I prefer buying secondhand books for my daughter. While brand new items will always be attractive, I try to be more conscious of the life cycle of each item I buy for her. This saves me money and saves my daughter from the pressure of needing to play or read the book “enough”.

Here’s a quick list of why you should try secondhand shopping online!

What I love about buying secondhand items is that it allows me to save money. I can buy a secondhand book at half the price of a brand new one, and it still looks pristine!

Buying secondhand doesn’t mean I’m scrimping on my child. What I save can be spent on the essentials instead, such as food, diapers, and hygiene essentials.

There are a lot of benefits for Mother Earth when buying secondhand items. Energy and resources are saved when you choose to buy a pre-loved item. It also allows the item to have a new lease in life instead of it just being thrown and going to landfills. Buying secondhand contributes to the circular economy as it extends the use of the toy or book instead of just being unnecessarily thrown away.

As a secondhand book buyer, I still get amazed when I find children’s book titles that I don’t find in regular shelves. There are also some secondhand shops that acquire their used books and toys from other countries, so it gives you the chance to take hold of unique items that aren’t even sold in local commercial stores. You also have the chance to find collector’s items or limited-edition items.

Secondhand toys and books won’t usually have the tags or box any longer, so it will be difficult to determine the materials used. Particularly for toys, one thing to look out for are those with lead-based paint and those that aren’t BPA free. Again, make sure to double check the condition of the items. Check to see that paint is not flaking off of toys. What could be helpful is to be aware of which brands steer clear of lead-based paint and have a lot of safety standards. For imported secondhand items, check for any product recalls.

The disadvantage of buying secondhand items is that it doesn’t have the same quality of buying one that’s fresh off the plastic or box. Although not always the case, some can already look worn, or have tears, folds, or stains. Make sure to carefully examine anything that you’re planning to buy if you’re in a physical store, such as a thrift store.

For online shops, sellers will usually have descriptions or codes that would indicate the condition of the toy or book. You can use the cheat sheet below so you would be guided in case you encounter these in the future:

If there’s a specific toy or book that you’re really pining for, it can be hard to scour shops for that particular item. What can also be difficult, at least for physical secondhand stores, is sifting through a lot of stuff. The beauty of shopping in Instagram or Facebook-secondhand shops is that the sellers already curate for their customers, but of course popular brands or titles can be the ones almost immediately sold out.

Do you have other tips on buying secondhand for our other budgetarians out there? Feel free to leave a comment below!