Everybody loves a bargain, or better yet, a freebie. But if you really want to find the best deals, you have to look beyond online sales and coupons and get a little creative.
Here are some of the left-of-field places our staff have scored an amazing deal.
Op shops
Shoes
“OK, it may be true that in my guide to op shopping I directly counsel against buying shoes second-hand, but that’s only if you’re an op-shopping novice.
Personally, I have had amazing luck finding shoes at op shops. Some of my favourites? My Jadon Hologram platform Doc Martens ($25), my white Blaire Doc Marten sandals ($4) and my vintage-look New Balance trainers ($3).
Plus, for my kids I’ve scored both pink and purple Converse hi-tops ($2 each), Blundstone boots ($2) and countless pairs of Adidas and Nike sneakers in near-new condition.”
– Grace
Designer clothes
“Last year I attended a wedding in a thrifted designer dress (Bassike) that retailed at $460 – scored for $15 from my local op shop. I also get lots of compliments on my Stella McCartney swimsuit which I picked up for $3.”
– Grace
“I once scored a Jeremy Scott biker jacket from Vinnies.”
– Ren
Kids’ toys
“Last Christmas I scored not one, but two VTech Kidizoom cameras for my son and daughter, one in pink and one in blue. They retail for $99 each at JB Hi-Fi.”
– Grace
Safety first
While there are plenty of good kids toys to be found second-hand, you need to be a little more careful when buying as they may be damaged or missing important safety features or warnings.
I always avoid any second-hand product powered by button batteries because the risk of a damaged or loose button battery compartment is just not worth it. Read more about how to buy safe kids toys.
“My son’s book collection was getting out of control, so I managed to score him an enormous bookshelf on Marketplace for $40 (it takes up his entire wall and currently houses hundreds of books).
When we went to pick it up, the woman was so happy that it was being used for a child who loved reading that she gave him $5 to buy more books (our local op shop sells books for 50c a pop, so he was stoked!).”
– Grace
Kids’ bikes
“Anything that kids grow out of is always possible to pick up for a bargain, and kids bikes are such a good example. We bought my son a high quality Trek bike with a trendy helmet included for $50.”
So, if you have a smaller budget, buying a good quality bike second-hand could be a smarter way to spend.
Furniture
“I bought this Parker bedroom suite (dressing table with mirror, chest of drawers, and wardrobe) for $250 years ago and ended up selling it for $1100. Turns out it’s a 1953 design – probably could have sold it for even more!”
– Alice
Toppling furniture
When buying second-hand furniture, it’s important to consider the risk of toppling. Common items such as bookshelves, televisions and chests of drawers can cause serious safety risks if they’re not anchored properly, and are particularly dangerous for younger children and older people.
“We picked up a giant Vuly trampoline someone was giving away for free on our local Waste Not, Want Not group.”
– Grace
Safety considerations
CHOICE expert Chris Barnes has some advice for those shopping for a second hand trampoline: – Check if it claims to meet the Australian standard (AS 4989)
Check that it has an enclosure net
Check that it claims to meet the Australian Standard (AS 4989)
Check carefully that everything is in good condition
No significant rust
Padding is in good condition with no holes or tears and still feels protective, i.e. has good “give”, and isn’t flat and lifeless
The mat has no holes or other damage
The enclosure net is intact and taut when assembled, not floppy and useless. Enclosure netting tends to break down after years in sunlight
The instructions are included and in readable condition (or at least downloadable from the manufacturer website)
Find out if replacement parts are still available
If it requires special tools to construct, make sure the seller still has them, or that you can get them elsewhere.
Wooden drawers
“When my daughter needed a set of drawers for her bedroom, we scored this solid wooden set someone was giving away for free and painted it Barbie-pink.”
– Grace
“This mid-century stoneware crockery is from an English brand called Denby. I had bought the green pieces from Facebook Marketplace, but it wasn’t a full set.
Then someone on my trade group (where people swap things with no money involved) posted an entire set of the brown ones. Their aunt was getting rid of them, and she only wanted some yarn as a trade so she could make blankets for a charity.”
– Alice
Gumtree
“I scored a beautiful extra-long parker sideboard from a minister’s wife in Mosman on Gumtree for $150. When I went to pick it up she was genuinely surprised about how many enquiries she’d had about it.”
– Jane
Dumpster diving*/council pickup/side of the road
“A friend of mine found two original Featherston chairs on a hard rubbish chuck out, but could only fit one in his car. They’re currently worth $3–10k each.”
– Tracy
“My partner scored a huge Brett Whitely painting retrieved from a dumpster in the Surry Hills Street they both lived/worked on. He chucked it, she found it.”
– Ren
“In a share house a long, long time ago, we would dumpster dive the day after Easter for hot cross buns. Hundreds of bags – all clean, wrapped, and fresh-ish – thrown into the freezer to fatten us up over winter.”
– Mark
“I found a cute cane side table and tiger cane plant stand both on the side of the road.”
