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Original poster

2nd hand presents at Christmas?

64 replies

Peachops · 27/10/2023 01:14

Money is tight this year, all the bills have gone up and well paid jobs are thin on the ground. Given christmas gifts are quickly forgotten, I was wondering if you've bought second hand for christmas before and how it went down with your family?😳

OP posts:
Seaside3 · 28/10/2023 23:17

Things I've done to help when moneybis tight...

  1. Buy a book, a dvd/cd, new pj's , nice chocolate, 1 special gift of low value per child. I bought them weekly and made sure I got offers and points/rewards.
  1. As a family we only buy 1 gift for the other adults in the family. We go in a draw and buy for 1 person, with a £30 limit. When the kids reach 18 they join the draw so their aunts/uncles aren't buying for them.
  1. Bought vouchers via cashback accounts.
  1. Given 2nd hand and homemade gifts. My friends and their kids sometimes come for a Christmas gathering. I used to gift the kids. 1 year it was 2nd hand books. Another I had loads of small espresso cups. I made hot chocolate packages and popped them in. I had some tiny buckets from our wedding g so I made sweets. Filled.buckets and hung on tree.
  1. I've also split multipacks of chocolates etc for stocking.
  1. Find nice ways of wrapping gifts that don't cost. Save ribbons/string, find old baubles, twigs etc so your revipient feels special, even if the gift is maybe 2nd hand or lower value than you want.

Hope that helps.

Sj07 · 29/10/2023 11:10

I haven't really done it for anyone other than my kids but they've had loads of second hand toys. Bikes, go karts, consoles, dolls, they don't care. Sometimes they know they're second hand sometimes they don't. My daughter now loves looking through vinted with me. She's 13. My son 12 doesn't care that his segway and go kart attachment were £35 second hand he loves it, and it works fine. For other family (adults) if money was tight I'd tell them and they would get a small, inexpensive gift from the kids, or something homemade like cakes, tablet, macaroon etc. For other kids (nieces, nephews, friends kids) if they asked for something specific and I found one second hand in good condition I'd get it and I know their parents would be happy with that. Thankfully we don't base our relationships on how much money we spend on each other, it's about the thought behind the gift, and if money is too tight to gift I offer to babysit, or take all the kids for a sleepover or we take all the kids for a day out instead of buying gifts that will probably end up on a cupboard by new year.

Nokoolaidherethanks · 29/10/2023 11:14

Yes I would and have, especially for small children who would be totally unaware.

cocksstrideintheevening · 29/10/2023 12:02

I bought Dts a second hand sylvanian mansion thing one year. They didn't know the difference and I'm glad they did because they played with it for approximately two minutes.

Now they're older they got phones from CEX for their birthday. No issue with that at all.

MissMarplesNiece · 29/10/2023 12:05

I'm planning to buy DH a camera for Christmas and it will most likely be 2nd hand from a used camera shop. I can buy him a better camera for the same amount of money that I'd spend on a new one.

Screamingabdabz · 29/10/2023 12:08

I would for my own DC but not for anyone else.

PandaG · 29/10/2023 12:26

Yes, definitely have and do. Nephew got loads of Duplo, as I bought it second hand and gave it a wash. His mum was delighted!

Regularly buy and receive second hand boardgames as presents - there, are Facebook groups dedicated to selling or trading them and are a real money saver, and mean you can source out of print games. Another nephew really enjoyed one of our games and asked for it for his birthday - would have broken the budget new but he was pleased to receive a second hand copy.

Our adult dc also receive second hand presents from us - daughter loves Vinted, and I regularly pick up bits from selling groups on FB - we bought her new Doc Martens a couple of years ago, and an identical but patent, almost brand new pair came up on fb for £40. She was utterly delighted to receive a second pair.

piginpastry · 29/10/2023 12:56

During the credit crisis (so either 2008/9) in my immediate family we agreed to only buy each other a present from Poundland 😂 naturally we went as tacky as we could but still to this day I use my fluffy pink ice scraper glove and love it. Now, my mum will often say she’s buying something for the kids but I’ll often tell her to buy off marketplace- the kids don’t know or care so why waste money?

caringcarer · 29/10/2023 13:03

I'm comfortable these days and I still sometimes buy second hand. I just bought a second hand coat still with tags on for half the original price. You can get some real bargains.

PloddingAlong21 · 30/10/2023 07:27

For children absoloutely. I personally wouldn’t for adults, simply because adults often have stuff they need and want so what they ‘want’ is usually a bit random and selective and not stuff you easily find on selling sites. I Wouldn’t buy them something for somethings sake.

