Second hand buying / sustainability chat

[HandTmum]

I bought a lovely John Lewis coat from Vinted last night (my first purchase) really excited for it to get delivered!

 

[Rockin' Robin]

My old smart phone, gave up the ghost earlier this year. Instead of buying a new one, I managed to get a second hand one at Cex. So far, it has been working really well.

 

[karmachameleon]

I love buying on Facebook marketplace I find so many great bits on there especially toys! My 1yr old does not care if someone’s played with it before her toys are bloody expensive there’s often no point of buying them new, I find charity shops hard tho, the toys are always proper manky with bits missing and the clothes are always grubby fleeces someone’s daughter wore in 2001 if there was some decent bits in charity shops I’d get loads from them aha

 

[Moonflower]

I’m considering sourcing my wedding dress “preloved”
From one of those re-sell boutiques.

my mum was horrified when I said I would like a 2nd hand dress for eco reasons. I think she thinks I’m just being frugal.

I think that's a great idea! Mine has sat in the loft for 11 years. I'd love to sell it as I'll never wear it again but my husband is really against it.

 

[Elles20]

Do you have any brand recommendations please? Have been wanting to try this for a while but not sure what to go for

A lot of people use Lush shampoo bars. I used to use them about 10 years ago but don't remember why I stopped. I think my hair felt a bit dry using them at the time but I'm sure they have improved them by now. I am using one from Zero Waste Path for itchy scalp and I love it.

Hand cream bars is from Edinburgh natural skin care.

Toothpaste tabs from Denttabs. Not sure I am used to them just yet!

I bought all these products from Anything But Plastic website.

 

[veryfondoftea]

I use Vinted, sell all my clothes on there rather than eBay now. It's great. I've bought some lovely things for a bargain too

 

[Misssj80]

75% of the furniture in my house is second hand (in fact some is probably 3rd or 4th hand) I did buy myself a new TV cabinet last year, I saved for 6 months for it and I've bought a good quality ready built one that I'm hoping will last for a very very long time. All my family and friends when getting something new offer me their old things, I happily take it if I can make use of it. My favourite piece is my sideboard that belonged to my aunt and uncle, they bought it in the 1960's and it's so heavy and solid and it has been through 5 house moves with me and I'll keep it forever. Myself and my 12 year old love looking in the second hand shops on a weekend, we don't often buy now as I don't buy just because. A few years ago he found me a pyrex snowflake gravy boat and saucer(I'd been looking for that design for ages) for £1, perfect condition, that's my favourite charity shop find and it gets used every Sunday and on Christmas day.

 

[Rockin' Robin]

My living room is filled with second hand furniture and other items. Half of the furniture was inherited from my Mother, the other half was bought in charity shops.
I have a real liking for natural looking wood furniture, my favourite charity shop find this year, was a bedside table, with a drawer. I love the colour and grain in the wood.
I also have a wooden fire place surround, with marble insert. It came from a house that was being renovated, if I hadn't of claimed it, it would have ended up in a skip. It was far too good to be thrown away.

I should add that the fireplace, belonged to a friend of my partner, we had permission to take it away.

 

[Dustye]

Ethique shampoo bars are really good, especially for curly or dry hair! I've yet to find a moisturising enough conditioner bar though!

 

[Elles20]

Not second hand but definitely sustainable -

I've recently bought some toothpaste tablets so traditional toothpaste tubes don't go to waste.

I'm now using shampoo bars. I've noticed they don't cause my scalp psoriasis to flare up too.

I bought hand cream bars to try too. So far so good.

 

[heretoreaditall2019]

I just bought my son a second hand kindle fire for Christmas. I feel a bit guilty as it’s not brand new, but FB marketplace is flooded with them so clearly kids get bored of them easily. It cost me £30 with the charger and the box.

Have also noticed that there tend to be lots of the same thing in the secondary market, my LO is much younger but I see SO much VGUC Grimms being resold - surely this just means no child is actually playing with the stuff?!

On guilt - second hand gifting feels like it’s less spoken about than other issues? It definitely has more of a stigma than day to day purchases but it’s so needless. The brainwashing we’ve all gone through to want to consume has a lot to answer for!

 

[avisina78]

I remember growing up my parents always bought 2nd hand furniture (wardrobes, dressers, chairs) some of the wardrobes still going strong, my brother is so eager to get rid of them but my mum just can't let go, I'm talking wardrobes that are like 40 years old, they really just don't make them like they used to, things nowadays are really not built to last.

I've bought a few second hand tablets and laptops, the problem is they don't last long, 3/4 of the items we purchased died literally 6 months in of not sooner the same thing brand new has got us through atleast 2/3 years.

I’ve been using a shampoo bar for a few years now, and I must admit my hair always looks better when I’ve used one vs a normal bottles shampoo.

I’m fortunate to have reasonably good skin for a stressed woman in her 30s, so I’ve switched to using a soap bar for skincare. I use it in a net bag and it lasts nearly 6 weeks. I’m yet to find a soap for my body that foams up as much, or one that I could refill.

