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Original poster

What's your secondhand threshold?

65 replies

singalonga · 27/04/2006 20:09

Was having coffee with some friends today, and mentioned that I had bought some nice stuff for DD on Ebay. Also said that I would lend a pg friend a BF nightshirt for her hospital stay (i was in for 4 days and only had 2 - DH had to acquaint himself with the washing machine rather quickly!!) and she looked really uncomfortable! Eventually said she would rather buy new ones, even though all there said that BF ones were a hospital use only item. A friend suggested lending her a breast pump and she looked mortified!

So what do / did / would you use second hand? And would it make a difference if it was from a friend or from Ebay / charity shop etc?

I have bought from Ebay and used:

Nursing bras
Maternity clothes
Baby clothes

Would never buy but would use from a friend:

Swimming costume
Breast pump

Would only have new:

Knickers (completely illogical in view of the swimming costume thing!)

What are your views? Just being nosey really Smile

OP posts:
Oblomov · 27/04/2006 20:56

I buy and sell loads on e-bay.

No shoes for ds.

No underwear or swimming costumes.

Everything else is o.k. , I think.

FrannyandZooey · 27/04/2006 20:59

Shock oblomov buys second hand sex toys on eBay Shock

and so does everyone else who said "anything else is fine"

LeahE · 27/04/2006 21:07

Shock FrannyandZooey knows that they sell sex toys on eBay Shock

[polishes innocent halo and tries to look as though she isn't heading off to check]

Oblomov · 27/04/2006 21:10

Not so far, F&Z, but show me the section and I'll be there !!

FrannyandZooey · 27/04/2006 21:13
Spagblog · 27/04/2006 21:13

I have no shame Blush
I have infact bought a second hand something that most of you would balk at!

FrannyandZooey · 27/04/2006 21:15

Not a mugtree, Spagblog?

lunavix · 27/04/2006 21:16

I buy secondhand stuff. I've recently bought baby clothes, maternity clothes, etc from ebay. All clothes have to be in vgc or new, simply cos I've seen the condition other stuff is sold in! Would never buy cheap stuff second hand either, it has to be worth the effort lol. The way I see it is me and ds and bump would have a lot less clothes if I only bought them new...

I wouldn't buy knickers or socks secondhand, I've considered buying maternity style bras secondghand as I think they're a waste of money new. Have bought a secondhand swimming costume and haven't worn it... it was part of a bundle but I dont' know if it's hygiene reasons or just that I haven't worn full bathers since I was like 10...

FrannyandZooey · 27/04/2006 21:16

I probably would not buy a mooncup, either.

Spagblog · 27/04/2006 21:19

Ooooh mug tree!
I've been looking for a used one of those!

FrannyandZooey · 27/04/2006 21:19

I knew it. You filthy baggage.

sixtwosix · 27/04/2006 21:20

id never buy any clothes secondhand.
but would happily use secondhand, or thirdhand stuff given me by a friend. except bra's and knikers of course.

second hand books, toys, furniture, etc id happily buy.

i wouldnt buy anything secondhand from ebay.

Spagblog · 27/04/2006 21:20
Grin
Laura032004 · 27/04/2006 21:24

I don't have a problem with most second hand things. Probably wouldn't buy knickers, but have bought nursing bras and breast pads. DS also has mainly 2nd hand nappies. Firmly of the opinion that a good wash sorts most things. :) Prob wouldn't have a 2nd hand b.pump, but only because I think they decline with use (my Avent ISIS has anyway).

Don't tend to go to charity shops much, but do go to car boot sales. Prefer them to E-bay really as you can look at what you are buying. Purchased something from E-bay recently that stank to high heaven of cig. smoke.

Beds? Have slept in 'second hand' beds at uni with no problems. I did have matress covers though.

snafu · 27/04/2006 21:26

My threshold's pretty low, I think. I buy lots of clothes second-hand from ebay and charity shops - not knickers though Smile

I do draw the line at half-used cosmetics 'This lipstick has only been used a couple of times...' uh-huh. Although would happily borrow a friend's lippy, but I figure they're less of an unknown quantity, iyswim...

fullmoonfish · 28/04/2006 09:39

jeez, do people actually try and sell secondhand cosmetics Shock

rey · 28/04/2006 10:08

couldn't go for underwear and thought I could go for shoes until I bought some when out for a job interview and my heel went. So desperate and rushed I bought some from Oxfam and found I couldn't wear them. Don't know if it was just in my mind but after 2 minutes wear I couldn't bear it. Silly really when you think about the amount of people who try on your shoes before you bought them!

