30 People Share Things That Are Not Worth It Or Even Dangerous To Buy Secondhand
Interview With Author
There are a lot of advantages to buying things secondhand. It’s light on your wallet. It’s eco-friendly. You can stumble upon some truly cool and weird treasures in thrift shops. And there’s a deep sense of satisfaction when you give new life to items that would have otherwise ended up in the junkyard. However, this doesn’t apply to all used objects. Some things are best completely avoided if you ever spot them at a secondhand store!
One redditor started up a very interesting thread on r/AskReddit, asking folks to share their opinions about what they’d never, ever buy secondhand. Their answers were illuminating (with the exception of a few dumb jokes), and you’ll find them as you scroll down, dear Pandas. We’d love to hear what used items you’d be on the fence about getting. Be sure to share your thoughts with all the other readers in the comments!
Bored Panda got in touch with the author of the viral thread, from the UK, and they were kind enough to answer our questions. They noted that for some people, like them, secondhand items can be literal life savers. Read on for our full interview with the redditor.
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"I didn’t expect it to get much attention when posting it I was just curious what other people would not buy secondhand," the author of the thread told Bored Panda about what inspired them to ask the question in the first place.
"I buy a lot of clothes secondhand as I’m not very well off so I was surprised to see people say they would never buy clothes."
They said that secondhand shopping "is great" if you don't happen to have much money. You can find some high-quality items that you can nab for very little cash.
"It can make clothing cheaper and even give you opportunities to make a little money. For example, the jacket I bought for £2 was actually worth more than £40 due to its rarity. This allowed me to have more money for the week and do some actual food shopping," the OP shared.
Sex toys. The fact that there is even a market for used ones is highly disgusting and disturbing.
DannyDorito96 added:
a vibrator. I worked at goodwill a handful of years ago, and someone donated a "lightly used" body wand. one of our managers decided she wanted it... she hid it where she thought no one would see it. at the end of the day, me and my coworker watched her take it from her hiding spot and stuff it in her purse before we locked up and walked out together. I couldn't imagine using a pre-owned toy.. I'm assuming she cleaned it before using it at least, but I genuinely wouldn't put it past her to skip that step.
In the redditor's opinion, the secondhand market will grow much bigger than before due to the cost of living crisis that's very apparent in the UK.
"People here in England can’t afford to warm their house up never mind spending £100 for a jacket so when these cheap opportunities come along it’s nice. Also, other people don’t know it’s second hand so you won’t be judged," they told Bored Panda.
"Some shops near me selling second-hand clothes and utilities are life savers and if it wasn’t for them, me and my family would be struggling to eat."
Makeup, never know what germs or smth they have
As in "lipstick for sale, would you like to taste my herpes?"
Skydiving equipment / climbing equipment / anything safety related.
Pacifiers.
When I was pregnant, my mother in law gave me a plastic baggie of used pacifiers. She had bought them at a garage sale and told me they'd be fine to use if I just boiled them first. No. Hard pass. They went straight in the trash when I got home.
We also enquired the redditor about the current cost of living situation in their local area of Doncaster, in England.
"We are one of the worst cities to be affected by the cost of living. My shopping bill has almost doubled in the last 3 months," they told us that they can only afford to pay the bills. Meanwhile, luxuries and fun activities are out of the question.
The redditor’s thread went viral almost immediately. At the time of writing, the OP’s post had over 26k upvotes (and counting!). It just goes to show how many people are fans of secondhand shopping. And that definitely bodes well for the environment.
Making new clothes, for instance, uses a ton of water and energy. That’s on top of the fact that the clothes then have to be shipped to stores the world over. When you buy secondhand, you’re essentially giving the clothes an extended lifespan and helping reduce emissions from transport. Not to mention that you’re supporting local businesses.
So long as an item of clothing is neat and clean, it’s generally fine to wear it and love it and show it off to all of your friends. But not every item is as forgiving when it comes to use.
It bothers me the amount of half used product i see in thrift stores. Half empty bottles of shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant....
Who is donating a bottle of lotion that's 2/3s of the way empty? Why is the thrift store not throwing it out? And even worse than those two points, why are they charging almost new bottle price for it?
I could understand if someone down on their luck purchased it for like .25-.50 cents but $4.99? For a USED bottle of product??
I always thought these things were like left in purses that were donated by accident or something. Still, one would assume they'd get tossed...
