7 Things to Always Buy Used (And 5 You Never Should)

I’ve been thrifting, Marketplace-scrolling, and estate-sale-hunting for more years than I care to admit. Here’s what I’ve learned, the hard way and the smart way: some things get better with age. Some things depreciate the second you drive them off the lot. And a small handful of things you should never, ever buy from a stranger, no matter how good the price looks.

This isn’t about being frugal for frugal’s sake. It’s about matching the purchase to reality. Below is my honest list, the categories where used is basically a magic trick, and the categories where “new” is the only answer that makes sense.

Always Buy Used: 7 Categories

1. Cars

You know this one. A new car loses 20 to 30 percent of its value the first year and half its value by year three. Somebody has to eat that depreciation. Let it be someone else.

The sweet spot is a car 2 to 4 years old with 30,000 to 60,000 miles on it. Most of the steep drop is already behind it, there’s usually still some warranty left, and you’ve got years of good driving ahead.

My strategy: go private-seller for the deepest discount, or certified pre-owned if you want the warranty peace of mind. Skip the dealership’s “gently used” lot. Those prices are barely below new, and you’re paying for the privilege of a nicer waiting room.

Typical savings: $5,000 to $15,000 over buying new. That’s real Freedom Account money, sitting right there for the taking.

2. Furniture, Especially High Quality Wood

Here’s a secret the furniture stores hope you never figure out: most new furniture is particle board wearing a coat of stain. Furniture built before the 1970s is often solid wood, and it’s a different animal entirely.

Look for real wood (it’s heavy, and you can see the grain through the finish), dovetail joints on the drawers, and hardware that isn’t plastic pretending to be brass. I’ve bought a mid-century dresser for $150 that would run you $800 new, easy, and mine will outlive both of us.

Best hunting grounds: Facebook Marketplace, estate sales, thrift stores.

Typical savings: 60 to 80 percent off new.

MORE: Smart Thrift Store Shopping in Today’s Economy

3. Books

A book you finished last week is exactly as good as a book fresh off the shelf. There is no wear pattern on a good story. Library sales and thrift stores sell $30 hardcovers for $3 all day long, and nobody’s the wiser.

Best hunting grounds: Library book sales, thrift stores, ThriftBooks online.

Typical savings: 80 to 95 percent off new.

4. Kids’ Toys and Baby Gear

Kids grow out of everything in months. Buying new for a toddler is like buying a new umbrella for a hurricane that’s already passing. Which is exactly why the used market for baby gear is so huge, and so full of bargains.

Two exceptions worth knowing: skip used car seats (more on that below) and used cribs, since safety standards have changed enough that older ones may not meet them. Nearly everything else, buy it used and don’t think twice.

Best hunting grounds: Facebook Marketplace, consignment shops, hand-me-downs from friends who are done with that stage.

Typical savings: 60 to 80 percent off new.

5. Sporting Goods and Exercise Equipment

Every basement in America has a treadmill on it that got used four times. Same with the soccer cleats your kid wore for one season and then decided soccer wasn’t for them after all.

Bikes, kayaks, camping gear, skis, tennis rackets, golf clubs, someone bought all of it with good intentions and barely touched it. Their loss, your gain.

Best hunting grounds: Play It Again Sports, Facebook Marketplace, end-of-season consignment sales.

Typical savings: 50 to 70 percent off new.

6. Tools

A good tool doesn’t wear out, it settles in. I’ll take a Craftsman wrench from the 1980s over most of what’s on the shelf today. Estate sales and hardware store closures are where the real deals hide.

One caution: pass on used power tools with damaged cords or batteries that have clearly seen better days. Corded tools that look well cared for are usually a safe bet.

Best hunting grounds: Estate sales, garage sales, Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

Typical savings: 40 to 70 percent off new.

7. Musical Instruments (Beginner and Intermediate)

A well-maintained instrument doesn’t lose value, it develops character. A used student violin or guitar has often been played in already, meaning the wood has settled and the finish has cured. That’s a feature, not a flaw.