Anything else wouldn't have a problem with though.

tjacksonpfc · 28/04/2006 11:14

ive just sorted out my dd and ds clother ready for the summer and friends are having them to make the use of them a lot of them i got given so they are second hand already i wouldnt buy underwear or swimming stuff second hand or shoes but other than that not bothered ive got loads of stuff of of ebay before and car boot sales. im afraid we cant afford to go out and buy new all the time but when we do its tescos matalans or asdas anyway

Normsnockers · 28/04/2006 11:36

Anything that touches "private bits" has to be new in our house but other than that I buy from eBay and occasionally from a charity shop and I always accept second hand childrens clothes offered by friends. I generally buy from boden/adams/next etc only in the sales so its new but not full price. I do buy most of my clothes new but have recently saved a fortune by getting maternity clothes via eBay.

It's ridiculous really as dh and I can well afford new everything but my family were very hard up "when I were a girl" and I seem to have a thriftiness gene that cannot be denied.

I don't always tell dh that certain of ds's clothes were second hand from Ebay (although I do confess to the brand new ones bought from eBay) and I always check that it's coming from non-smoking homes. I'd never tell him something came from a charity shop unless it was a toy/book.

Our local Oxfam bookshop has good as new second hand children's books and ds currently sees no difference between this shop and Waterstones.

Dh always buys new clothes and sometimes quite expensive stuff but he does wear it all to death
and doesn't have an extensive wardrobe at any point in time.

I also put a bit of money in ds's bank account from time to time, being some of the savings from having second hand or eBay bargains.

There we are, a full confession of a "second hand rose".

Orinoco · 28/04/2006 22:43

Euuugghh!

I'm sorry, I'm going against the grain here, but I really struggle to do second-hand. Memories of Mum dragging me round smelly second hand shops as a kid I reckon.

I'm not even keen on borrowing stuff from friends - one friend did lend me some baby stuff which I kept on one side until I was really desparate and I'd used all of my own stuff (when she was what, about 2 hrs old!)

I'm even really funny about houses - we've moved twice and both times I couldn't buy a house that someone else was living in (they were both empty).

I don't know how to describe it - I don't think it's snobbiness - I'm just a really private person and I don't like to think of using other people's private things, IYSWIM? (Probably not!)

Then again, I'm fortunate enough not to have to worry about it - I'd have to overcome this issue if I needed to, if it meant the difference between clothes for the kids or not etc.

Nbg · 28/04/2006 22:49

I'm normally quite funny with second hand gear, although I bought some used maternity jeans off ebay earlier this year and have bought some clothes off other mumsnetters.

I couldn't buy things like nightshirts, breastpumps etc.

Like someone else said, anything involving bodily fluids is a no.
I remember the state of my nursing nightshirt. Not nice.

FA, Foof PMSL Grin

expatinscotland · 28/04/2006 22:51

What about a house where someone had died, Orinoco? Oh, you'd be hard-pressed to find a place where death hadn't occurred here. We have a newish flat, but an old tenement stood on it before it was here.

sallystrawberry · 28/04/2006 22:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Orinoco · 28/04/2006 22:53

It depends whether their things were still in the house or whether it was empty, expat. The house we live in at the mo was new when we bought it, same again, it was empty.

I'm even funny about cars! I know, I'm just a freak!

ProfYaffle · 28/04/2006 22:58

The very idea of 2nd hand shoes gives me a rash, wouldn't do 2nd hand intimate wear (ahem) but all else, bring it on. Am very proud of my bargains. I'm a bit wary of 2nd hand stuff on Ebay because you can't tell what the condition is like from a photo, so prefer car boot sales really.

Like NS, we could afford everything new but bargain hunting is addictive once you start and the more ££ I save on dd's stuff the more I have to spend in Monsoon!