3 Things I Almost Never Buy New

The quality’s just as good and the price is hard to beat.

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Key points

• When there’s not a significant difference in quality, buying items secondhand can be a smart way to save.
• Buying used can sometimes make returns challenging, so always look at return policies before you buy.

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There are some things you definitely want to buy new. I don’t know about you, but I’m not picking up someone’s old mattress off the side of the road, even if it is free. But there are a lot of other cases where the only significant difference between new and used items is the price point.

I prefer to get those things for a discount when I can. If you want to step up your bargain-shopping game, here are three places you can start.

1. Clothing

I buy used clothing within reason. Things like underwear and socks I buy new for hygienic reasons, but used shirts, jeans, and jackets are all fair game to me if I can find something I like in my size. And these days, it’s easier than ever to do that.

In the past, shopping for used clothing meant visiting local thrift stores and digging through rack after rack where the only real means of organization is grouping items by size. And that’s still an option if you’re willing to invest the time. But there are way easier ways to find quality secondhand clothing.

There are dozens of marketplaces online where people can sell their old clothing to make a quick buck, and most of it is in pretty good condition. Plus, they have powerful search tools, so you can quickly narrow down your options by size, brand, color, and condition. It makes the whole shopping experience a lot easier.

One thing that can be more difficult when shopping this way is returning items you don’t like. This is especially true if you’re working with individuals rather than a store. Everyone has their own return policies and if something is marked as final sale, you’re stuck with it, unless you decide to turn around and sell it to someone else. So read each seller’s return policies carefully before you buy anything.

2. Books

I’ve been a voracious reader since early childhood and I’m pretty proud of the library I’ve built for myself and my son. I’m a bit old-fashioned when it comes to books and I’ve never been able to hop on the ebook or audiobook trains. I like being able to physically hold a book in my hands and turn its pages. But I really don’t like buying them at full price — so I don’t.

Whenever I travel to a new town, I do my scouting beforehand. I search all the used bookstores in the area and stop at every one I have time for. There’s also a few in my town I make visits to every few months. And if I want a specific book, I look for used bookstores on eBay or Amazon. A lot of the time, I can find sellers that offer discounts for buying more than one book from them, and that helps me save even more.

3. Cars

Technically, I’ve only purchased one car in my life. It’s now 13 years old, and it was already used when I bought it. But it still doesn’t have 100,000 miles on it because I don’t drive that often. That, plus the fact that my husband knows a lot about fixing cars, means I’ve been able to keep it in good shape for a pretty low price.

I plan to hold onto my car for as long as I can, but I know the day will come when I’ll need to buy another one and I’m going to buy used again. It’s usually not that difficult to find a used car that’s in decent shape, and I’ll have my husband’s help to identify potential problems with a car before I buy it.

Buying a used car could also help save on car insurance too. It’s generally cheaper to repair used cars than new ones, unless we’re talking about classic cars. And since they’re cheaper to fix, insurers have to pay out less for a claim and they pass that savings onto customers.

I don’t know exactly how much these tricks have saved me over the years, but I know my bank account balance would be a lot smaller without them. These tips may not all apply to your lifestyle, but give the ones that do a try and see if you can come up with any other strategies to help you save a few bucks.