Buying Secondhand — What's Worth It and Where to Shop

Secondhand finds

Buying secondhand isn’t a compromise. For most categories, it’s the better choice.

The Story

I’ve been buying secondhand for most of my adult life, and the reasons have shifted over time. Early on it was purely financial — secondhand was cheaper. Now it’s both financial and philosophical. Buying used means one fewer new thing manufactured, one fewer item in the waste stream, and usually a better deal for me.

We’ve furnished most of our house from estate sales and secondhand sources. My sewing supplies are largely secondhand. Garden tools, kitchen equipment, books, kids’ clothes — almost none of it new. Not because we can’t afford new, but because buying used is genuinely better for most of this stuff.

The challenge is knowing which categories reward secondhand shopping and which don’t, and knowing where to actually find things. That’s what this post is about.

The Sustainability Case

Every manufactured product has embedded cost: the raw materials extracted, the energy used to process and assemble it, the carbon generated to ship it. When you buy new, you’re paying for that manufacturing to happen again. When you buy used, you’re using what already exists — keeping it in service rather than sending it to a landfill and triggering new production.

This is sometimes called the “embedded carbon” or “embodied energy” argument. The greenest product is one that’s already made. Your job is to give it more useful life.

For most durable goods — furniture, tools, appliances, clothing — the environmental impact of manufacturing far exceeds the impact of using the item. That manufacturing already happened. It’s worth capturing.

Categories Worth Buying Secondhand

Furniture

Secondhand furniture is often better than new. Solid wood pieces that are 30-40 years old were frequently made with better materials and joinery than the particle board that dominates modern affordable furniture. A scratched mid-century dresser refinished is more durable than a new flat-pack dresser at the same price.

Estate sales are the best source. You’re often buying from an estate clearing a lifetime of possessions — real furniture, priced to move. Facebook Marketplace is good too. Thrift stores are hit-or-miss on furniture; Habitat for Humanity ReStores often have interesting pieces.

What to check: Structural integrity (joints, frames, drawers), signs of pest damage (sawdust near joints can indicate woodworm), water damage on wood (check undersides), fabric condition if upholstered.

Tools

Old tools are almost always better than cheap new tools. A vintage hand plane, a cast iron hand drill, a quality ratchet set — these were made to last. Estate sales are again excellent here, as are tool-specific Craigslist listings. Garage sales often have good tools.

Power tools: check function before buying, inspect cords for damage, look for brand names that have replacement parts available.

Kitchen Equipment

Cast iron, quality knives, stand mixers, food processors, pressure canners — these hold up for decades and are excellent used purchases. Estate sales and thrift stores both have kitchen equipment. Look for established brands with replacement parts.

Avoid: anything with a complex seal or gasket (pressure cookers, blenders with old seals) unless you can find replacement parts, very old non-stick (older coatings had issues), anything electrical with a damaged cord.

Clothing — Adult

Thrift stores, consignment shops, Poshmark, ThredUp, Facebook Marketplace. The selection is unpredictable, which is why it rewards regular visits over targeted searches.

For basics and workwear, secondhand is a no-brainer on price. For specific items or brands, online platforms like Poshmark or eBay let you search specifically.

Worth it secondhand: Jeans, coats, blazers, sweaters, boots, dress clothes you’ll wear rarely.

More caution: Swimwear, undergarments (hygiene — skip these), athletic shoes (check wear patterns in the sole; worn-down heels indicate gait issues that could affect you differently), anything with elastic that needs to perform.

Books

Almost always secondhand. Library sales are extraordinary value — often 25-50 cents per book. Thrift stores, used bookstores, and Little Free Libraries too. For research and reference books, the content doesn’t change. For novels, there’s no quality difference.

The library itself is the most sustainable option if you’re not going to reread it.

Children’s Clothing and Gear

Kids outgrow things before they wear them out. Secondhand children’s clothing is essentially the same as new — it’s been worn for one season by a child who outgrew it. Facebook Marketplace, thrift stores, and local buy-nothing groups are excellent for children’s items.

Safety note for gear: car seats should be bought new or from a trusted source where you know the history. A car seat that’s been in an accident should be replaced. For everything else — clothing, toys, books, furniture — secondhand is fine.

Where to Shop

Facebook Marketplace

The best general-purpose secondhand platform right now. Local, free to list, no shipping for most things, and you can negotiate. Good for furniture, tools, appliances, and large items that don’t make sense to ship.

