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Pregnancy

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Original poster

Opinions r.e second hand clothes

39 replies

piccalily · 04/09/2010 07:04

When I had my dd, I spent an absolute fortune buying everything brand new (didn't end up using half of it). I am expecting ds1 in December and reluctant to make the same mistake again.

I was just wondering, what are your experiences/opinions of buying second hand?

Tia x

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MrsBadger · 04/09/2010 07:16

did you not keep the stuff you bought for dd?

I have had more success being given stuff than actually buying it, but depending what you need ebay can be very useful for eg a 'newborn boy bundle'.
Charity shops etc are harder as you have to buy one thing at a time so are very timeconsuming.
NCT secondhand sales can be a bit ofa scrum but good value and as stuff is usually sorted by age/sex a bit less effort than charity shops or carboots.

tbh newborns don;t actually need that much - presuming you have cot / carseat / pram and bedding left from dd, even if you buy brand new all ds needs are 7 vests, 7 sleepsuits, hat and a cardi or two, which will hardly break the bank if you go to Tesco/Primark/Toys R Us

mumatron · 04/09/2010 07:16

you can get some fab bargains on ebay and the like. especially on the smaller sized stuff as it usually only gets worn once.

personally, i love going shopping for clothes and i think if i can afford to buy new then i will.

i will defo buy too much and most of it will only get worn once or twice, but i will then either give it away or put it on ebay myself.

im due in dec too btw.

MrsKitty · 04/09/2010 07:23

I get loads of stuff off Ebay and at NCT sales- bought a few bits of tat, but generally I get much better quality stuff than I could afford to buy new. Would also happily accept hand-me-downs from friends (if any of them had kids!).

megonthemoon · 04/09/2010 07:27

I bought good quality brands on bay as second hand high street baby clothes (e.g. Tesco, mother care) can be very bobbly and hard and I'd rather buy new than buy them blind and have wasted money on clothes that aren't soft enough for dc to wear.

Some of the brands I look for on ebay are the Scandinavian ones - polarnopyret, katvig etc. - I have some of these for dc2 which are pretty much good as new from ds as they wash so well. So I have bought plenty of these second hand. They are also often unisex so you have more choice and much cheaper than buying new.

Nct sales are great because you can see the condition the clothes are in so you can then buy the cheaper high street stuff knowing what quality they are.

deemented · 04/09/2010 07:29

Another one who rates NCT sales and Ebay.

For my PFB i bought everything new. When he was three i resigned myself to never having anymore children and got rid of all baby stuff. Then DD came along. Bought new again. Then found out i was having DS3 and bought all of his clothes from NCT/Ebay/car boot sales.

IMO, as they are going to be washed by you anyway then i'd go for second hnd/preloved.

Original poster

piccalily · 04/09/2010 07:41

Thanks ladies.

We have kept all the unisex stuff we bought for dd. We also have moses basket/ cotbed/ etc. Bought new pushchair and car seat this week.

Unfortunately, I think we'll be the ones giving the second hand stuff to family, friends etc as we're the first to have children.

We really don't need much, it was a pram suit I was thinking about buying second hand from ebay. There are some fab bargains on ebay.

OP posts:

lolabanola · 04/09/2010 07:43

I too have bought loads of really nice things off ebay for my baby - have also got quite a lot from car boot sales - still with the labels on! You would wash them anyway if you bought them new from a shop so there's not much difference - just the price!

I even got a brand new mamas and papas pushchair with car seat ( can tell it's never been used because the wheels are perfect), I bought it off ebay for £28, they are over £200 in the shops!

deemented · 04/09/2010 07:46

I got ds3 a BNWT snow suit last week at a car boot sale. It was from Next and should have been £17. I got it for £4.

japhrimel · 04/09/2010 09:06

I've bought some stuff off eBay. The one thing I would say to do is to check the brand is a good make. Some of the bits I bought in a bundle were originally very cheap clothes and aren't great material. When you can't feel the fabrics and quality, it's a bit harder. I try to stick to brands I know I like now, such as JoJo, Next, etc.

Original poster

piccalily · 04/09/2010 12:15

lolabanola and deemented - fab bargains. I will have to try some car boot sales. I've done many as a seller but never as a buyer.

Thanks for the advice japhrimel. I've got my eye on a mamas and papas snow suit on ebay.

OP posts:

EllieBear · 04/09/2010 13:12

Hi, I swear by ebay! You can get a lot of Secondhand items that look Brand new most of the time at a fraction of the cost. You'll save loads lol!!! Brand new items can be very expensive.

I hope this helps
Ellie

Miffster · 04/09/2010 13:24

I just got a most GORGEOUS bundle of Next, Rocha, Mamas and Papas and M&S boys clothes from ebay - some still had new labels in - for under a tenner, including postage - SO worth it, why pay for new when they'll be washed anyway and they grow out of them so fast that second hand are often in great condition!

SolidGoldBrass · 04/09/2010 13:28

I got given just about everything and subsequently hit the charity shops a fair bit as well. TBH it's more ethical to buy second hand than new for babies as the stuff gets grown out of so quickly and it's less wasteful etc etc. Some of the babygros I got given for DS did atually wear out but they appeared to date from about the 1970s and I rather liked the idea that they had been worn by loads of babies and done real service.

Minxie1977 · 04/09/2010 13:40

I'd always been a real snob about second hand - never ventured into a charity shop or car boot. When I became pg a close friend offered me all her old baby bits - half of me wanted to say no due to my previous up my own bum snobbery but as she has great taste, and is a clean living kinda gal, I said yes. Best thing I ever did - DD has tons of gorgeous clothes. I now buy any nice bits I can from car boots/ charity shops. Saves a fortune and no worries when DD gets them all mucky. I've always been a bit environ-mental too and, like SGB said, this feels better too.

SirBoobAlot · 04/09/2010 13:43

Is it a first size pram suit you're after? I think I might have DSs still in a box that a friend didn't want. He was a Novemeber baby so about the same size - I can dig it out for you if you want?

DilysPrice · 04/09/2010 13:47

I swear by it - not so much because of the money (though there's a great satisfaction in getting a real bargain) but because it eases the guilt about how much you have to have, and how soon they grow out of it, and how muddy they get.

NCT sales are a really time efficient way of getting loads of stuff, and we've got two local charity shops that only sell children's clothes - fantastic. If you're really broke then Freecycle's worth a try as well, but I'd feel a bit mean taking baby stuff that someone else might really need if I could afford to pay for it.

And in future, make sure that you get nice gender neutral stuff for DD wherever possible - no more pink wellies and anoraks.

MerryMarigold · 04/09/2010 13:48

I prefer second hand. We're creating less waste. Ebay is brilliant for cheap, good quality stuff. And you don't feel like you're buying into the spending frenzy that the shops want us to...

WannaBeMeAgain · 04/09/2010 13:50

I bought loads new but also bought loads from ebay, generally just bought loads

EdgarAllInPink · 04/09/2010 13:56

Ebay, car boots and freecycle - all great sources of clothing. mostly good quality.

lazycow007 · 04/09/2010 13:57

Love love love charity shops, you get such great bargains if you time it right especially if you go to an upmarket part of town. Gumtree is also great as you get to actually see the stuff before you buy unlike ebay.
Good luck in your quest!

mamatomany · 04/09/2010 14:02

I buy lots of brands i could never afford new on ebay etc

sungirltan · 04/09/2010 14:03

i buy heaps of 2nd hand stuff for my dd

if i buy from ebay i search for brands i recognise - as in something 2nd hand from next/pumpkin patch will probably be in reasonable condidtion and last a while whereas 2nd hand primark isnt worth having - i am fussy about how well her clothes wash!

tiptree · 04/09/2010 14:06

All of us dress in second hand clothes, I would rather buy decent second hand than new primark.

sotough · 04/09/2010 16:00

I'd say about half of my DS's clothes have come from a fabulous children's charity shop where we live. we live in an affluent part of London and the Fara charity shop is full of gorgeous things! they're not massively cheap but a lot cheaper than new and in very good condition. a lot of the stuff has barely been worn. i think it's wonderful to get stuff second hand - babies grow out of things so quickly.

Emsyboo · 04/09/2010 17:21

I am buying most things new like cot etc, getting second hand things from friends like travel cot and moses basket to save money.

I don't want to waste money but babies grow out of things so quick I have no problems with second hand.

I bought some really good bundles off ebay due in January so the warm baby clothes for 0-3 and newborn are quite cheap atm. They are all good quality and great bargain. Buying a few things new for special occassions and showing off to family but for everyday wear there is nothing wrong with second hand and so far everything I've got off ebay is brill and gorgeous!

Goodluck x x

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