As modern-day consumers, our lives revolve around buying things. In 2019, Americans are expected to spend more than $14 Trillion dollars on consumer-related purchases! When we aren’t spending money, we’re lusting after things other people have or being bombarded with advertisements. In reality, a lot of the $14T in consumer-spending is on necessities: mortgages/rent, transportation, groceries, etc. However, plenty of money is spent on items that hardly get used. Most of us have items in our houses that make us think: I never use this! Why did I buy this? How can I sell this?. With so many of us doing this, we’re actually creating an opportunity for other people to buy our like-new second-hand items for a much better price! In this article, we’ll list our most popular second hand items that you can save on!
A friendly reminder: Being a minimalist is about buying what we NEED, not just want. We aren’t promoting shopping just for the sake of shopping!
Here’s our list of top 10 most popular second hand items:
- Cars
- Exercise Equipment
- Leather & Suede
- Furniture
- Watches
- Sporting Goods
- Electronics
- Books
- Musical Instruments
- Tools & Home Care Items
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1. Pre-Owned Cars
Cars today are supposed to be better than ever. Technology has improved tremendously and there’s lots of competition between makers to produce the best cars. Over 17 million new cars sold in 2018!
The more new cars that sell, though, the bigger the second-hand (used) market gets. With building technology improving and so much competition, cars have fewer and fewer problems long-term. Perfectly good cars are sold by their first owners all the time, simply because they want something new or different.
This is why we recommend buying used cars. According to CarFax, a new car can lose 10% of it’s value in the first 30 days! It then loses 20% of its’ original price after 12 months and 60% of it’s original price after five years.
Here’s what this looks like for a $30,000 car:
- Worth $27,000 after 30 days
- Worth $24,000 after 12 months
- Worth $12,000 after 5 years
The same $30,000 car, with only 60,000 miles on it (12,000 miles/yr average), is worth as little as $12,000 in less than five years. Take another 10-20% off that for a dealer’s ‘trade-in value’.
Buying a reliable, good-quality used car can save a tremendous amount of cash.
There are times to be weary of buying used cars, though. Proceed with caution when:
- The cars has been owned by two or more people.
- It’s been in an accident or had major repairs.
- The mileage is over 100k.
- The car is a fancier, high-maintenance model with lots of electronics and special parts.
Overall, we put cars at the top of our list of most popular second hand items!
2. Used Exercise Equipment
Three words: New Year’s Resolution.
This one concept probably accounts for a huge portion of all exercise equipment sales. Thanks to Hedonic Adaptation, we often think a new piece of equipment is what we NEED to start exercising.
“If only I had a treadmill, THEN I’d be in shape!”
First off, we recommend only buying these things once you get in some kind of shape. The reason? The ‘you’ that will use this exercise equipment regularly is the same you that will get your exercise in no matter what. The place to start is to go back to basics first: calisthenics and body weight movements, walking/running outside and a clean, healthy diet.
If you’re in shape and you know you want a specific piece of equipment, why not buy used? People are happy just go get the space back their equipment is taking up. They’re getting rid of the equipment they hardly use and you’ll have a variety to choose from on sites like Craigslist, Close5, Ebay and Facebook Marketplace.
If you’re into strength training, weight is weight! Used weights are just as good.
In terms of cardio, treadmills cost $1,000 or much more when new. Used ones can be found for less than $250.
The same can be said of stationary bikes, outdoor bicycles, resistance machines, etc. Exercise equipment can depreciate almost 100% in some cases – take advantage of it!
3. Leather & Suede
Leather and suede goods are known to last a long time.
Whether we’re talking jackets, purses, backpacks, luggage, boots or other dry goods, it’s not uncommon to see leather and suede goods lasting multiple decades.
Not only are these materials durable and tough, but they’re also typically made well, with strong stitching, good-quality straps/fixtures and assembly.
Scrolling through eBay, there are some seriously good deals to be had.
While new leather jackets cost several hundred dollars, used ones from well-known brands can be found for as little as $20! There’s a huge amount of second-hand leather purses for sale under $50.
Many just require a quick cleaning with leather wipes, a bit of leather coloring or an at-home leather waterproofing spray.
Some leather goods will look as good as new, while others need some help. With a little TLC on your part, second-hand leather goods can look awesome and last many years for you, as well.
4. Second-Hand Furniture
The reality is this: people move, people redecorate, people don’t want to deal with heavy stuff.
Look around your house. I’m sure there’s lots of furniture that you don’t think needs to be replaced. It’s perfectly good!
What if you need to move and moving the furniture will cost as much as just buying new furniture when you get there?
You’d probably be happy to sell a couch for a $100 if it means the people come and move it out for you!
There are many apps and websites previously mentioned that list hundreds of pieces of used furniture. You can find great second-hand deals on couches, tables, chairs, bed frames, shelves, dressers, filing cabinets, lawn furniture, decorative items and many more.
5. Used Watches
There are so many types and styles of watches out there that a lot of people like to have several of them. Some of us wear the same watch day after day, year after year. Others get worn a handful of times over many years.
Whether we’re talking quartz watches (with a battery) or automatic watches (mechanically-operated), you can find a lot of good quality second-hand watches for a fraction of their new price.
A watch may be used, but how much do they really get used? When they are being worn, they do little other than just sit on our wrists. For the most part, they don’t get banged up against things or take any real damage.
Used watched still tell the time.
Are you interested in second-hand watches but are a bit of a germ-a-phobe? Consider just buying a new watch strap! It will help the watch look new, too.
