U.S. News: 20 Things You Should Never Buy Used

Also disagree with the camera lens one. My used 50mm 1.8 lens is in great shape.

 

10 More Things You Should Never Buy Used

Oil filter
Tooth brush
Vacuum cleaner bag
Non-rechargeable batteries; AA, AAA, C, D, etc.
Abrasive sheets, ie, "sandpaper"

Diapers
Sanitary pad/napkin
Condom
IV needle
Colostomy bag

:brick:

 

I never need to buy used IV needles. I just find them in dark alleys and collect them for later. :madgrin:

 

They make a few good points on that list, but most of the comments fall into the bleeding obvious category, or the "yes, but...", where they are mostly misleading. Many of those items can be safely purchased used, as long as you have half a brain and use it.

Tom

 

1. Bought used montrail running trail shoes. Regular $129, bought for $30. Lasted 2 years.
2. Bought a used triathlon wetsuit. Regular price $300+, bought for $100. Used 4 times already, no problems so far.
3. Bought a 1 year old used Mac Tibook for a $1300. New would have been $2500. Used it for 4 years before it became to slow for my needs. It's 9 years old and the battery is shot, but it still works though.
4. Bought used mountain biking shorts. Normal is $50, I bought for $15. Still using them.
5. Bought a used baby swing. Normal $100, paid $50. It was great and passed it on to family who used it with no problems.

 

Yeah, noone should ever buy those things. (Except me so I can get a good deal).

 

A wad of bubble gum.

 

written by a 20's something kid that lives his/her life in a shopping mall. Fact is, lots of older used items were probably better quality and construction. Especially older Hi-fi speakers stereo components...

 

I don't understand what could possibly be wrong with a used sanitary napkin?

 

Depends upon what it was used for. :madgrin:

 

I disagree with the SLR lens, camera, and computer stuff. Some of the other things are a bit of a stretch though.

 

Speakers are absoletely the best thing to buy used. Audiophiles are a fickle lot and will sell very nice speakers for half the price in less than a year. All the speakers I've bought (except for the very first pair) have been used. They have lasted years and I've been able to sell them off for about the same price I bought. Ofcourse you shouldn't buy crappy speakers, new or used.


Talking of HDTVs, I did the same with HD projectors too - never bought a replacement bulb

 

Disagree about cameras and lenses. Plenty of good digital cameras on ebay for about 5 bucks, if you want 4MP resolution. plenty good enough for small pics. Also, lenses can have dust, specs, mold etc, and you can't see it in the pic. One of the best camera bargains? Film SLRs. especially Nikon. You can make a disk out of the negatives for cheap, download to the computer, and do most all the editing with the digital pics you can do with a digital camera. Manual Nikons can be had on ebay for 50 bucks.
As for the other stuff, lightly used shoes are OK (they put disinfectant in them), but heavily used shoes will be stretched and should be avoided. Another bargain: slightly used designer clothes--which are priced much more realistically than the new ones.

The rest of the stuff in the article sounds sensible. I would also avoid used cars on ebay. Especially Porsches. Unless you're a car mechanic.

 

cars on ebay are just fine. My Prius came from there

 

Really need a list to tell me not to by used undergarments? Seems they were short a couple and started digging. "Honey look at my new ..used underwear...don't you love em...got a deal on them"

 

Disagree with a lot of that list. Just because something is "used" doesn't mean the previous owner abused it or wore it into the ground. A lot depends on the quality of the item, how long the previous owner(s) had it, how often they used it, and why they're getting rid of it. For example, I bought a nice pair of black heels that I wore once to a Halloween party. The heels were a bit too high for me to want to wear them again so I sold them on ebay. They were in excellent condition and someone got a very good deal on a nice pair of shoes.

Also for something like a laptop or vacuum cleaner there may exist the possibility of repairing or refurbishing it for less than the cost of a new item. It's disheartening to see someone implicitly advocating waste of often perfectly good products like this.