For instance, Market Watch warns people not to buy things like baby cribs, car seats, or helmets if they can’t fully verify how they’ve been used, and if they’re not defective. In short, you can never truly be certain whether or not they’re safe to use. It’s generally best to err on the side of caution and always spring for a brand new version in these cases.
The same goes for mattresses. You have no idea what’s hiding in the middle. Bed bugs. Rot. Decades of sweat. Yuck! Just say ‘no.’
You should also exercise caution when buying secondhand smartphones. They might have been stolen and resold. They might have unwanted software and malware inside of them.
Baby carrier or child seat. Only from friends were i can be sure that they are accident free and clean.
Did anyone else see an alien holding something up in the shadow or is it just me?
A couch. I used to work at a pest control company, and the #1 thing that brought them in was used furniture, but usually a couch.
Those f***s are terrifying- they hide in tiny cracks and crevasses during the day and then come out to feed on you at night. You don't notice until it's too late. You'll start waking up with itchy bites, see little red sprinkles in the seams of your mattress, and eventually see them. One single pregnant female on a throw pillow is all it takes. The male stabs the female in the abdomen (literally) one time and she's pregnant for life and off to make your life miserable. Then you have to pay $2500+ for a company to treat them. And if they miss one pregnant female...
Happy_Muscle added:
I know people buy them second hand often, but I find it’s easy to conceal prior spills on certain couches. Most couches are disgusting after a few years of use.
We don't have bedbugs where I live, so used furniture isn't a problem. Just a steam clean and it's good to go.
Earphones.
Used earbuds may sound gross...but audiophiles have a thing for music on wax
As for antiques, we might love them, but one thing that you should consider is if an object has been crafted with toxic materials. For instance, a piece of furniture that you spotted at your local thrift store might look fantastic in your living room, but if it’s coated in lead paint, you want to pass on this. Lead-based paints were banned for residential use in the United States only in 1978. So keep this in mind.
Similarly, be wary of any used toys that you think your child might like. Some toys get recalled because they are unsafe. Don’t automatically assume that what you’ve got your eye on is 100% safe. Be critical. Be skeptical. Be objective.
I do a bit of outdoor climbing and anytime I see a rope or harness for sale it makes me cringe. Like you need to trust your life to this equipment so spend the extra £30 on it.
My local goodwill sold bathing suits, used bathing suits. Used lingerie too (just the tops), once my big sister was going to buy both but assumed they were new but given to goodwill because the person who bought it ended up not liking it or something. She even asked the lady at the desk about it. When we got to the car she found out both were stained especially the lingerie. You can assume with what.
I could never buy either of those used, especially after that.
Breast pumps. Unless it’s a closed system. When mine were small, most were not closed systems, which allows aerosolized breast milk particles to get places you can’t clean. FDA does not recommend it.
You often can buy a brand new kit including tubes and membranes, in addition to breast shields.
Anyone who’s looking for cool and unique items ought to visit their local flea markets, garage sales, goodwill shops, and antique stores on a regular basis. You never know when something new (well, old, but you get it) might show up. If you get along with any of the shop owners, they can also inform you about new inventory if you’re looking for something particular, too.
If the current economic climate grows worse, it’s very possible that more and more people will buy and sell secondhand items to make ends meet. So if there is a global recession in the coming years, you can probably bet your bottom dollar that the popularity of secondhand clothing and thrift shops will explode, massively.
Puzzles.
I couldn't handle not knowing if ONE piece is missing until the end
If it's cheap enough, I would take a chance. New jigsaw are about £15, and one from a charity shop is around £2 or less.
If it's at a garage sale for 50c, I'll grab it and count the pieces before I start assembling it.
The number of pieces printed on the box is usually an approximation, not an exact count.
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I work at a thrift store and most of the puzzles seem to have their pieces. We do get a few people returning one because some were missing. At the start of the pandemic all our puzzles were sold every week. Lots of people around here bored out of their minds.
I used to solve puzzles for a thrift store. Then took a picture and sealed the box. That way they knew for sure if it was complete.
I had a new one that had one missing, but another piece was doubled 🙄
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Last three puzzles bought at a thrift store were missing one piece (999 vs. 1000), but still they were fun. Only difference is that they were thrown away instead of being passed on.
One of the virtues of jigsaw puzzle apps: no possibility of pieces getting lost. Very helpful if you have cats. :)
I Prefer The Classic, Physical Puzzles More.!! Although Zoomed Puzzles Online Do Help!! 🥰 🥰
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Sometimes in charity shops they have labels confirming that it has been checked to make sure all the pieces are there.
i've had this happen 2xs. each time i cut out a cardboard piece and drew on it so it would match as I was framing them. it was fun trying to make the piece look right
I was at an op shop recently where they had someone sitting at a table putting puzzles together before they were put on the shelf.
