Would you buy nearly new goods for your baby?

bylromarha

Vested interest...looking to set up a shop in coventry selling high quality second hand baby stuff + maternity wear, tho not car seats/matresses/stairgates due to safety implications.

Saw this article and wondered if others avoid 2nd hand for their baby due to rising safety standards and i just don't care enough!

http://www.b-p-a.org/general.php?r=VREL6MYIAJ

So wanted your views really...would you buy 2nd hand baby stuff if you could have a look at it first and not know the previous owner?

Please add any comments you think i would find useful as to why you voted the way you did

thanks hugely

+ please pm me if you're in the cov/warwick area and want to buy/sell stuff when I've opened :-)

ViksB

I buy second hand for both the price and the recycling aspect. I also use reusable nappies for the same reasons. I admit it did all start off being sue to price (we can afford it we just don't want to spend more than we need to when we can save it for her education/future). Toys were the real eye opener for me. When she was born she was given some new toys they were in so much packaging and were hardly played with but the toys in the charity shop/ car boot sale were just as good and were cheaper without all the hideous packaging. I have since banned anyone from buying new toys for her!!! (might rethink it when she gets older!!)
Viks

kelloggs36

Personally I would consider buying second hand stair gates - provided they were in excellent condition. As with most things in this Country, we are paranoid about safety and many believe the horror stories without looking into the detail where they will find some sort of negligence on their part has taken place. Yes incidents happen, but we are led to believe that they are common and they are not. Of course manufacturers will claim that only new is acceptable in terms of safety.

We also have a lot of snobs out there who believe that only buying new is good! Just for their image or to show off the latest gadgets, which to be honest most of us could do without.

Lillibet_2

I still find it staggering that parents do buy new!!:eek:

suekjw

Matresses and carseats would be my only no-no that I can think of.

Spendless

Hi, you asked for some feedback.

Something that has come on this board before by another member who would have liked to have bought a 2nd hand xxxxx (can't remember what:o ). She was told by the owner of a similar shop that with the £500 surestart grant there wasn't as much demand for 2nd hand stuff.

The area where you are thinking of opening will play a part though, if it's an area where a lot of people get the £500 grant, you may find the same thing, if it's an area where the residents are wealthy you may find not enough business, ideally something in between, too 'rich' to get the £500 and too 'poor' to be able to affor brand new prices

jockettuk

something like this exists in peterborough and i went there when my daughter was born,, got the pram and everything like that not the cot as was bought that as a pressie.. most of the people i knew that had babies had visited this shop so yes its a good idea but just check out the area your going to do it in as like others have said if its in a affulent area then it probably wont work..

suekjw

I wouldn't qualify for any grants, but would buy secondhand! (did buy in fact!)

djtonyb

I buy second clothes too

cruella_de_vile

When I had my 1st I was horrified at the thought of using anything second hand but I learnt pretty quick! There is not much that my 2nd has that was actually new :rotfl:

FlofieGirl

2nd hand stuff bought has been clothes, toys, cloth nappies

The rest was new, but shopped around for it and got most of it really cheap.

....admit I spent a ridiculous amount of money on a pushchair/pram though, purely because the 'look' of it was very important to me - how sad, yet I still feel the same way about it..???