Secondhand September: What to Buy Used Before You Buy New
Last year we spent this month talking about clothes. This year we are going wider. Here is the running list of everything worth checking secondhand first, and the short list of things worth buying new.
Last year we wrote about Second Hand September and spent most of it talking about clothes. Fair enough. Oxfam launched the campaign in the UK back in 2019 to get people to go 30 days without buying anything new, and fast fashion is the loudest villain in the room.
But here is the thing we have been chewing on all year. Clothes are the doorway, not the whole house.
The same logic that makes buying a used sweater smart makes buying a used bookshelf, a used hand mixer, a used bike, and a used casserole dish smart too. The item already exists. The water and resources were already used. The factory already ran the energy. The truck already delivered it. Every time you buy it secondhand, you get the thing without adding another one to the pile and save all the manufacturing resources while you're at it.
Before you buy anything this month, ask one question first: could I find this used?
What to look for secondhand first
Furniture, always
If you have ever assembled a particleboard dresser and watched the drawer bottom sag within a year, you already know. A lot of new furniture is made to survive one move. Older pieces were made from solid wood by people who assumed you would keep them.
Look for solid wood, dovetail joints, and real hardware. Scratches are cosmetic. Structure is not. A wobbly chair can be reglued. A swollen particleboard shelf cannot be saved.
Cookware and small appliances
Cast iron is the poster child here. A rusty skillet at a thrift store is not damaged, it is just waiting. Steel wool, a scrub, a re-season in the oven, and it outlives all of us.
Pyrex, stoneware, stainless mixing bowls, wooden spoons, mason jars, cake pans, and heavy old mixers are usually all worth grabbing. Plug it in at the store if they let you. Skip scratched nonstick and any appliance with a questionable cord.
Books, games, and puzzles
Nobody needs a new copy. Half the used books we pick up have someone else's notes in the margins, which we consider a bonus feature. Board games and puzzles are the same story, just count the pieces before you commit.
Kids' everything
Kids outgrow things at a speed that borders on rude. Clothes, sports gear, bikes, costumes, backpacks, art supplies, toys, snow boots that will not fit by February.
The exceptions worth buying new are the safety items: car seats, helmets, and cribs. Those have expiration dates and recall histories you cannot verify secondhand. Everything else is fair game.
Tools, garden gear, and sporting goods
Old hand tools are gorgeous and they last forever. Wood handled hammers, hand saws, wrenches, garden shears, cast iron planters, terracotta pots. The tennis racket someone bought during a two week enthusiasm phase. The kayak. The camping stove. The exercise bike that became a coat rack.
Check your local Buy Nothing group before you check anywhere else. People are practically begging you to take this stuff.
Decor, glassware, and linens
Frames, vases, baskets, mirrors, lamps, curtains, tablecloths, quilts. This is where secondhand actually beats new, because you end up with a home that looks like a person lives in it instead of a showroom.
So what should you buy new?
Personal care and cleaning. That is the honest answer, and yes, that is what we make, so take it with the grain of salt it deserves. But we will stand behind it: nobody wants a used toothbrush, and nobody should be buying a half empty bottle of anything at a rummage sale.
The better question is which new things support a secondhand habit instead of working against it.
- Furniture, shelving, and storage
- Cast iron, bakeware, and glassware
- Books, games, and puzzles
- Kids' clothes, gear, and bikes
- Hand tools and garden pots
- Frames, lamps, linens, and decor
- Toothbrushes and oral care
- Soap, shampoo, and body care
- Cleaning and laundry supplies
- Car seats, helmets, and cribs
- Pillows
- Undergarments