All adults will realise things are tight. Just text and suggest maybe you either:

  1. buy a token gift for adults only like wine/chocolates
  2. Do a big family secret Santa so you’re all only buy one one gift but a decent one
LinaM20 · 30/10/2023 17:42

I think it’s absolutely fine. I’ve taken brand new toys out of boxes and put them together before they are wrapped to save the hassle on Christmas Day before. If they are good condition you could just pretend you’ve done this. No one need know and no one needs faffing with all the stupid ties and things to keep toys in boxes on Christmas Day.

runsmidgeOMG · 30/10/2023 18:49

A friend at works DD was selling a bulk load of polly pockets for money box cash last year.
I’m not lying when I say those won Christmas!
I even told DD (6 at the time) they used to belong to someone else and that they’re hers now, it changed nothing. She’s played with them religiously all year. Annoyingly I brought them in the last days before Christmas once all other gifts had been brought. Might have saved me 100s elsewhere if I’d got them before 🤣

londonmummy1966 · 30/10/2023 18:52

I picked a few things up in a charity shop for my DC's stockings this week. VIntage jewellery they like and a couple of books.

LittleLlama · 30/10/2023 19:25

I have bought good quality second hand toys/books for my children (such as playmobil). I have bought “new with tags”items for family from eBay and vintage. However we have also agreed to not buy each other so much and reduce who we buy for - this has saved us the most.

eatdrinkandbemerry · 31/10/2023 05:28

Absolutely for the kids if it's in great condition.
My daughter is nine and her favourite places to go spend her pocket money is charity shops . In her words why pay for packaging when I can get loads more for my money if I shop wisely 🤣.

jhy · 31/10/2023 07:58

I think everyone wants to say no, but when they think about it, there's no issue really. Given how the second hand market is now, a lot of things are still 'new' and you can get some real good deals out there when you look. I have no issue buying stuff on vinted for example, so no reason to not shop on there for occasions too.

Ragwort · 31/10/2023 08:05

Yes of course, we've actually given up exchanging gifts as adults in our family now but previously we had a '£10 max. Charity shop gift theme' or 'a second hand book'. Both worked well. You can find some fabulous stuff in charity shops if you take the time to look.
Go after Christmas to stock up on everyone else's unwanted Christmas presents Grin.

TheOwlChronicles · 31/10/2023 10:27

Sometimes and it depends on the item.

My son wanted some Ralph Lauren sweatpants, they're £140. I found them on Vinted for £37, worn once. Took a punt and they're immaculate. So that worked out well

Same with a trapstar tracksuit. £280 new, got on vinted for £110. Again, was pristine

Littlemisslaughalot · 31/10/2023 17:07

@AfterWeights second hand, charity shop, homemade, it's absolutely about choosing a gift that you think they will like whilst not spending more than you can afford. Listen to Martin Lewis talk about Christmas, he makes so much sense.

Soccermumamir · 13/11/2023 19:50

Yes absolutely. I've bought many 2nd hand things that look Brand new. I remember buying OH a 2nd hand vintage book about Victorian London. (Don't ask. He loves anything about the era and London in general). It looked Brand new, but still vintage. It was very heavy and had to carry it all the way back home, but he loved it. Says it was favourite thing to this day 😊👍

snowlaser · 16/11/2023 12:36

I think there's nothing wrong with second hand things at all - it's my nephew's birthday today in fact and one of the presents we have got him is second hand. Why not? He's a toddler and will be delighted with anything fun and new.

But it's fine for adults too - if anyone fancies giving me a second hand car for Christmas I'd be delighted ;)

Hitchens · 17/11/2023 08:53

Peachops · 27/10/2023 01:14

Money is tight this year, all the bills have gone up and well paid jobs are thin on the ground. Given christmas gifts are quickly forgotten, I was wondering if you've bought second hand for christmas before and how it went down with your family?😳

If money is tight why not just agree to not buy any presents for each other? I've had that deal with my family for the last 10 years or so, not because of the money but because I personally find the whole process of gift exchanges tedious. If I want something I'll buy it for myself, I don't want someone else to effectively waste their money on buying me something I don't really want. I certainly don't want to spend my time and energy planning what to buy for others.

You said it yourself, Xmas gifts are quickly forgotten so why bother yourself.

Mazuslongtoenail · 17/11/2023 08:55

My best ever secret Santa was 3 books off someone’s shelf that they selected that I’d like. They had 3 kids and a small, single income so it was free to them but felt thoughtful as they were great books.

I loved it.

SwordToFlamethrower · 17/11/2023 09:00

We are asking family to put money in the baby's saving's account rather than buy presents.

We aren't buying anything for her either. Waste of money.

Birthdays yes, Christmas no.