– Alice
“I found a mid-century saucepan in the skip bin next to my house. I later found another similar looking one left out on the street near my house – it’s made in Yugoslavia! Below are the goodies from dumpsters, side of the road and op shops displayed on a plant stand, which was also found on the side of the road.”
– Alice
“Our son finds lots of furniture on the side of the road and saves it to gift to people when the time comes. He gifted us this outdoor table.”
– Andy
*We don’t necessarily recommend dumpster diving for food. It’s risky from a food safety perspective and it’s also a legal grey area. But you can definitely find great stuff in dumpsters. CHOICE staffer Alice recommends simply asking for permission if you’d like to check a bin that’s on private property.
Online bargains
Holiday
“At the risk of sounding like an advertorial, I cannot plug the value of the Sea World Resort ‘Stay Play and Save’ deal hard enough. Every year during ‘off’ season (usually August), my husband, two kids and I take a holiday to the Gold Coast. For $299 we get one night’s accommodation for all four of us, two full days of entry to Wet n Wild, Sea World and Movieworld (the day of check in and the day of check out) and one buffet breakfast.
I challenge anyone to find a cheaper way to visit three theme parks for two days! Unfortunately Sea World does not pay me a commission to spread the good word, but if they did I would be rich from the number of people I have put onto this amazing deal. The deal changes slightly each year but keep an eye out once the weather starts to turn.”
– Grace
Refurbished tech from Reebolo
“We’ve purchased all my extended family’s iPhones, AirPods etc through Reebelo at a fraction of the new cost, and they come with the same one-year warranty you would get when buying new.
I had to test my warranty recently when one of my three-month old AirPods stopped working and the process was very smooth and satisfying. Recently, we bought two 128GB iPhone 13s for our parents for $470 each, and delivery’s included.”
At CHOICE, we have a “free to a good home” Slack channel, and a table in the office where people can leave items for others to take. It’s a rich hunting ground for freebies, especially for parents looking for items other people’s kids have outgrown. It’s a great thing to suggest at your workplace if you think it might work.
Kids’ books
“I picked up a massive collection of Dog Man and Diary of a Wimpy Kid books that my kids are now obsessed with off the CHOICE free table.”
– Pru
Clothes
“I am still wearing a number of pairs of jeans/leggings etc that a colleague donated in an office clothes swap many years ago – great quality.”
– Alana
“I nabbed a pair of pink Doc Marten boots for my daughter.”
Getting things second-hand is not only great for your bottom line, it’s also good for the planet.
But as much as we love a bargain, there are plenty of things the savvy staffers at CHOICE would only buy new – usually for safety reasons, but also in some cases it’s simply the more frugal choice, when you take into consideration product warranties and customer support for certain items.
Certain appliances
Buying second-hand appliances can definitely be a good idea in certain situations, but when it comes to shopping second-hand, there are certain appliances that it really makes sense to buy new.
Big ticket items that use a lot of electricity (and will gobble up enormous quantities if they’re not running properly) such as fridges, dryers and washing machines are usually worth buying new – although you should always try to grab one on sale.
For smaller appliances like toasters, kettles and sandwich presses, you need to ask yourself why the seller is getting rid of the item – people rarely upgrade these items if they’re in perfect working condition.
The appliances that you’re most likely to be able to pick up for a bargain second-hand are novelty appliances that people may have bought on a whim or received as a gift and never ended up using. Things like slushie machines and ice cream makers, for example.
Baby items
When it comes to babies, safety and hygiene are extremely important. You can certainly pick up some items second-hand – prams, cots, high chairs and baby carriers are all good candidates, as long as you check they comply with the relevant safety standard.
Make sure you can see the model number so you can check it online for recalls, safety failures and warnings, and of course, read the relevant CHOICE buying guide for each product before you commit – we usually offer guidance on what to look out for when buying second-hand.
Other items are definitely worth buying brand new. Anything that’s going to go in your baby’s mouth (toys, dummies, bottles) should be new.
Cot mattresses should also be bought new, as older ones can be full of dust or mould and they may be too soft and saggy to be safe.
And you should never buy a second-hand car seat off a stranger – buying one off a friend or family member is OK if you are 100% sure it has never been involved in an accident.
Power tools
Faulty power tools can cause serious injury or death, so it’s really, really not worth taking the risk buying these second-hand.
Mattresses
Considering you may spend a third of your life on your mattress, and a second-hand one has likely absorbed a heck of a lot of sweat from its previous owner (and possibly some mould, dust and… other bodily fluids), it’s usually worth buying a new one if you can afford it.
Your consumer guarantee rights under the Australian Consumer Law may not apply when buying items through second-hand platforms like Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree because the transactions would probably be characterised as private transactions, not made in trade and commerce.
Nevertheless, platforms like these do have some statutory obligations. For example, the prohibition on misleading and deceptive conduct and false or misleading representations would apply.
Other potential risks for using peer-to-peer buy, swap, sell and sharing sites include the user damaging or losing a borrowed or rented item; people not picking up or returning items when they say they will; and sellers misrepresenting what they’re selling.
Always read the group’s rules and guidelines so you understand your rights when using these platforms.
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