One thing that everyone loves is getting a good deal on a purchase. Whether it be a mint condition Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lunchbox for only $2 at a yard sale or getting free floor mats with your new car, it’s the thrill of saving money that gets us all giddy inside. I recently noticed a set of corresponding articles that an online consumer reporter published, noting 10 things people should never buy new or used. Of course, always being interested in making myself a smarter consumer, I read on.
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The list of things that shouldn’t be bought new consisted mostly of items I, myself, already knew about. But there were others I’d never thought of. For example, the author claims that it is better to buy used hand tools rather than new. It makes sense, I guess, but if I need a hammer because I, for some reason, don’t already own one, I’m not going garage sale hunting just to save a buck. I can’t say that I go out pricing hand tools, but most common tools really can’t be so expensive that it necessitates bargain-hunting techniques. On the other side of the equation, who goes through their stuff in preparation for a garage sale and decides that they want to sell a perfectly good shovel? Again, I could be crazy, but I usually don’t get rid of common household items unless they break.
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Another item that the author suggests you’d be better off buying used is jewelry. I guess I can see this one, but it just doesn’t seem right to be buying used jewelry, especially if it’s for a significant other. Imagine this: you go to your local pawn shop and buy a seemingly nice necklace for your girlfriend. You don’t tell her it’s used, but you tell your friend, and it somehow comes out in conversation. It almost sounds like something that you would only hear about in a sitcom. Maybe our esteemed consumer reporter gets her ideas from ‘Everybody Loves Raymond.’
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Aside from those things, the rest of the list of things not to buy new seems quite harmless to me. It includes things like books, CDs and cars’mdash;all items with large second-hand markets. On the other hand, the list of things to not buy used is much, much more peculiar.
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First off, plasma TVs. I guess I can see where someone might want to buy one used to save a couple dollars, but there’s really no good that could possibly come out of it. When you think about it, anyone who is selling a plasma TV that’s been used slightly or heavily can’t be selling it for a good reason. Even if it’s simply because the previous owner simply couldn’t afford the credit card payments and needs the money, what’s the chance someone like that cared for that item as well as they should have?
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Next up are vacuum cleaners’mdash;another item from the yard sale circuit that I just can’t see. The only ways that I’ve ever known a vacuum to be gotten rid of is through the hand-me-down network or the garbage man. What would possibly possess someone to purchase a used vacuum cleaner is beyond my comprehension. If you can’t afford the $100 or so that it costs to get a basic vacuum cleaner, then I think there are greater problems in your life than a dirty rug.
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The final three items that bother me on this list all fall into the ‘I don’t know where it’s been’ category of personal property. Frankly, if you’ve ever considered purchasing any of these things used, you might want to evaluate your personal hygiene standards. Used shoes, mattresses and wet suits should never, by any means, be bought or sold. Frankly, I’m not sure which is more disturbing, the fact that there are probably people out there buying these things or that people are selling them. Again, I really can’t begin to fathom what would possess someone to think of buying any of these three things. When I think about these things, I get shivers down my spine and go ‘Ewwww!’
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In closing, I must implore you, my loyal readers, to please take caution when buying used items. Not only should you be sure that you are buying from a reputable dealer if it is a high priced item, but consider if you are really benefiting yourself by not buying said item new. Enjoy your spring break, bro!