If you’re a serious player who needs a specific pro-level instrument, buy new from a reputable dealer. For everyone else, used is smart.

Best hunting grounds: Music store consignments, Reverb.com, local classifieds.

Typical savings: 40 to 60 percent off new.

Never Buy Used: 5 Categories

1. Mattresses

You already know this one, and yet the used mattress ads keep showing up because someone out there keeps buying them. Don’t be that someone.

A mattress you can’t see inside of is a mattress you can’t verify. Bed bugs, dust mites, mold, and things I won’t even describe in a family newsletter can all be living in there, invisible and immovable. Some states won’t even let stores resell them. That should tell you something.

Buy new instead: Direct-to-consumer brands like Nectar, Tuft & Needle, or Casper start around $699 for a decent queen, and sales run constantly. Your back will thank you either way.

MORE: How to Get Rid of Dust Mites and Breathe Cleaner Air

2. Helmets, Any Kind

Bike, motorcycle, ski, football, doesn’t matter. A helmet is built to absorb one hard hit and then it’s done, even if you can’t see the damage. A drop off a shelf you never witnessed can quietly compromise the foam inside, and you’d never know until it mattered.

Buy new instead: Bike helmets start around $30. Motorcycle helmets start around $150. This is not the place to save ten bucks.

3. Car Seats

Same logic as the helmet, plus an expiration date. A car seat that survived a fender bender may look perfectly fine and still fail when it counts. And every seat has a shelf life, typically 6 to 10 years from manufacture, after which the plastic starts to degrade whether it’s been in an accident or not.

Buy new instead: Graco has solid seats starting around $150. Plenty of communities also run car seat swap or check-in programs if cost is the real barrier, worth a look before you write a check.

4. Underwear, Bathing Suits, Pajamas, and Worn Shoes

I shouldn’t have to explain this one, but here we are. No amount of washing resets intimate fabric. And worn shoes carry the last owner’s foot shape, plus whatever fungus decided to move in along the way.

Exception: vintage clothing that’s outerwear, thoroughly cleaned, and never intimately worn is a different story.

5. Nonstick Cookware

Nonstick coatings break down over time, and a used pan almost always has scratches or a worn surface you can’t fully see. Whether those flaking particles end up in your dinner is exactly the kind of question I’d rather not gamble on to save ten dollars.

Exception: cast iron and stainless steel are the opposite story. They get better with age and I buy them used without a second thought. It’s only the nonstick coating that’s the problem.

MORE: Best Inexpensive Cast Iron Skillet and How to Love It

The Gray Area: It Depends

A few categories don’t sort neatly onto either list.

Electronics. Used TVs, computers, and phones can be great deals, but only from a reputable reseller with a real return policy. Certified refurbished through Amazon Renewed or Apple Refurbished beats “used” from a stranger nearly every time.
Small appliances. Blenders, mixers, food processors, usually fine used if you can plug it in and test it first. Skip anything with a frayed cord or a sketchy plug.
Video games and DVDs. Discs are fine used, just check for scratches. Digital game keys are their own can of worms.
Wedding dresses. Some brides love the vintage angle. Some don’t. Both are right.
Cameras. Often a good buy, but check the shutter count and test the autofocus before you hand over any cash.

The Simple Rule

Buy used when the item is durable and easy to inspect. Buy new when the item is intimate, safety-critical, or hides its condition on the inside where you can’t check.

That one rule covers about 90 percent of your buying decisions. When you’re not sure, lean new for anything safety-related and used for anything built to last. Follow that pattern for a lifetime and you’ll quietly save tens of thousands of dollars on things nobody would ever have known you bought new anyway.

Your turn: What’s the best used purchase you ever made? And the worst? Tell me both in the comments. I promise I won’t judge, I’ve got a “worst” story of my own involving a free couch and a decision I regret to this day.

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