The benefits of buying used goods

[gus]

Nobody use ebay?

I sell on ebay - rarely buy from there unless I absolutely can't find something somewhere else.  Ebay prices have gotten so high that I usually find things cheaper at garage sales, thrift stores or good old fashioned trash picking.

Cindy

[Michelle]

Shipping costs too much.

[houseoftang]

I did just recently buy my SOG Paratrooper multitool on Ebay.  Even with shipping the price was better than I could get elsewhere, but not as much as I'd like to save by getting used stuff for free.

[jonny2mad]

I make my living buying and selling junk some on ebay ,and the apart from a pair of shoes I had to buy a month or so back because I was in wales and my shoes split , I havent bought something new apart from things like underwear for years .

you can get anything secondhand and apart from saving money your saving the enviroment because the more use we get out of things we have, the less things need to be mined or made .

reuse repair recycle

[houseoftang]

I just feel guilty about shipping stuff all over the country.  I think of the fuel wasted to ship my 8 oz multitool from Colorado or wherever it came from, and cringe.  I know I'm using WAY less than "my share" of fuel, but I'd rather be using none.

[dreamer]

I think I'm going to check out the thrift stores this weekend. College let out here and I've heard tales of how much crap these kids leave behind. I think it's all send to Goodwill/Salvation Army.
However, I'm not sure if it will be stuff useful to me.

[Michelle]

We picked up my oldest from college, and I so could have
brought some usables that were discarded home.

[lady-t]

pick up all the free stuff you can even if it isn't useable to you, then have a yard sale and get some money to buy what you do need.  if after that there are any leftovers, donate them to goodwill and get a tax write off to boot.

[Haggis]

Shipping costs too much.

Funny you say that. I buy stuff from American ebay all the time and the shipping is frequently cheaper than what UK sellers want to charge me 

I bought 100ft of paracord and it cost me $6 for shipping. In the UK, same paracord, probably from the USA anyway as same MILSPEC, the shipping was $10.

I feel no guilt at shipping stuff from half way round the world, the plane was coming this way anyway. 

[jonny2mad]

I point out to people that shipping surface is better for the planet but most prefer airmail , when i buy things from abroad I always choose surface mail as its cheaper, it takes a long time but Im generally in no big hurry .

Ive bought a few books from the states that I couldnt get in the uk , I think in the future we would still be able to keep a rail and sea system together .

 I personally see the return of sailing ships and I dont see the end of all international trade , if you had parcels being transported on quiet periods by trains maybe using renewables to power the trains then you moved the parcels on to a sailing ship as cargo that wouldnt cause the damage that we cause transporting things today.

if we couldnt get trains you could transport letters and parcels by stage coach or the pony express until you came to somewhere with a river or coastline .

if people in the wild west were able to get letters and parcels moved about I see no reason why we cant

[dreamer]

Yes, I see a bike express rather than a pony express.

[lady-t]

pony express good.  just not feasible with all the slippery pavement on the horses feet.