5 Items I Don’t Buy Second-Hand
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One thing I’ve written a lot about is my love of slow fashion. I’ve been buying clothes second-hand (and lots of other household items!) either online or at charity shops in a determined bid to help the environment.
Last year I took part in second hand September, an initiative run by Oxfam to encourage people to only buy pre-loved clothes for 30 days. This year I’m taking that one step further and attempting to only buy second-hand clothes for the entire year.
5 Items I Don’t Buy Second-Hand
There are, however, a few exceptions to my everything second-hand rule.
While I would love to be able to buy absolutely everything pre-loved there are a few items that I just have to buy new.
1. Underwear
First up, underwear – and I think the majority of people would agree with me on this. Underwear just needs to be brand new, whether it’s ladies briefs, mens boxers or something else entirely.
However, it is still possible to shop ethically when it comes to underwear – we can choose organic cotton and shop with brands which source their products in a sustainable way.
2. Bras
Aside from the fact it’s pretty hard to find my size in most normal clothes shops, let alone a second-hand shop, I just don’t think I could bring myself to wear a second-hand bra. Bras seem to start to lose their elasticity after just a few wears, especially in the straps and I think when buying a bra I’d like to be able to get the most wear possible from it. I know lots of people are happy to wear second-hand bras it’s just not for me personally!
3. Leggings
Another item of clothing that loses its shape pretty quickly.
I like my leggings to be thick and I usually buy pretty decent quality ones, but even these tend to go at the seams and knees after a while.
Not knowing how often they’d been worn or how long they’d last puts me right off buying second-hand leggings.
4. Shoes
On the whole, I don’t have anything against buying second-hand shoes, however, I do tend to avoid them unless they are in a like-new condition or are brand new with tags.
Shoes that someone has worn for a significant amount of time will often start to mould to the shape of their feet.
While this is normal, it means they’ll never fit me properly even if they are the right size. There could also be an unseen build-up of bacteria lurking inside the shoes.
5. Baby Mattresses and Car Seats
While I was pregnant with my little girl, I bought her lots of second-hand items. She has second-hand clothes, toys, a baby bouncer, and baby grows.
However, there are a few things that it’s not recommended you buy pre-loved for your baby and this includes baby mattresses and car seats so we bought these new.
With second-hand car seats, there’s no way to tell if they’ve been in an accident and damaged thus meaning they might not offer the protection you’d expect.
They might also be missing the instructions which are crucial for making the car seat fit into your car correctly and safely.
With second-hand cot mattresses, there’s no way to tell if they have been exposed to mould or other bacteria that could be dangerous for your baby.
Wear and tear could also mean they don’t give the support a newborn baby needs. For these reasons, it’s always recommended you buy new for these essential baby items.
[…] There are some things that are maybe not worth buying second hand. See this post for some of these. […]