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6. Used Sporting Goods
Buying used sporting goods is a great option for many people.
Some of us are occasional users. Others beat the crap out of our sports equipment and prefer not to destroy something new. Beginners also benefit from second-hand sporting goods – if they don’t know how much they’ll LIKE doing a sport, they risk a smaller investment.
For example: I only go skiing once in a while, so I bought used Atomic downhill skis for $150 – they’ve been used by me a dozen times, feel fine and look great.
Much like furniture and exercise equipment, many people are just happy to get rid of sports equipment that’s just sitting around. This presents some excellent buying opportunities.
Some sporting goods are better to buy second-hand than others:
- Basketball hoops, nets and goals don’t take much damage and function the same when used.
- $100 tennis rackets or $300 golf clubs can be found for $20-$50 at yard sales and flea markets, sometimes with little use.
- Skis, surf boards and similar items last for many years, but some are only used a few times by someone who bought them new.
Whether you’re a beginner, occasional user or someone who doesn’t mind used stuff, save a ton of money and buy second-hand sporting goods!
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7. Second-Hand Electronics
This one is so broad that we’ll just briefly touch on each – second-hand electronics can be bought for a MASSIVE discount when compared to their original price! Why?
- Technology evolves over time. What was brand new a year ago already seems outdated.
- There’s a ton of competition. Between vendors and makers, there are so many new options that used equipment has little value. There’s a big supply of used electronics…
- There’s not much demand for used electronics. Most want the latest-and-greatest.
I won’t link to direct products from eBay because items turn over so often. Instead, I’ll link to eBay searches below for popular electronics:
If you just want a second-hand HD TV, for example, you don’t necessarily care about the exact features so long as it works well. Many are on eBay for less than $200.
How about second-hand smart phones like a used iPhone? While new iPhones cost $1,000 or more, there are many used models available for under $300.
Like to occasionally play video games? Check out these second-hand Xbox One’s priced around $100, some with games and additional controller! New consoles cost 2, 3 or 4x this.
If you want to spend less time waiting for the next new gadget and more time just enjoying them, consider buying second-hand electronics.
8. Used Books
This one is even more true now that eBooks are so popular!
If you still like real, actual books – buying used books are practically a must.
First off, how many times do we read a book? Once? Twice? Even if it’s ten times, the book itself will probably look as good as new.
Books age more due to environmental factors, such as getting crushed, sitting in direct sunlight, getting wet, etc – no from actually reading them.
The information inside the book is the same, regardless if it’s new or used. The only difference may be aesthetic – it won’t have that new-book-look on our shelf, but we can learn the same exact stuff from it.
Amazon.com, the pioneer in online book sales, still sells many used books on their platform. As of now, Amazon has 100,000 used books for sale on their website. Used books can cost as little as 10% what they originally were sold for!
College students – PLEASE do yourself a favor and look for used textbooks first, if your professor requires them!
9. Musical Instruments
Musical instruments are a lot like sporting goods – at least as far as buying them used goes.
Whether you’re a beginner, occasional player or someone who’s stuff takes a beating, check out the wide selection of second-hand musical instruments on the market!
Many people get bit by the inspiration bug and dive head-first into a new musical endeavor. However, much like exercise, playing music takes practice and dedication. Many people’s instruments start gathering dust once the newness wears off and the practice time begins.
Suddenly, people just want these instruments out of their houses.
Here are some great second-hand musical instrument deals on Amazon.com. How much would you save compared to buying new?
- Second-Hand Electric Guitars For Sale
- Second-Hand Acoustic Guitars For Sale
- Second-Hand Keyboards For Sale
- Second-Hand Drums For Sale
- Second-Hand Wind Instruments For Sale
- Second-Hand Amplifiers For Sale
10. Tools & Home Care Supplies
Rounding off our list of Top 10 most popular second hands items are tools and home care supplies!
Smaller hand-tools like hammers, wrenches, screw drivers and similar are harder to find second-hand. They often aren’t that expensive to begin with, so you may be better off buying them new. You can keep an eye out at yard sales and flea markets though.
Where the real value begins, is with bigger-ticket tools and home equipment.
Lawn-care and other home care equipment is like a mix of cars and electronics. They depreciate the moment they’re “driven off the lot”, and they’re also frequently updated with the next new technology and other bells/whistles. Here are a few products you can buy used for a significant discount:
- Lawn Mowers
- Snow Blowers
- Generators
- Weed Wackers
Often times, power tools get bought for a specific purpose, get used for that thing (often one-time) and sit there indefinitely until the ‘need arises’. Sometimes it does!
Most of the time, tools get used nowhere close to their full capacity. Take a look at some of these second-hand common power tool selections on Amazon:
- Second-Hand Power Drills
- Second-Hand Circular Saws
- Second-Hand Power Sanders
- Second-Hand Reciprocating Saws
- Second-Hand Demolition Hammer Drills
We recommend proceeding with caution when it comes to anything that’s meant to protect you. Items like ladders, ropes/cables and all other safety equipment is meant to protect you, and must be in good condition to do so!
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In Summary
In this article we’ve gone through the many benefits we can reap from buying second-hand goods, along with why they get bought in the first place.
Once you’re aware of WHY we like to buy certain items new, we are released from the ‘need’ to do so that can be all-consuming.
Whether you’re an occasional hobbyist, a beginner, a savvy-shopper, someone who doesn’t mind used goods or simply wants to save money, shopping around for second-hand goods is a hugely-overlooked method for finding amazing deals.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our list of Top 10 most popular second-hand items!
Thanks for reading.