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Second Hand Toys at Christmas – Would You?
Last year, my then three-year-old wanted one thing for Christmas: Groovy Girls. Groovy Girl dolls, Groovy Girl beds, Groovy Girl cars. One look at the prices left me a little dizzy, until I got the idea to look them up on Craigslist. Low and behold, there was an 11-year-old girl selling her entire collection. For $20.
The Globe and Mail is reporting that resale and secondhand stores are busier than ever with parents looking to score used toys to put under the tree.
“My kids won’t care. They won’t even notice that the toys are used,” one shopper told the Globe and Mail. “There are certain things that they want, and whether or not they have packaging on them won’t matter. All they care about is if the toy is new to them.”
I concur. And though there are no used gifts under our tree this year (except for — I’m hoping — a refurbished iPod for me), my girls will be wearing beautiful, like-new, name brand Christmas dresses bought for $8 each at our local resale store. Young children in particular don’t really seem to care if their toys/clothes have been gently loved by a child before them. Kids, they just want to have fun.
Would you put used toys under the tree?
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11 Comments
Carrie M. commented on Dec 17 09 at 10:10 amHell yes!As long as the kids were too little to care.
wendy commented on Dec 17 09 at 10:13 amWhen I was growing up my family didn’t have a lot of money. We were told that Santa only has room on his sleigh for one present per kid (you know, since there are so many kids in the world). Our one present from Santa was always sitting out, unwrapped, so it was the first thing we saw when we came downstairs Christmas morning. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized this was because 1. my parents only had enough money to buy us a few gifts and they didn’t want us to think Santa could provide us with unlimited toys and 2. the Santa gifts were almost always used, out of the package toys.
You know what? I never knew the difference.
Lorraine commented on Dec 17 09 at 10:50 amIn a heartbeat! My kids won’t care in the least.
Knitty commented on Dec 17 09 at 11:06 amI would and do. My daughter couldn’t care less about things being “new” and with second-hand toys my husband and I don’t have to break through hermetically sealed plastic packaging before she can play with them.
diera commented on Dec 17 09 at 11:33 amMy two-year-old’s ‘big’ present is a toy kitchen that we bought used for $50 instead of the $170 they cost new. My son’s ‘big’ present is a Nintendo DS which was bought new on Black Friday, otherwise would have been a used one, and 3 games bought used so he has three games instead of one. As long as used doesn’t equal broken or dirty, who cares?
Manjari commented on Dec 17 09 at 11:33 amI definitely would buy used toys for Christmas! I don’t think they would care at all.
jenny tries too hard commented on Dec 17 09 at 11:43 amHa! Ahead of my time, I’ve been buying used since my monsters were born. We wouldn’t have been able to afford non-essentials like exersaucers when they were babies or a playstation now that they’re older if we didn’t buy used. Another nice bonus of buying used toys—You don’t spend 8am-10am Christmas morning removing all the wire twisties and industrial strength tape that seem to come on every stupid thing these days.
BlackOrchid commented on Dec 17 09 at 1:17 pmMy children will be in very nice, never-worn, expensive-label holiday clothes from a resale shop – just like every year – gosh they wear the things once or twice! And I’ve gotten them used video games as well. Some of their favorite toys I bought at nearby consignment shops or got secondhand. It never actually occurred to me that I should be ashamed of these things. My Italian blood must be part Sicilian!
Barb commented on Dec 17 09 at 2:25 pmHeck, yes! Not only does it save us money, but it’s the environmentally right thing to do!
Andrea commented on Dec 17 09 at 3:30 pmWe buy used even when we can afford new, unless it’s something that just doesn’t make sense to buy used (shoes, for example). I think that it teaches kids that the value of an object comes from its actual properties rather than the fact that it’s shiny when it comes out of the box.
MEMAW commented on Dec 18 09 at 12:20 amwhen my kids were little my daughter wanted a mermaid doll and i found one new at a thriftshop but the tail was broken. i said it was a misfit toy like on rudolph, she loved that doll more than any present she ot in childhood.we care more than rhe kids. they just love christmas
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