Search for specific items, but also browse by category in your area. Set up saved searches for things you’re looking for — you’ll get notified when something matches.

Estate Sales

The best source for household contents. An estate sale is usually clearing the home of someone who has passed, so you’re buying a life’s worth of quality possessions, often priced to clear out fast. EstateSales.net and EstateSales.org list upcoming sales by area.

Get there early for the best selection. Prices are usually firm the first day and negotiable by the last day. Many estate sales will haggle on multiples — buy four things and ask for a deal.

Auctions

Scott and I have been going to auctions since we were dating — it’s where I got the desk for my first apartment. Auctions are one of the best-kept secondhand secrets, especially in rural areas.

There are two kinds worth knowing:

Estate auctions are my preference. You’re often bidding on a lifetime of possessions, and the selection can be extraordinary. The auctioneer moves fast — that cadence is half the fun — and the competitive thrill of bidding for something you want is real. Fair warning: we once spent way more than we intended on a wood rocker. Know your max before the bidding starts.

Farm auctions are excellent for tools, equipment, and anything mechanical. If Phil had lived near more farm auctions as a teenager, he’d have never paid for anything.

Box lots are where surprises happen. You bid on a box of items grouped together — you might want one thing and discover three others worth keeping. Always inspect before the auction starts. I’ll walk the whole floor and circle back during lots I don’t care about.

For online auctions, I try to go look at items in person before bidding. When that’s not possible, you have to decide whether the item is worth the risk — sometimes it is, sometimes you pass.

How to find auctions: It used to be the local free weekly ad paper — still worth checking in rural areas. Now I follow a couple of auctioneer sites directly: Hansen Auction Group and Pro Country Auction. The Facebook group Wisconsin Online Auctions & Buy, Sell, Trade is also active. For seasonal produce, Growers Produce Auction in Cashton, WI runs Tuesdays and Fridays at 11am.

Garage Sales

Classic for a reason. Prices are low, negotiation is expected, and you never know what you’ll find. Best on Friday mornings and Saturday early — the good stuff goes fast. Check local Facebook groups and community boards for listings, or just drive the neighborhoods on a Saturday morning. Great for kids’ items, household goods, tools, and books.

Thrift Stores

Goodwill, St. Vincent de Paul, Habitat ReStore, local independent thrift stores. Quality varies enormously by location and day. Worth making a regular stop if there’s one convenient to you — the inventory turns over constantly.

Buy Nothing Groups

Local Facebook groups where people give things away for free. No money changes hands. Good for things you need but don’t need to own forever, and for passing things along when you’re done with them.

Craigslist

Still useful for large items, tools, and farm/rural equipment. More friction than Facebook Marketplace, but still active in most areas.

Library of Things

Some public libraries now lend tools, kitchen equipment, and other items. Check if your library has one. Borrowing what you’ll use once or twice is more sustainable than buying — even secondhand.

When to Buy New

Not everything makes sense secondhand. Some things you’re better off buying new:

Safety-critical items you can’t verify: bike helmets, car seats (with caveats above), anything structural
High-wear consumables where condition matters: shoes with significant sole wear, athletic equipment where safety depends on intact materials
Items where hygiene is non-negotiable: undergarments, certain personal care items
Things that need to be energy-efficient: if you’re replacing a working appliance specifically to get efficiency gains, you need the specs on what you’re buying and you’re usually buying new
Electronics with short useful lives: the used laptop that’s 8 years old may cost more to run than a new efficient model — worth checking before buying

The question to ask: is the thing I’m buying likely to perform as well as new, for long enough to justify the purchase? If yes, buy used. If there’s a meaningful chance it fails or underperforms quickly, the calculation changes.

Tips

Shop with a list, but stay flexible. Secondhand shopping rewards patience and flexibility. If you need something specific by next week, used isn’t always practical. If you’re willing to wait, it almost always turns up.
Inspect before you buy. With furniture: sit on it, open every drawer, check the underside. With tools: test them if you can. With clothing: check seams, fabric condition, any damage.
Know what things cost new. You can’t evaluate a used price without knowing the new price. Look it up before you go.
Clean it before you love it. Most secondhand finds need cleaning. A well-cleaned old tool or piece of furniture looks very different than it did in the estate sale.
Pass things along when you’re done. The system works when things keep circulating. Donate, sell, give away — don’t let the cycle end in your garage.

The most sustainable product is the one that already exists. Buying secondhand is just putting that principle into practice.