I didn’t see the last thread but does anyone else have an electric car here? I got mine in May. I didn’t chose it; my NHS lease ran out and they declined me having a petrol VW/Audi and offered me a deal on an electric Hyundai instead. It’s the best; it’s saved me so much money and it’s so easy to run. Not going to lie, had a wee panic driving back from Yorkshire to Nottingham with the battery but it was okay in the end!

I want to switch to electric but we can't afford it. We were in so much debt about 10 years ago (finally paid it all off) too scared to go on to lease/hp don't want to go down that rabbit hole again, will have to wait until prices come down on the 2nd hand market.

 

[spiderpig]

I buy loads second hand! Clothes, toys, books, games, electronics!

 

[nurseren]

Not second hand but definitely sustainable -

I've recently bought some toothpaste tablets so traditional toothpaste tubes don't go to waste.

I'm now using shampoo bars. I've noticed they don't cause my scalp psoriasis to flare up too.

I bought hand cream bars to try too. So far so good.

I’ve been using a shampoo bar for a few years now, and I must admit my hair always looks better when I’ve used one vs a normal bottles shampoo.

I’m fortunate to have reasonably good skin for a stressed woman in her 30s, so I’ve switched to using a soap bar for skincare. I use it in a net bag and it lasts nearly 6 weeks. I’m yet to find a soap for my body that foams up as much, or one that I could refill.

I didn’t see the last thread but does anyone else have an electric car here? I got mine in May. I didn’t chose it; my NHS lease ran out and they declined me having a petrol VW/Audi and offered me a deal on an electric Hyundai instead. It’s the best; it’s saved me so much money and it’s so easy to run. Not going to lie, had a wee panic driving back from Yorkshire to Nottingham with the battery but it was okay in the end!

 

[Elles20]

I love charity shops. I tend to avoid certain chains though. BHF for example, I find they notoriously charge the RRP or sometimes even more for their items, no matter what condition it is in. Well worn, bobbly Primark clothing often costs more than it would brand new, even though Primark itself is literally across the street. I like the ones nearby to me which are ran by Salvation Army and a small local hospice. They tend to be your typical flea market style charity shops, manned by little old ladies, where you can have a good old rummage - children's books are 4-6 for £1 and most seem to be brand new. Im quite lucky since my 2 year old enjoys books more than anything else so gifts for him are quite a cheap affair. The best find I have had was an uncycled dressing table, it cost me £15 and is made of solid wood, has a huge mirror and is a stunning piece of furniture. Far more eye-catching and better quality than the modern ones that are currently priced at around £150, if not more.

On the subject of shampoo and conditioning bars. The Lush ones made my hair so dry! Which is unsurprising tbf as most of their products are packed with parfume. I used a brilliant one from a small time vegan soap home made vendor which were great but she since gave up her business - a shame really as I would turn my nose up at using bars of soap before I used hers. If anyone could recommend any good soap/shampoo bars?

Try https://www.zerowastepath.co.uk/collections/shampoo-bars for shampoo bars!

 

[spiderpig]

I always feel like this when I go to Homesense. I love it for a nose and I know all shops are full of STUFF but I honestly go in and think who needs ANY of this stuff? I'm not talking about plates or duvets or actual usefull daily household items. Just statues and bookends shaped like globes and all the stuff that you see in there every single time.

People have a really weird attitude to second hand clothes sometimes. I have a really nice down coat that cost me £10 from ebay and I get a lot of compliments about it, anytime I say its from ebay people are all ooh I don't have time for ebay, its too much of a faff etc.

Love eBay for clothes! Or Vinted

 

[nurseren]

Is vinted like depop?

 

[threeSMEGfridges]

I think this is so cool, it’s also going to give you SO much more choice then if you bought new! You could find something really unique. I’d be tempted to find your one then take it to your mum as proof of concept, cos she may think you’re going to only be able to find princess di inspired numbers lol

What gets me is that people will buy 2 or 3 dresses trying to find the “one”…. So some have been tried on but not even worn at the wedding!

 

[Kim Mild]

Great idea for a thread , thanks for creating it.

I am trying to be more sustainable/ less wasteful , although some of this is driven by budget rather than being environmentally conscious.

I try to wear natural fibres , rather than synthetic

I don't see the point of buying new things for the sake of having new when older stuff is often better. I kept a lot of the furniture from my parents house . Older wardrobes and drawers seem to have a larger storage capacity than their modern counterparts. It helps I like a more retro aesthetic.

I'm the biggest fan of rummaging though charity shops as I like to know what's in stock before I go shopping, and I hate the disappointment of things not being in my size. I do buy a lot from ebay.


Does anybody else find second hand goods quite expensive at the moment?

 

[Moanyoldwoman]

I grew up having to get my clothes at charity shops and hated them but now I’m an adult I love them. If I want something I’ll always look if I can find it second hand first. Love the nick nacks tbh I rarely get clothes as some of the shops are expensive and I can buy new cheaper than what they charge. I get it re sustainability but I have to get what I can afford. My teen kids go in charity shops too