In the 2nd hand store I used to volunteer at they would check if all the pieces were there. For the puzzles up to ca 100 pieces we'd just count them. More than 100 pieces and this volunteer who really loved puzzles would take them home and make them. I envied her so much. Lol. But whatever puzzle didn't have all the pieces would be tossed. The same went with board games. We checked if all items were still there. And we'd put a little sticker on the box with "OK" if everything was fine. :)
My son works in a second hand shop- they count the pieces before putting them out.
I bought a puzzle from a charity shop once. In fairness, it was allegedly brand new sealed. ...you know, I've never checked, I might want to do that
I often buy secondhand puzzles. It’s not very often that one piece is missing, and that disappoints me, but I still enjoy puzzles.
I used to work in a second hand store. We count the puzzles. 1000 pieces? We count them.
I used to work in a second hand store.. we count the puzzle pieces. 1000 pieces? We count them all
I've worked used puzzles that end up having missing pieces. What I do is take a black pen and mark out where the missing pieces should have been. That way, the next person doesn't drive themselves nuts looking for a piece that's not there.
I would just make my own piece to fill it in. We used to cut magazine pics in art class, then our partner would cut out a shape and you'd have to fill it in to match the original. Really fun.
My uncle 'solved' this problem by getting the same puzzle from two different stores. Didn't work - they both had three or four pieced missing one of which was the same piece in each puzzle (the top left hand corner).
if the jigsaw is from a good company they will send you the missing piece. some even come with a number map inside to tell them the number of the missing piece.
I sold a few last year. Made sure they were complete though. But I can understand if you wouldn't want to buy a used one
I still cringe at the thought of the Muppets 1000... er... 999 piece jigsaw puzzle I put together a few years ago.
Air Conditioners. I bought one from a thrift store once. I gave it what I thought was a thorough cleaning on the inside. Then, for the next week, I suffered awful flu-like symptoms. Runny nose, headaches, the works. Turns out it was mold poisoning from the AC. Took that unit out and was fine by the next morning. Never going to risk that again.
A Tesla.
SaCTaCo replied:
There is a reason it's up for sale. It will be all cool the first day you bought it but than there is this rattle that you just can't pin point where it is coming from and it will drive you crazy and no one can fix it as they (Tesla Service) would say it is normal.
A month goes by and now your friends and love ones are noticing it too and ask you "Hey what's that noise?" You snap at them because you are already irritated you bought this $50,000 rattle machine.
Half a year goes by and you've had enough, now it's time to sell it to some poor soul, but you do not disclose the rattle and you have every tire kicker in town coming over and haggling you on the price till you've had enough and sell it at a lost.
After 2 month of selling the Tesla, you get a message from the buyer cursing at you for making their lives miserable and want their $40,000 back.
I never understood the used tire market. I know they’re expensive, but for something that literally separates you from a 70mph fiery death, I’d rather make sure I’m getting ones that are new.
Former tire shop employee here. Some used tires are ok. Mostly used as a spare when you get a flat. As long as the tread isn't worn out and it hasn't been repaired too many times.
Dentures and hearing aids. I have seen used hearing aids for sale
Plunger.
Hard pass. I'll buy it new.
Why would you buy a used plunger? They are they expensive, they are like 10 bucks
I play paintball. General rule of thumb is don’t buy anything used that protects your eyes or touches skin. Pre owned everything else.
Kevlar.
Bed sheets. No thanks. Hard pass.
We don't even bother trying to give them away to other people. Best we can do is donate to animal shelters so the furry ones have something soft to snuggle around in.
We sell those in our thrift store, but everything we sell is clean. Bedsheets can be washed you know.
Luggage. You don’t know what the former owner had in it, could set off dogs at the airport
Mens pj pants. My husband started to look at some and I said, “nope. no way!” Some men wear pj pants all night and all day with no underwear for days at a time. Like the same pair for multiple days of sitting around the house not showering. Also not to mention teenage boys. I can’t get myself to let my husband buy used ones. It grosses me out.
There are these handy machines that will clean clothes, even pants. You put them in with detergent, let the machine do its work and hang the pants to dry. And you'll have clean pants.
E-bike batteries, you never know what they've been through and when they explode they cause serious damage
Water cooled graphics cards for a gaming pc. Made that mistake once. The seal broke in more than 1 place within 5 mins of taking it out of the pc. Only took it out bc temps were not making sense and I thought it might be low on water.
