Stop Overpaying – 10 Best Items to Buy Second Hand

Hey, it’s Second Hand September!! Which means challenging ourselves to shop second hand and avoid buying NEW things.  Since starting my reseller business a couple of years ago, I’ve realized how much money I’ve wasted over the years by buying things new, when I could have purchased something potentially better, for less money. Well, there’s no use crying over that spilled milk but I can try to do better from now on. Here is a list of what I think are the top 10 things you should always try to buy second hand, first. 

Furniture

Personally, I love to have items in my home that tell a story. I have a lot of hand-me-down furniture from my mother-in-law. For example, we have a cute love seat and a chaise lounge that was in my husband’s house growing up. They’ve since been reupholstered. But I love being able to say who something belongs to and where it came from. I also have an antique dresser that was my grandma’s. It’s part of a larger set that I declined when it was offered to me. I was young and had a small apartment and didn’t truly appreciate antiques back then. But I sure am glad I opted to claim that dresser for my daughter’s room when she was born. 

You don’t have to have a relative with great taste passing things along to you though. There are many great consignment, antique and second hand furniture stores where you can find unique items in good quality that will literally save you thousands of dollars! Not to mention that by avoiding new furniture, you won’t be breathing in all those chemicals that are off-gassing from the treated wood. Don’t believe me? You can read more about that HERE. 

Clothes

By now you know my love of thrift shopping. But you don’t even need to set foot in a thrift store to enjoy the benefits of second hand clothing. There are dozens of online sites like Poshmark, Mercari, eBay, Thredup and more that allow you to buy second hand clothing online, saving you money and keeping textiles out of landfills. While some used clothing is a bit worse for wear, there are also plenty of very gently used items that have a lot of life left in them. If you have a certain brand of jeans that you like and fits you well, consider shopping on one of these sites to find it vs. purchasing new from the retail store. Plus, if you buy second hand on a site like Poshmark, Mercari or eBay, you’re helping put money in the pocket of an individual seller vs. a large corporate, in case you care about that sort of thing. 

Cars

Most of the time, it’s going to be better to buy a car pre-owned vs. buying new. We’ve all heard the cliché about new cars losing their value the minute they are driven off the lot. This is most certainly true. It’s a huge savings to buy a pre-owned car vs. a new one. There is one exception to this…it depends on your financing. Car loans typically charge a higher interest rate than loans for new cars. So, be sure to run the numbers for yourself. 

Books

How much do you care if that new book that you want to read has a few bent pages or spine? I know I don’t care at all. In fact, I rarely re-read a book so there’s no reason to get a book new when I can get a used one for less money. 

Video Games & Game Consoles

My son just turned 10 years old and for his birthday he really wanted a new gaming console. Those things are super expensive when brand new. I first went to Game Stop’s website where most of the preowned consoles that we wanted were sold out. We then turned our sites to eBay and Mercari. We were able to find exactly what he wanted and probably saved at least $200!

Formal Wear & Wedding Dresses

In my blog post about the 5 Best Garments to Buy Second Hand, I shared about the Cost Per Wear calculation. This is where you take the amount of money you spent on a garment and divide it by the number of times you wear it. If you care about sustainability, you really want your cost per wear to be as low as possible. But if you buy a formal gown or wedding dress for say $1000 and wear it once. Well, that’s a cost per wear of $1000! If you are shopping for a a one time occasion, buying second hand will not only save you money but chances are that no one else will show up in the same outfit!

Home Decor

My daughter and I love to scour our local Goodwill for decor. She’s all about candles, candle holders, little statues and anything mushroom related. I like unique eclectic things and almost never buy decor that is brand new. I just don’t find it all that interesting, I guess. If you’re a little crafty, you can easily paint or change certain objects to better suit your space and color scheme. A favorite technique is to spray paint a mixture of vases all the same color for an interesting monochromatic look. 

Costumes

Brand new Halloween costumes are ridiculously overpriced. I sure do buy them anyway! At least I used to. The realization hit me when I sold a bunch of my son’s old Halloween costumes on Poshmark. Why was I not buying used?? It’s easy to search for exactly what your kid wants online. Also check your local Goodwill. The Goodwill locations in my area usually have a pretty large Halloween section filled with costumes, accessories and clothes that can be combined to create certain costume looks. We love shopping at Goodwill around Halloween because you never know what you’re going to find. 

Designer Bags

When was the last time you asked someone whether or not that fabulous bag they are carrying was new or second hand? Oh, that’s probably never. Because most of us don’t care. At least I know that I don’t. To find used bags that are also authentic, I recommend sites like The Real Real because they authenticate everything. Plus, you’ll save hundreds or possibly thousands of dollars. 

The Other Side of Second Hand Shopping

The other side of second hand shopping is SELLING. What better way to fund a new wardrobe or do a home decor makeover than to sell your old stuff to fund your “new” (new-to-you) stuff? This sort of thing gets me really excited. Over the past 2 years I’ve completely made over my wardrobe and actually MADE MONEY while doing it. If this sounds like something you want to know more about, I have a Thrifting for Profit Guide that I put together to help you get started.