I think if you are buying the item as a gift you need to be careful. Just make sure it is in very good condition,not some old tat. If one of my kids bought me a 2nd hand item because they were short of money I would be more than happy. Other than immediate family, (partner,kids and parents) we have stopped exchanging presents. I think everyone was happy about it. A lot less hassle at this time of the year.

I would buy secondhand goods for my use. However, they would need to be in good condition and a good saving from new price.

I buy a lot from ebay which some is new but some is second hand. Im not being funny but in these times you cant keep buying new. I have a little boy who keeps growing and recking his clothes at nursery so i buy from ebay. Ive got some great stuff in great condition. I got him a Jasper Conran coat that looked new I just washed it first. They grow so fast I cant afford to keep buying new. Ive also bought him shoes because he feet grow so quick. Have a go its good fun!

It's all generally great, but as pinkamy said be very wary about electrical stuff. Otherwise, go for it.

There are some advantages, such as the secondhand army boots I'm wearing having been broken in by someone else's poor feet, but there will be the occasional duff item, especially if you buy through the internet. But look at it this way: the money you save in buying good stuff second hand will more than make up for the odd bit of bad stuff you get by mistake.

try not to get electricals or things like that, think antique lace doilies for nana, vintage jeans for niece etc.

it's vintage darling......

Here's a question for the masses.

I look at amazon and stuff and find loads of bargains in refurbished items but tend to by brand new because I'm worried refurbished items aren't any good. There are loads of bargains at boot fairs or in our local friday-ad newspaper, but I always worry about buying used/secondhand/nearly new - not because I'm worried about the item but because I'm worried about the stigma of it not being new-new.

But in the lean times, especially coming up to christmas, what am I really that worried about? You can get great bargains all over the place, most of them are ace and so much better then paying the huge inflated christmas prices...

So I was wondering - how do people feel about refurbished, used or second hand stuff?

Thanks everyone! xx

Lilly