-It reduces environmental impact: fewer materials and less waste (both the product itself and the manufacturing), fewer shipping emissions, saves landfill space, etc.
-It supports local economy.
-It reduces the demand of new production of items and sends a message to manufacturers that more is not always more. Down with consumerism!
-It reduces the demand for items that may have been sourced or manufactured in slave conditions.
-It often supports job creation for small businesses or individuals who may not have many other opportunities. (Goodwill, for example, hires a number of employees with intellectual disabilities.)
-You can find all kinds of crazy stuff you wouldn't find elsewhere.
-You can usually get a good bargain.
I'm talking about resale shops like Goodwill and Once Upon a Child, vintage shops (my high school obsession!), garage sales, eBay, you name it. These are great places to find all kinds of things, from every day needs to gifts.
The downside to secondhand shopping, at least for me, is it can be time-consuming.
And sadly, it has become tougher than ever for me to pull it off.
-I can't shop online (other than eBay and half.com).
-I can't always count on finding what I need.
-It takes forever to drive around to garage sales or dig through racks at Goodwill.
Also, and maybe it's my line of work, I am afraid of bedbugs. You will not see my buying anything squishy secondhand, especially if it can't be laundered.
That said, a few things are perfect for secondhand shopping:
-Books and other media. We almost never pay full price for these things. Thank you, half.com.
-Toys--I mean overpriced plastic toys, especially the ones that only get played with for a few months.
-Kid stuff in general.
-Clothes--you can find some great stuff! It's two-sided for me . . .vintage often fits me better than current clothes, but I have a hard time finding current clothes that fit secondhand. I am too short.
-Seasonal stuff, like decorations or items for short-term use.
-Ben's music gear.
-Electronics. I love a good refurb. (Electronics are often the worst offenders in unethical and harmful manufacturing conditions.)
-Cool dishes, glassware, art, conversation pieces.
I have to mention a fairly new children's resale shop, Growing Spurts, on 31 next to United Arts & Education. I LOVE this place! It's smaller than most, and they are selective with the items they accept to resell, but the prices are still reasonable. They even resell cloth diapers, for pity's sake--they have a pretty good stash of new cloth diapers as well. I can dash in and out of there quickly and I often find what I need.
Another solution is just swapping stuff with your friends. We have thankfully received bags and boxes of baby items from other families. We take our turn and pass them on, adding our own contributions into the mix. I've heard of clothing swap parties or other kinds of swap meets where people bring their stuff (GOOD stuff, just stuff they don't need) and swap it for someone else's. Maybe I ought to host one of these, sounds like more fun than a garage sale :).
Of course, just because it's secondhand and cheap doesn't make it a good buy . . . clutter is clutter, no matter where it comes from!
What am I missing? What should I be buying secondhand that I'm not? What do YOU love to buy secondhand?
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