for my new baby from there. Presumably you'll find some Playmobil that's in good condition, so where's the harm?

scurryfunge · 15/04/2010 12:52

Sounds like a good decision -since when did second hand mean less appreciated to a 5 year old?

Miggsie · 15/04/2010 12:52

YANBU.

You get way more for your money!

boogeek · 15/04/2010 12:53

YANBU all our playmobil is secondhand

NorbertDentressangle · 15/04/2010 12:55

YANBU -DS got a massive second hand Playmobil castle for his 5th birthday (£30 instead of over £100). The box was tatty but that wasn't a problem.

We built it the night before and filled it with wrapped presents from us (some new Playmobil knights etc), family and friends so he woke up to a lovely array of surprises!

overmydeadbody · 15/04/2010 12:55

Of course YANBU

What is wrong with second hand? Nothing.

Birthdays are not about presents anyway.

Original poster
queenoftheslatterns · 15/04/2010 12:56

thanks, i had already bought a plane before all this that was second hand and I put it up for him, its in really great condition and he will love it. i just dont see the point in spending £60 for something i can get for £20, especially when we need every penny.

OP posts:
EricNorthmansmistress · 15/04/2010 13:04

Nothing at all wrong with second hand stuff for children. The only thing they should have new is a good pair of shoes - everything else second hand all the way! I abhor the snobbery that says second hand is inferior, and also, we should be recycling stuff as much as possible, if every single child in the world got every piece of clothing or toy brand new we would be drowning under a sea of crap even sooner than we are already. I am proud that DS hardly gets anything new! Every so often a friend will pass on a bag of clothes or toys and wahay, presents!

Bucharest · 15/04/2010 13:08

Absolutely not! I have a bloody house full of bloody Playmobil, tread on bits wherever I walk. All except one was second hand from ebay.

AbbyLou · 15/04/2010 13:33

Agree with others. Absolutely nothing wrong with second hand toys. Ds and dd have had various bits from Ebay - Playmobil, Lego, Happyland etc. It works well with things that form sets because you can add to it for a lot less money. They're not dirt cheap on Ebay but still a lot less than in the shops. My mum lives in quite a nice small market town and she buys loads of toys for her house from the charity shops there. There my two ds (5) and dd (2) and my niece (6) and nephew (3). She has bought so mamy lovely things all in fantastic condition. They love having toys that are only at Grandsma's and have no idea they belonged to someone else before.

paddingtonbear1 · 15/04/2010 13:37

yanbu. dd got some playmobil for xmas, I bought it on ebay. She was delighted with it and didn't notice/care that it wasn't new. Quite a few of dd's fave toys came from a boot sale

kitkatsforbreakfast · 15/04/2010 13:38

We got a second hand playmobil pirate ship from eBay for ds1's birthday a few years ago.

Haven't regretted it for a minute.

That's what eBay is for, imo.

ASecretLemonadeDrinker · 15/04/2010 13:41

YANBU - DS got alot (mostly!) 2nd hand "lighting McQueen" stuff from ebay, mainly because you just cannot find it anymore, but 3 playsets I did find at about £80 each I got for £20 for three! Definatly NBU.

PouffeGalore · 15/04/2010 13:46

My DS has loads of pirate playmobil and he would be happy to give some to your son. Where do you live?

BetsyBoop · 15/04/2010 13:47

AYBU to give your DS a fantastic present that he will really enjoy playing with?

no YAdefinitelyNBU HTH

Greenshadow · 15/04/2010 13:48

YANBU with family - though I would be hesitant with friends/non-immediate family.

We have given loads of 2nd hand toys to ours for birthdays and Christmas (good in stockings) when younger.

Firawla · 15/04/2010 13:58

yanbu, sil should mind her own business theres nothing wrong with it & its good for the environment if noone buys second hand imagine all the stuff that would end up just chucked in the bin. obviously you'll get good clean condition stuff so its not a problem.
as above i wouldnt get 2nd hand as presents for other ppls kids but for ur own is fine

MissWooWoo · 15/04/2010 14:04

god no YADNBU

I have bought my neice a fair bit of second hand stuff from ebay (playmobil/sindy) and it's all been fabulous - not in boxes usually but really do they care about that? no!

you are doing yourself and the environment a favour

snickersnack · 15/04/2010 14:12

dd got 2nd hand Playmobil when she turned 5. I was very smug about it. I just wish we knew more people with older children. Very little second hand stuff comes our way - I have to seek it out online.

janiemouse · 15/04/2010 17:07

Second hand is good. You can keep your money for more important things, e.g. holidays where you can all have time together as a family. This is a much better place to spend your money than on new toys and more valuable in the long run.

damnedchilblains · 15/04/2010 17:22

YANBU how is he to know anyway, don't bother with the sil although it would grate on me a little. If you want to do it without telling her give it him in the morning of his birthday and just tell her you went with a new one. But it really is none of her business.

MummyDoIt · 15/04/2010 17:33

YANBU. I've just bought a fantastic Playmobile train second-hand which I've put away to give to the DSs for Christmas. It's still boxed and in excellent condition and half the price of new. When they were younger, I used to buy most of their Christmas presents at the NCT Nearly New Toy sale. They got far more than they would if I'd bought new. I have no problem with second-hand.

zapostrophe · 15/04/2010 17:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn