buying a car seat on Ebay? is that mean?

[Frenchy72]

Hi! I don't know what to do. I can't afford a new one, and it's for the second car anyway. Do you think I am being cheap? Have you done it?

hmm if i was buying a second hand one i would make sure it was from someone i trust.
you can't be certain that it hasn't been in an accident

I have - but you have to decide for yourself. You can get fairly cheap new models if you look around.

what kind of budget do you have? and what kind of car seat are you looking for?

whereabouts are you? I've got a MaxiCosi Priori to give away free to a good home. Looks like new.

I got most of mine from car boots. They're only made of moulded plastic with polystyrene on top. Even the posh ones.

You can take off the cover and wash it, and check that it's in good condition underneath.

I think the line about, 'Never buy a second hand one cos you don't know if it has been in an accident' is pedalled by manufacturers to make us part with our hard earned money.

yeah but you don't know if it has been weakened by being in an accident. and then if it was subjected to another impact it could be unsafe

I want a Britax Eclipse or MaxiCosi Priory if possible (9-18 kg). they are cool because they can recline while the baby is asleep. I tried Kiddicare etc, but nothing under 85 pounds....
I am concerned that some models (most actually) don't pass the crash test in case of a lateral accident. I have read this in Which? magazine.

anyway Ebay car seats seem to cost only half the price even those which are in very good condition.

Message withdrawn

i would still rather buy one from someone i knew if i was getting one second-hand.

as i say, you have no idea if they have been in an accident and have been weakened at all

thank you geekgrrl but I live in the middle of nowhere near Cardiff.

how old is your child? only asking cos ive got 2 car seats i meed to get rid of - they are for about 3 - 5 yr olds.

happy to let someone have them for p&p, or collect for free, seems a shame to throw them away.

Starlover - surely you would see the damage on inspection? Sorry, but I'm skeptical that a car seat could be unsafe due to an accident and you would not be able to see it. Does the fact that I have accidentally reversed into the back of somebody else's car (less than 10mph) leave my carseats unusable - of course not - the impact is far less than say if I do an emergency stop from 40mph. Likewise my carseats have suffered the impacts of being generally handled from car to car.

Sorry, I know the advice is often quoted, but I think that it is a red herring. My carseat, which has been "in an accident" is no less safe than my friend's who has handed it down through 5 children accident-free. Far more chance that her straps are well-worn etc than mine.

well i am thinking in terms of the structure being weakened... rather than actually visibly broken.

that would mean that if you were to be in an accident that the car seat may not be as safe.

at the end of the day it's up to you... but what price your child's safety?

It's plastic - usually you can see stresses in plastic fairly easily - on my dark blue car seat they would probably show up as white.

Also what is the definition of an accident here. If I bump another car whilst parking, that's an accident. However the car seat bears more strain when I drop it by accident, or when I do an emergency stop.

By all means say that you would only ever use brand new car seats for each child, but I just question this "second hand car seats are fine, provided that they have not been involved in an accident" line. I struggle to see how a seat could be damaged in an accident and yet not be visible to the human eye. But manufacturers don't tell you that you msut get a new car seat every time you drop it.

each to their own. i was just saying that i wouldn't do it. that's all.

I've done the opposite and sold our old ones on ebay! They were both used but clean and cared for with no accident damage to them. I wouldn't have minded if bidders wanted to look at it first - perhaps you could ask them too? I'm sure that you would be able to see damage to the polystyrene bit if it had been in an accident wouldn't you?
Having said all that I've only bought our children brand as I know that some people aren't as honest as me, oops perhaps I shouldn't have said that .

I believe you can get them new from established carboots or e-bay. I believe that a seat that is structuraly simple would be easy to check while others that have so many bits and pieces like the britax renaisance are another story...

In a way, it's far more likely that a car seat doesn't perform as it should for being badly installed than because it has a structural fault you were not able to find with the naked eye.

Gosh... it's hard to decide. I try to believe that out there on Ebay there are honest people like myself. and besides anyway 4 out 5 car seats are not correctly fitted. scary, no?

brand new I meant to say!

thanks to everyone. Starlover I have listened to you and just bought the safest seat possible (new). it is a mamas&papas Pro tec. alas 130 pounds - hey but that's life! C'est la vie !!!
will make sure it is correctly fitted otherwise not worth all this questionning and seat turns to a massive weapon.
thanks again to all