I’m an avid garage sale shopper.
Most of my furniture was bought used, and I’ve saved more than 50 percent off
the cost of some pieces. But a few things I would never buy used –
especially if they put my health or safety at risk.
I don’t think getting sick or
injured is worth saving a few bucks on something – and Money Talks News founder Stacy Johnson doesn’t
either. In the video below, he mentions seven things you should never buy used.
Check it out and then read on for 13 more…
Here’s more information on why you
shouldn’t buy those seven things used, plus more than a dozen others…
1.
Cribs
Cribs – especially the drop-side
kind – are frequently on recall lists, and the reasons why are pretty
terrifying. For example, in April, Nan Far Woodworking recalled their drop-side
cribs for repair. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission had this to say
about it:
The cribs’ drop sides can
malfunction, detach or otherwise fail, causing part of the drop side to fall
out of position, creating a space into which an infant or toddler can roll and
become wedged or entrapped, which can lead to strangulation or suffocation. A
child can also fall out of the crib. Drop-side incidents can also occur due to
incorrect assembly and with age-related wear and tear.
So how do you know if that crib
you’re eyeing on Craigslist hasn’t been recalled? You could check the U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission’s list of crib recalls, but you don’t know
if the crib was sent back for repairs or not. You’d just have to take the
seller’s word for it. It’s better to play it safe and buy a new crib.
2.
Car seats
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration says car seats can be safely reused after minor crashes – if the
air bags didn’t deploy, no one was injured, and the car drove away. But it
recommends car seats be replaced after moderate crashes.
So how do you tell the difference
between a car seat in a minor crash, one in a moderate crash, or one that
wasn’t in a crash at all? You probably can’t. The damage could be internal and
not visible. Don’t risk it. Buy a new one.
3.
Helmets
In a crash, the thick foam inside a
helmet absorbs shock and protects your head. After a crash, the helmet may look
fine, but it often has breaks or tears inside the foam. The American Academy of
Orthopedic Surgeons recommends replacing a helmet after any crash – even a
minor one. Otherwise, the helmet might not protect you in the next crash.
4.
Laptops
If you take great care of a laptop,
it can last through years of heavy use – but you can’t know how someone else
treats their stuff. Maybe they dropped it or spilled coffee on it. The laptop
could work great at first, but break down after you take it home.
I just paid $119.99 to replace the
hard drive in my laptop – and it was working great until it wasn’t. Had I sold
the laptop to someone else, they wouldn’t have known about the failing hard
drive.
5.
Video cameras
The same goes for video cameras. You
may not see any visible damage, but it could have been dropped, exposed to
water, or otherwise mistreated. Video cameras are costly to repair, so it isn’t
worth buying one used.
6.
Mattresses
A used mattress can come with a lot
of extras you don’t want – dead skin cells, bacteria, hair, and every other
gross thing you could imagine. It might also have bed bugs. The bugs are such a
growing problem that Terminix has released a Top 15 Cities for Bed Bug
Infestation list.
Bed bugs live off human blood, leave
itchy bite marks, and can cause skin infections. And they multiply. According
to Orkin:
Females can deposit one to five eggs
a day, and may lay 200 to 500 eggs in a lifetime. Under normal room
temperatures and with an adequate food supply, they can live over 300 days.
Bring a bed bug-infested mattress
into your house, and you’ll pay a hefty fee to an exterminator.
7.
Shoes
I believe you need a good mattress
and a good pair of shoes – since you’re usually in one or the other. The
problem is, those used shoes may have been great for the original owner, but
they’ve conformed to his or her feet. They might not be great for you. Used
shoes that don’t fit just right can lead to feet or leg pain and back problems.
8.
Makeup
I see makeup at almost every garage
sale I go to, but I’d never buy any. Cosmetic brushes and wands come into
contact with skin and can’t be cleaned very well. That barely used tube of
lipstick? It might be hosting illness-causing bacteria. Considering drug stores
and beauty shops regularly run makeup sales, risking your health isn’t worth
the savings.
9.
Plasma and HDTVs
Old tube-style TVs held up a lot
better than modern flat-screens. While MSNBC says TVs cost an average of $500
to repair, the repair costs run much higher for plasma screens and for more
complicated issues.
