From the bean of Green Bean.
If you've been around the green circuit for a while, you've come face to face with the realization that conspicious consumption is not such a great thing.
The Compact,
Riot for Austerity,
The Story of Stuff all bring home the basic green tenet. Buying new stuff=bad.
Buying used stuff, however, is not so bad. In fact, sometimes it can be downright good. Like when you keep an item out of the landfill. When you breathe new life into something headed to the dump.
I am quite the fan of second hand. Indeed, long before I was "green", I spent a couple years as an Ebayer and antique dealer, stalking estate sales and flea markets, cleaning up my treasures and putting them back into use through a booth at a local antique store. Even before then, I shopped garage sales to furnish my first home, find treasures for my garden, and toys and clothing for my children.
As a confirmed lover of used goods, here is a list of my favorite ways to save resources - natural and economic - by acquiring second hand.
1) Thrift stores:PROS: Benefits charities; usually good prices; new to you items year round
CONS: You'll be most successful if you visit regularly and look for general items of need rather than a very specific item.
WHAT YOU FIND: Clothes, toys, games, bedding, yarn, backpacks, lunchboxes, books, furniture, the list is endless.
THOUGHTS: Not all thrift stores are created equal. Scout out different ones in your area and when you visit friends and family. Some are overpriced, dirty and/or full of junk. Some are great for one type of goods but not another. I have a favorite thrift store for clothes, especially kids clothes, and another favorite for everything else.
2) Resale and consignment stores:PROS: Higher quality and a consistently better selection than thrift stores. A lot less sifting through junk.
CONS: More expensive than thrift stores; for profit instead of benefitting charities
WHAT YOU FIND: You can sometimes find shops the specialize in certain categories: used books, used CDs, used clothing, used sports equipment, and so on.
THOUGHTS: These are often independent, locally owned stores that reinvest their funds in the community. Double bonus for shopping here. Just this weekend, I scored a new outfit for a school fundraiser and some shirts for $20. All brand name and super stylish.
3) Garage sales, rummage sales and estate sales:PROS: Cheap, cheap, cheap. Lots of selection though you never know what you'll find.
CONS: Requires a bit of planning
and driving. Seasonal.
WHAT YOU FIND: You name it.
THOUGHTS: Hit city-wide garage sales or block sales if you have the chance. Saves time and gas to be able to cover several sales on the same day. As for estate sales and some rummage sales, you may need to sign up the night before or line up an hour or so early if you want the best selection. Best deals, however, come at the end of the day.
4) Craigslist:PROS: Great for locating specific items; local.
CONS: Often more expensive than yard sales and thrift stores.
WHAT YOU FIND: Bigger ticket items like furniture, bikes, sandboxes, strollers, etc. Any smaller items, such as clothes, tend to be sold in lots or more expensive, designer labels.
THOUGHTS: I've not had much luck with the "Wanted" section. If you are patient, however, you can find virtually anything. Follow Beth at Fake Plastic Fish's
directions for subscribing to a particular search. And, if you want to get rid of something and cannot donate it to a charity or find any Freecycle takers, I swear by the Craigslist Free section. Rather than setting up a time for pick up, though, I've had much better luck leaving an item at the curb and listing it on Free section, indicating that the listing will be removed once the item is gone.
5) Freecycle:PROS: Free; can put up Wanted posts; local so easy to pick up.
CONS: Limited to what people willing to give away for free - which is more than you might think.
WHAT YOU FIND: Nothing super upscale. I doubt there are any new iPods on there and the Freecycle moderators get a bit irritable if you ask for that kind of stuff.
THOUGHTS: I turn to Freecycle first whenever I have a need. I very frequently find what I need.
6) Listservs and yahoo groups:Tap into email lists for your kids' school, local mothers' club, work, and other groups for specific items. I usually post a WTB - wanted to buy or borrow.
PROS: You can locate very specific items when Craiglist searches and thrift store haunts leave you empty handed; get items from people you have some sort of connection with and can usually trust.
CONS: Sometimes, you'll pay a bit more than you would at yard sales and thrift stores. Of course, sometimes, you'll find exactly what you need for free.
WHAT YOU FIND: I outfitted my kids for the snow for free this year, bought a like new breadmaker, a bike trailer and was given soccer cleats for the boys. Items tend to be more focused on stuff people on the list would use. For instance, schools and mothers' club boards will yield more in the way of kid stuff than tile for your bathroom remodel - though it's worth asking.
