Buying Second Hand – How Much can I Really Save?

Buying second hand is the smartest thing you can do for baby items! This is because (i) you/the usually only need to use the items for a short period of time (and the item was only used for a short period of time) and (ii) you do not know if your child/family might prefer a different solution sooner than expected. There is nothing embarrassing about buying/using pre-owned items, and most items can be cleaned very thoroughly to your level of comfort before you use them.

That said, not everything it suitable for buying second hand. Or at least, if you would like to buy second hand, there are certain checks you need to make before buying. Some of these are:

1. Carseats. These actually have expiry dates and they also lose their safety rating if they have been in any vehicles which were involved in any accidents.
2. Breastpumps. Some brands are known not to be able to last too long while other brands may be open-end systems which cannot be completely sterilized.
3. UV Sterilizer. While most UV Sterilizer brands say their UV lights can last for very long without any need to change them, their effectiveness may wane over time/use.
4. Electronic items left unused for too long. Some electronic items which have been kept in storage for too long without being used may have issues when used again.

Other than the above, I am a huge advocate on buying preloved items. It helps to save money, save our earth and reduce our decision-making to a certain extent.

With platforms like parent groups on social media and other second-hand marketplaces, sometimes you might even be able to get items in very good condition for free! In fact, my third pregnancy was a surprise to us and so I had actually already sold/given away most of my baby items then. So I had to start from scratch! Yet, I was reluctant to spend much money since I was only going to use the items for one baby. With 9 months to bake the baby in my womb, I had sufficient time to ask a couple of friends for their unwanted pre-loved items and also start looking around on such online platforms. By the time I was in my third trimester, I had managed to pick up more than half of the items in my basic essentials list for free and spent less than $500 buying the rest!

One of the key downsides to buying preloved items though, is the time you might need to spend sourcing for the right items and arranging for pick-ups from different parts of Singapore. You might want to consider spending part of the money you will save outsourcing this work to Baby Planner SG’s Personal Shopper Services instead. With that, you do not spend any extra time, yet still enjoy a nett savings, while also doing your part to save the earth by reusing items in good condition!