Even at the lower end, it may be
more cost-effective to buy a new TV under warranty than a used one.
10.
Hats
The inside of that hat could be
brimming with someone else’s dead skin, hair, or worse – lice. Head lice feed
on blood and cause itchy and painful reactions in the scalp. The nearly
invisible bugs also travel quickly onto other people and your stuff.
Getting rid of lice requires two
treatments of pesticides on everyone in the household. Then you’ll have to
clean your bedding, linens, clothes, mattresses, and any other soft fabric in
the house. The treatment can take hours or days of hard work – all because you
bought a cheap hat.
11.
Swimsuits
Swimsuits hug the body. The close
contact can transmit bacteria and other diseases – which may transfer to you
when you wear the suit. Swimsuits are also fragile. If the washing instructions
aren’t followed, the straps might rip or the swimsuit might lose its shape. So
you could be buying something that may fall apart after only a few uses.
12.
Vacuums
Vacuums take a lot of wear and tear.
(This morning I slammed mine into the wall three times trying to reach some dog
hair in the corner.) That can lead to costly repairs. Considering you can buy a
new vacuum for under $100, it isn’t worth the risk to buy a used one.
13.
Tires
Edmunds.com warns that thin tread
isn’t the only safety hazard for tires – old and used tires can pose a safety
risk. As tires age, they lose elasticity. As a result, the tread could separate
from the tire, causing an accident. Even if the tire isn’t that old, it could
have been treated poorly. Bottom line – you can’t tell a tire’s condition from
the tread alone, so don’t buy a used one just because it looks good.
14.
Software
Software comes with a product code,
and most software manufacturers put a limit on the number of times you can
reload it. When you buy software used, you have no way of knowing how many
times the product code has been used. For example, if the code has a three-time
limit and the original owner used it twice, you’ll only be able to load the
software onto one more computer before it’s no longer good.
15.
DVD players
DVD players often cost more to
repair than replace. For example, a friend of mine took her DVD player to a
repair shop because the DVDs wouldn’t load. The repair shop told her she’d need
a new DVD drive tray. It would’ve cost $55 for the repair. She bought a new one
for less.
16.
Stuffed animals
Children love to stick stuffed
animals into their mouths, dirt, and gooey substances. Since the stuffed animal
has a fabric surface, bacteria and dirt are absorbed in the fibers. Do you
really want your child putting that teddy bear in his mouth if you don’t know
where it’s been?
17.
Halogen lamps
Those old halogen lamps may look
cool, but they’re a fire hazard. Anne Ducey, the marketing coordinator for
Seattle Light, told the The Seattle Times that halogen lamps have been linked
to at least 350 fires, $2 million in property damage, 114 injuries, and 29
deaths across the United States.
Instead of buying that retro-looking
halogen lamp at a thrift store, look for new CFL or LED lamps – they’re safer
and cheaper to use.
18.
Blenders
Blenders are subject to loads of
abuse. (I’ve broken two myself trying to force-feed frozen strawberries and ice
through the blades.) Not to mention most blenders have not-always-invisible old
bits of food stuck to the underside of the blades and in the blending bowl.
Since you can buy a new blender
pretty cheap – I just paid $25 for one at Target – the savings isn’t worth it
for used ones.
19.
Costume jewelry
Children and adult’s costume jewelry
can contain poisonous substances like nickel, cadmium, and lead. The problem
was so prevalent that testing and subsequent legal action by the Center for
Environmental Health in 2004 led to the recall of more than 150 million pieces
of jewelry for kids. While lead testing is stricter now for new products, the
used costume pieces you’re buying may have lead or other chemicals.
20.
Pet food and treats
A recent outbreak of pet food
recalls has me worried – after all, salmonella causes serious health problems
for pets that eat recalled food.
So why would I buy used stuff? Even
if the food hasn’t been recalled, open bags of dog food and treats can contain
bugs and bug eggs. Where I live, it’s not uncommon for pet food to become
infested with roaches. The possibility of food poisoning and bugs isn’t worth
the potential savings.
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