Vinted allow sales of Second hand car seats

[Oblongogo]

I’ve been using Vinted a few months to buy and sell baby things in very good condition, and was surprised to see a lot of listings for car seats. I checked on the list of things they prohibit listing under “Items that do not comply with hygiene standards, or pose risk to one’s health” and was surprised that car seats aren’t listed anywhere but used sheets and bedding sets are prohibited. Surely the risk of a damaged car seat is significantly more than a used cot sheet?!

I am aghast at the advice not to buy a second hand car seat. I understand the implications but to think of tens of thousands just going to landfill each year is horrifying. Manufacturers should make some sort of button that turns red on an impact do you know if they are still safe. My carseat is second hand, I think more should be done so that second hand is a viable option.

I’m also horrified by the prospect of so much waste from single use car seats / hard hats and other safety equipment. I think car seat manufacturers should provide a recycling scheme / trade in. I have no objection to using a second hand car seat where you know the history but surely vinted are being irresponsible here when you’re just buying over the internet from randoms? While encouraging people to bin perfectly good sheets and bedding! Seems like odd priorities

Other online selling sites allow 2nd hand car seats to be sold. Why not vinted? I have sold all of ours to date (using online platforms) and will be selling current seats once we don't need them anymore.

I’m just surprised they allow it when they have such strict rules about other things

That is really weird about the bedding. IIRC they are a French site originally, so perhaps it's a cultural thing - they seem to have a bit of a relaxed attitude to car seats in France compared to the UK and maybe they have more of an uptight attitude about laundry (although, I'm clutching at straws here and does seem odd for a secondhand clothing site!)

Just found this thread as we now have this issue too (seats to give away), and I'm genuinely not sure what perspectives there are on this.

I completely get it with baby/toddler seats, where the job of the seat is to enclose and protect the child and with integral straps that, if you don't know and trust the previous owner implicitly, can be a real risk to use.

However, what about seats for older children - where the job of the seat is to boost them higher and to provide a more comfortable shape for their back, but it is the seat belt of the car that is (as far as I can see) solely responsible for the safety of the occupant?

If the recipient knows that their fitted car seat belts are safe, and it is one of those belts in their own car which is responsible for the safety of the (older) child, with the (movable) seat only really there to provide more comfort, is there still any risk? Do people make this (to me) very significant distinction, or is it just considered a blanket 'ALL second-hand child seats = 100% no'? Or have I missed something?

People buy car seats, so if you know yours are in good condition I wouldn't think twice about selling them second hand. I don't think it's morally wrong to do that at all.

The only issue would be if they were broken, crashed, old etc.

High backed booster seats can IME quite easily suffer damage so I'd check before you pass those on. And if they are older then the design might not be as protective as modern ones, a lot of booster seats from about 7+ years ago for example were shallower and didn't go as tall as the ones on the market today. So if they are older than this I'd probably just tip them, but if they're recent models then no problem.

Backless boosters are just a lump of plastic and there's no problem with using those even for decades. I have one I got from somebody I barely really know because there's nothing that could possibly go wrong with it. But the high backed ones aren't quite the same. They do still have polystyrene which gets damaged, the back can get bent, the belt guards broken etc.

And if you do choose to sell I'd just say not to get your hopes up for getting a lot of the value back.

Somebody safety conscious is generally buying new, so anyone looking second hand isn't usually bothered by brands or what the seat cost new, they are comparing against the cost of really basic models new. Unless you have a car seat with really special features (air bags, extended rear facing, folds for travel) price it cheaper than a totally basic model of that type if you want to shift it.

Thanks very much, BertieBotts - much appreciated and reassuring.

They aren't very old and have been used by a couple of family members - I know they haven't been involved in any accidents or bumps at all. Not bothered about getting any money for them, but I detest chucking perfectly good things away at the tip when loads of people could use them (and may also struggle to afford them).