Note: this post originally had 54 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
80% of this list can be boiled (heh) down to "I've no idea washing machines exist".
I don't know, most of these were "You can buy used {object}?" for me. Safety equipment, adult toys, consumables. The Tesla one was fun, though.
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My thoughts exactly. Growing up most of the stuff we had was either handmade, bought at a second hand store, given to us used by friends, or a cheap lucky find. We never owned a new piece of furniture and we also never got bedbugs we treated everything multiple times before bringing it in.
Load More Replies... Lots of these "No-No"s seemed to be added by either people with phobias or people who want their stoy telled as disgusting as possible. Others simply add a word without any explanation. I'm not sure if these advises are really helpful...?
Clearly, a lot of the people who added to this list have never struggled. I've been fortunate but if it wasn't for people who donate/sell on my parents wouldn't have had a couch when they got their first flat. There was a girl in my primary school who had to get a second hand swimsuit or she'd have missed out on lessons. Most of these items can be given a thorough cleaning and be perfectly safe to use.
I agree. Growing up post WWII in England where we had rationing for 8 years after the war ended, everybody bought second hand things because they couldn't afford new and, new just wasn't available. If people think the pandemic shortages were bad they need to look back at the Depression and war plus post war years. Reuse recycle etc was a way of life. We got spoilt in the last 60 years. I draw the line at medical appliances like specs and dentures though. We had a national health service so we all had access to such things personally fitted to our needs. I do however donate my old specs at the optometrist and they are very appreciative because somebody somewhere might get good use from them.
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I can now see why so much fabric ends up clogging up landfills (and 3rd world countries). And honestly a lot of privilege showing in these posts. For goodness sake, you can wash a clothing item thoroughly and it’s good to go. Mattresses are also often fine, just check it first. So much wrong here.
I really don’t agree with the majority of this list, it feels like some people who have been fortunate to never need to buy second hand punching down on people that do. Or those who’ve just had a bad experience when purchasing second hand goods.
With the exception of the safety gear, that stuff can degrade with time and failure means death
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If it can't be washed or sanitized - don't buy it. If it is for safety - don't buy it. Electronics cars and things that must be serviced by a professional, have them checked out first then decide.
I don't understand most of this, when I was younger I had mostly hand-me-downs from neighbor kids or friends, or other used clothes. There are washing machines.....
A lot of cheerleading for planned obsolescence going on. Some are fine though. Although plain laziness and elitism is in there in good parts too.
BP only presents advice. Whether it is good advice or not is another matter.
My husband and I grew up in different worlds. My family had nothing while his had money. We clash sometimes when looking for things like furniture. I've found a beautiful couch at an estate sale. He didn't want it because it was used by someone. We found a similar one at the store for twice the price. I put my foot down so we compromised and got the floor model for 1.5x the price of the estate couch. Once we got it home I informed him everyone under the sun probably sat on this thing we paid way more for. 🤷
Do people up there never do a good hard wash/cleaning? If I didn't buy a secondhand sofa I wouldn't have any sofa either. Also, who tf would sell their used bottles of shampoo? Give them away to the homeless, if in want of a good deed and possible allergic reaction is what made you do so. And the bedsheets thing, you sell those secondhand too?? I'm still using mine from eight or so years ago. I also draw a line on prescription medication and invasive medical appliances like breast pump and the likes of underwear, but a good swimsuit is fairly expensive to not get passed down. My niece uses my childhood swimsuit even though we were born 18 years apart. The sheer amount of privilege in this post is staggering... 🤦♀
A good majority of the things manufactured nowadays wouldn't even last to be used second-hand. I myself prefer some things second-hand, such as furniture and clothing because of the quality of the products. There's no way I could afford nice high-quality furniture made recently, and I think the antique styles and carvings give character that you can't find today.
Good point I have also noticed. My SIL bought a brand new swimsuit for my niece and it ripped and shrunk beyond repair in the wash. My childhood swimsuit is reusable and niece still wears it to this day.
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For me, I'd neither buy or donate second hand headphones. At least, not without a good sniff. I'm prone to ear infections and they make my headphones reek. It's really not very pleasant. There's no real way of wiping off that scent, especially in over ear headphones (at least the the buds of in ear headphones can be changed). I wouldn't want to inflict my ear stench on others, or wear headphones with someone else's ear stench either. I often buy cheap sets from amazon (~£3-5) and that's where some of my highest quality ones came from tbh
80% of this list can be boiled (heh) down to "I've no idea washing machines exist".