7) Ebay:PROS: Great for specific or hard to find items.
CONS: As these are national listings, the deals are a bit less. You need to pay for shipping and consider the emissions related to shipping an item. You have to rely on a photo and the seller's feedback rating - though I've only been burned a couple times.
WHAT YOU FIND: You really can find anything but, as most stuff will need to be shipped, smaller items are better. They cost less to ship.
THOUGHTS: Ebay is one of my last resorts because shipping usually renders an otherwise great deal unaffordable.
8) Swap Sites:Paperback Swap,
Book Mooch,
Title Trader,
What's On My Bookshelf,
Swap A CD,
Swap A DVD,
Swap Tree, and the like. These sites allow you to build up credits by sending the item type (book, CD, etc) to someone else in the service. You can then use your credits to request particular books from other club members.
PROS: Free.
CONS: Takes time to build up credits and shipping is often media mail (e.g., VERY slow). Limited availaility but you can put things on a wish list and be notified when the item you are looking for is listed. The shipper pays out of pocket for shipment.
WHAT YOU FIND: Most often limited to items that can be sent economically - books, DVDs, CDs, video games.
THOUGHTS: I've used this service to supplement cirriculum for a parent taught class at my son's school when it became too difficult to keep requesting and renewing the books from the library.
9) Library:PROS: Free or a small reserve fee.
CONS Limited to what the library has in stock or can acquire through inter library loan. A
blogger librarian friend suggests putting in requests for libraries to purchase the item you're seeking.
WHAT YOU FIND: Books, magazines, DVDs, CDs, VHS.
THOUGHTS: I love love love the library. I almost always get a book at the library before deciding whether to buy it. We also canceled Netflix and rely on the library for most of our movies, and have they got some good ones!
10) Online Resale Shops:PROS: Very targeted searches; huge selection; some of these lists enable thrift stores and others to sell items for more than they would sell for in the store and/or to move merchandise more quickly.
CONS: Shipment costs; time for items to ship which is often via media mail.
WHAT YOU FIND:
Abe's Books is a good independent site for used books and lists items at thrift stores and resale shops around the country.
SecondSpin is the place for used DVDs and CDs.
THOUGHTS: Amazon also offers used items but I prefer to purchase from littler guys. Amazon, in my opinon, packs stuff in too big of packages using too much plastic though they are supposed to be working on that. After reading
Big Box Swindle (review coming soon), I'm biased for the smaller guy in almost every respect.
11) Borrowing:PROS: Free; you don't have to store the item.
CONS: You may feel beholden to the lender; you can only keep the item for a limited period of time.
WHAT YOU FIND: Ideal for items that you don't use often or will only use once like tools, sewing machine, targeted small appliances (ice cream maker), specific cake pan, books, snow equipment, etc.
THOUGHTS: Tap into your network of friends, family and neighbors. You can even sign up with
Neighborrow if you want to get serious about borrowing and lending in your community.
12) Bartering:
PROS: Often free or close to it; tax free.
CONS: You have to have specific skills or goods that someone would be interested in trading for; often you need to be close enough with the other party to broach the subject.
WHAT YOU FIND: I've come across quite a few babysitting co-ops. I have a friend who bartered clothes from her boutique for yoga lessons, a family member who bartered dental services for plumbing and accounting services, and another family member who barters her homegrown lemons for credit at a local restaurant.
THOUGHTS: Aside from trading play dates, I've never done it. I guess I don't feel that I've got unique enough skills to offer and I'm shy about trading stuff.
13) Flea Markets:PROS: Inexpensive; often "under the table".
CONS: Many flea markets are full of cheap knock offs but some offer vintage or other used goods.
WHAT YOU FIND: I've mostly found antique or collectible goods but have also seen clothes and household goods.
THOUGHTS: Ask around before schlepping down to a flea market to make sure it's one that will carry second hand items.
There's a peek into my second hand but very well cared for little black book. Do you have any great resources for saving resources to share?
Yep, I'm in the market for a new car/van/SUV. I know, I just said a dirty word. SUV. I have four kids, three of whom now weigh more than I do and will soon tower over me by almost a good half foot. I still have one boy in a car seat, two large dogs and a husband who needs leg room. My car needs to be super sized, not because I want to, but because I don't have a choice.
Posts
