The Best Places to Find Used Baby Gear

I am shocked when I see perfectly rational people spending thousands of dollars on baby gear. Let’s face it — most of this stuff will only be used for a couple of years at best and some things will be used for a much shorter time than that. Let’s consider bassinets, as an example. You can expect to use a bassinet for about 3 months. So not only is it impractical to spend hundreds of dollars on a designer bassinet, it also means that if you find a used one, it’s probably only been used for a short period of time.

It’s true that you don’t want to buy all of your baby gear and furniture used, but most of it is fine to purchase second-hand. Obviously, you want to be discriminating in your hunt for deals, avoiding pieces that are broken, badly stained, or so outdated that they may no longer meet government regulations. Pieces that come with the original manuals and boxes, on the other hand, are especially good finds.

So where to you go to get great deals on second-hand baby gear?

1. Consignment Sales — Not to be confused with consignment shops (see below), consignment sales are events that take place once or twice a year. They are often held in churches and sometimes in bigger venues such as convention centers. The way they work is this: parents bring in their used children’s items and assign prices to them using the consignment sale’s system. Then on the day or days of the sale, people come in and buy the items. The organizers of the sale keep a percentage and the rest goes to the original owners of the items. Prices are generally quite low and the quality of the items is generally quite high. Many sales offer ½ price hours at the end of the sale to get rid of remaining merchandise.
2. Consignment and Resale Shops — Consignment and resale shops are like year-round consignment sales, although some stores pay for used merchandise up front instead of actually buying them on consignment. Either way, most of these shops are particular about the items they sell — this means that you are likely to find high quality merchandise there. In addition, you can make a little money by reselling your own baby stuff. There are three major chains of kids consignment stores located in the United States and Canada: Once Upon a Child, Kid to Kid, and Children’s Orchard.  In addition, many communities are home to smaller independent consignment stores. In one such independent store, I recently bought a double stroller in good condition for $37.50. A new double stroller would have cost me at least $100.
3. Ebay – Ebay.com is a great place to find used baby gear. However, the high cost of shipping large items may cause you to spend more than you really want to. A good way to get around that is to search on Ebay for items in your area. I like to do a search
4. Thrift Stores – There are two types of thrift stores. There are those that are run by or for a charity. They sell donated merchandise and all proceeds go to the charity. The other type of thrift store is privately owned and is for-profit. For-profit thrift stores are so similar to consignment stores that this section will address charity thrift stores. Because these shops resell donated items, they are typically less choosey about what they are willing to sell. As a result, you will find far more stained or broken items in a thrift store than you will in a consignment shop. That being said, keep in mind that thrift stores generally price their items much cheaper than consignment stores. So if you are willing to spend a little time sifting through the junk, you can usually uncover some amazing deals. For example, I recently found a changing table in a thrift store for $10. The only problem it had was that it was missing a single screw.
5. Yard Sales – When it comes to baby stuff, yard sales are treasure troves. Most folks realize that baby gear is in high demand so when they advertise their sales, they will typically mention the baby items. Then again, not everyone advertises their yard sales, so especially in the spring, drive around and look for them. When shopping at yard sales, go early to get the best selection and don’t be afraid to negotiate. If you find something you want but it costs more than you are willing to pay, ask the seller when he or she is ending the sale. Make a note of the item, the address, and the closing time and return an hour before closing to see if the item has sold. By the end of the day, most sellers are practically willing to give their stuff away rather than take it back inside. Alternately, you could give the seller your number and ask him or her to contact you if the item doesn’t sell.

Whenever you buy anything used (and particularly when it is for a baby), be sure to check it out thoroughly before completing the sale. One of the best “deals” I ever got was a $5 bassinet at a yard sale. I was so excited until I brought it home and found mold on some of the padding. The padding could not be removed without tearing up the bassinet so I ended up throwing the whole thing away. From then on, I was always careful to check over every inch of an item before buying it.