I don't know, most of these were "You can buy used {object}?" for me. Safety equipment, adult toys, consumables. The Tesla one was fun, though.
Load More Replies... My thoughts exactly. Growing up most of the stuff we had was either handmade, bought at a second hand store, given to us used by friends, or a cheap lucky find. We never owned a new piece of furniture and we also never got bedbugs we treated everything multiple times before bringing it in.
Load More Replies... Lots of these "No-No"s seemed to be added by either people with phobias or people who want their stoy telled as disgusting as possible. Others simply add a word without any explanation. I'm not sure if these advises are really helpful...?
Clearly, a lot of the people who added to this list have never struggled. I've been fortunate but if it wasn't for people who donate/sell on my parents wouldn't have had a couch when they got their first flat. There was a girl in my primary school who had to get a second hand swimsuit or she'd have missed out on lessons. Most of these items can be given a thorough cleaning and be perfectly safe to use.
I agree. Growing up post WWII in England where we had rationing for 8 years after the war ended, everybody bought second hand things because they couldn't afford new and, new just wasn't available. If people think the pandemic shortages were bad they need to look back at the Depression and war plus post war years. Reuse recycle etc was a way of life. We got spoilt in the last 60 years. I draw the line at medical appliances like specs and dentures though. We had a national health service so we all had access to such things personally fitted to our needs. I do however donate my old specs at the optometrist and they are very appreciative because somebody somewhere might get good use from them.
Load More Replies... I can now see why so much fabric ends up clogging up landfills (and 3rd world countries). And honestly a lot of privilege showing in these posts. For goodness sake, you can wash a clothing item thoroughly and it’s good to go. Mattresses are also often fine, just check it first. So much wrong here.
I really don’t agree with the majority of this list, it feels like some people who have been fortunate to never need to buy second hand punching down on people that do. Or those who’ve just had a bad experience when purchasing second hand goods.
With the exception of the safety gear, that stuff can degrade with time and failure means death
Load More Replies... If it can't be washed or sanitized - don't buy it. If it is for safety - don't buy it. Electronics cars and things that must be serviced by a professional, have them checked out first then decide.
I don't understand most of this, when I was younger I had mostly hand-me-downs from neighbor kids or friends, or other used clothes. There are washing machines.....
A lot of cheerleading for planned obsolescence going on. Some are fine though. Although plain laziness and elitism is in there in good parts too.
BP only presents advice. Whether it is good advice or not is another matter.
My husband and I grew up in different worlds. My family had nothing while his had money. We clash sometimes when looking for things like furniture. I've found a beautiful couch at an estate sale. He didn't want it because it was used by someone. We found a similar one at the store for twice the price. I put my foot down so we compromised and got the floor model for 1.5x the price of the estate couch. Once we got it home I informed him everyone under the sun probably sat on this thing we paid way more for. 🤷
Do people up there never do a good hard wash/cleaning? If I didn't buy a secondhand sofa I wouldn't have any sofa either. Also, who tf would sell their used bottles of shampoo? Give them away to the homeless, if in want of a good deed and possible allergic reaction is what made you do so. And the bedsheets thing, you sell those secondhand too?? I'm still using mine from eight or so years ago. I also draw a line on prescription medication and invasive medical appliances like breast pump and the likes of underwear, but a good swimsuit is fairly expensive to not get passed down. My niece uses my childhood swimsuit even though we were born 18 years apart. The sheer amount of privilege in this post is staggering... 🤦♀
A good majority of the things manufactured nowadays wouldn't even last to be used second-hand. I myself prefer some things second-hand, such as furniture and clothing because of the quality of the products. There's no way I could afford nice high-quality furniture made recently, and I think the antique styles and carvings give character that you can't find today.
Good point I have also noticed. My SIL bought a brand new swimsuit for my niece and it ripped and shrunk beyond repair in the wash. My childhood swimsuit is reusable and niece still wears it to this day.
Load More Replies... For me, I'd neither buy or donate second hand headphones. At least, not without a good sniff. I'm prone to ear infections and they make my headphones reek. It's really not very pleasant. There's no real way of wiping off that scent, especially in over ear headphones (at least the the buds of in ear headphones can be changed). I wouldn't want to inflict my ear stench on others, or wear headphones with someone else's ear stench either. I often buy cheap sets from amazon (~£3-5) and that's where some of my highest quality ones came from tbh
