would you or do you buy your children second hand toys for xmas?

[miche8]

my children 2,5,9 are not very careful with their toys, in the past i've got them second hand toys they want for a fraction of the price they would be new, i am fussy so would only buy something that looks almost new but can't help thinking its not the norm for xmas/birthdays, i could save us so much money if i got their xmas presents second hand this year, my daughter is peppa pig crazy and on sunday i got her the rocket for £6 at a carboot i think its nearly £30 new. Just wondering what everyones thoughts are?

I buy most things new, but happily buy second hand electronic items (like Nintendo DS or IPod touches) because my children are still quite young (8 and 5). DD1 does competitive gymnastics and that can mean a lot of sitting done quietly, in a cramped space for extended periods of time (sometimes hours). To have the iPod to play in can be a lifesaver. But they don't need all the new features, so DDs have both had second hand ones which we bought for about £50 each. They came in their original boxes and we glammed then up with new covers. Both DDs knew they were second hand but were chuffed to buts with them.

I've got DD a wooden play kitchen for christmas and it's second hand. She won't notice or realise as she's too little, and it looks barely played with anyway.

Yep I pick up odd bits here and there, people are so wasteful around here and sell good basically new toys for a few £, it would be silly to pay full price for it to be in a box or have a ticket on.

dont see a issue with it at all

No issue with it here. My DS wanted a specific train and I could only find it second hand. We discussed setting it up so it would be on the track if the packaging was damaged but when it arrived from eBay it was in perfect condition and looked brand new.

I know I'm going against the grain here but, no .

Father Christmas does not bring you someone else's toys.

I do, see no issue with it, certainly not when the DC are still young. At nearly 5 my DD wouldn't know or care that it was secondhand.
She knows we sell things on ebay so other boys and girls can play with them next so I doubt she would think it was odd.

Yes.
I sell stuff on eBay and buy Xmas toys with the proceeds. All in PayPal so it's not even real money!

Would my kids like 1 new book or 10 secondhand books for Xmas? It's a no brainer to them. (Well, to the eldest, the little one is too small to take a view!).

My absolute favourite childhood present EVER was a big box of 2nd hand barbies and clothes. I was in raptures for months!

Yes. Toys, clothes, books etc. no qualms about it. If I'm saving money and the planet at the same time then that suits me fine. I can afford new but love a bargain.

Yes, we do.This year my 9 and 6 yr old are having bikes I bought on eBay. They were £30 each and in excellent condition - I am delighted!!

Only second hand stuff here is heaps of happy street track of eBay. They have stopped making it.

and

DH found an Xbox steering wheel, with pedals, which are silly money new.

The same, now much older, still car mad DD, is quite old enough to appreciate extra presents that appear by way of eBay.

All manner of outdoor and hobby related stuff does.

but those aren't Christmas, birthday presents as such.

yep always have. Eco reasons aswell as money.

Not main presents but stocking fillers, yes. The audio book CDs of Harry Potter which I picked up for a couple of quid in the hospice shop and slung in DD's stocking on a whim have been used and appreciated more than any other present she's ever received.

I have 12 years between my boys so I have all manner of stuff stashed in the attic for the youngest. Last year he got his big brother's Playmobile castle, this year I have scrubbed up a massive crate full of KNex. DS1 really looked after his toys so they are all in good condition anyway.

Second hand presents are fine here. Books, lego, board games, garage, dolls house, Sylvanian Family stuff have all been second hand.

I do! DS bday present this year was a pre loved BMX for £50 from a local bike shop, they've guarenteed it too. He got the bike he wanted, which he wouldn't have been able to have otherwise and he was thrilled

Yes. Actually, I just picked up a game for DD today -- it was in PERFECT condition and the only way you'd know it had been used was that they'd assembled the bits that need assembly so I won't have to do it. And it was about 25% of the best price I can find it for new.

I have done and would do again potentially. DD had a £5 baby walker from the Heart Foundation shop as her main present a couple of years back... she loved it, wouldn't have known/cared where it was from and the money went to charity so it made sense to me!

I also use Ebay for some things, you can get a lot more present for your money and also can get things which are no longer available in the shops.

Oh and I nearly forgot the huge job lot of kids' games bought from someone at work for £20, that's already provided several presents and there are still more hidden away waiting till they grow into them!

I bought an antique toy theatre, and a pile of old plays, a couple of years ago. Not sure that counts.

Nothing wrong with second hand, though. Why not!

Yes. Have you seen the price of Sylvanian Families? £50 bought dd 2 houses, school, hospital and car and caravan. Loads of furniture for each building and 6 complete families. I dread to think how many hundreds of pounds it would have cost new. None of it was boxed though so I bought big cardboard boxes ftom Ikea and put it in there.
Kids are older now but Dd has had a 2nd hand Superdry coat for her birthday.

My almost-four-year-old is getting her older cousin's handed-down beautiful wooden dollhouse, which I'll sand down and repaint to make it new-ish. She's also getting a big box of Lego bricks, bought on ebay mainly because it's much much cheaper, but also so that I can buy her a mix of primary colored and pastel colored bricks without supporting Lego's stupid and offensive gendered marketing strategy.