Things I Hate: Overpriced Baby Gear on Craigslist
Why is it that so many parents in my area think they are justified in pricing their used kid’s items on craigslist for almost retail? When the things are goodness knows how gently used?
I have no problems buying used baby items because man, some of it is damn expensive.
But why in the world would I buy a used item for over half of what it retails for in the store?
For example, I would like a new stroller for the Munchkinette. We have a MaClaren, and I wanted another. The one we have is still very functional after six years of use, but I was thinking that it wasn’t necessarily going to last another six.
My husband disagreed, but said I could get one off of craigslist if the price was right.
After searching for a while, I became not a little outraged at the prices people wanted for used baby things. Yeah, I know it was expensive when you bought it, but it isn’t new anymore! This stuff is like a car, once you open it up and put your baby in it, it loses half its value and it just keeps dropping from there.
But no, for a two year old stroller, one woman wanted almost half the retail price. She was unwilling to negotiate, and after two weeks, it is still unsold. I find that people wh0 want outrageous amounts of money for their crap often have an inflated sense of self worth to go along with their inflated prices, and this laday was no different. If I wanted to pay that much money, I would just get a new one.
So, for all you parents out there who think that you should charge a premium for your used things, get over yourselves!
I agree, the overpricing is insane. Baby gear is NOT an investment item. Worst of all is cloth diapers, as some of those moms collect them (the way one collects coins or stamps) and so some will go for $30, used. Or they’ll try to pass off never worn used for 50 cents or so under retail. So ridiculous.
I overheard a woman complaining about the price the shop owner had assigned her clothes at a consignment store. I wanted to say, “Honey. They’re your used clothes. USED clothes. They don’t hold their value the way bonds do.”
Used cloth diapers? Ewwww. I know you can wash them, but really, seems like a toothbrush–can be reused by the same person, or maybe close family members–but not by unrelated strangers. Ewwww.
Well, when you use a diaper service, you are also getting “used” diapers alsol. As long as they are sanitized, I don’t see a problem.
I guess I don’t think of them in the same way as underwear, even though I’m sure they get waaaay dirtier than most people’s real underwear.
I was thinking of them like underwear–hence the ewww factor. But I guess you could also think of them like hospital gowns/bedding, which get sanitized and reused.
I read once that using a diaper service wasn’t all that more environmentally-friendly than disposables, when the amount of water and detergent used to clean and sanitize the diapers was taken into account (and driving the the diapers back and forth.) I don’t know if it’s true, but it’s stuck with me, and since disposables were cheaper and more convenient I’ve never done the diaper service thing.
I’ve been in the market for a used Bob stroller for a long time. They do pop up regularly, but as you say, they’re generally listed for near retail price. Um, no thank you. I don’t care if you supposedly only used it twice, that’s not the point. Enjoy walking around it in the garage for the next few years until you get really annoyed and donate it (and try to get a huge tax deduction.)
We’ve sold a bunch of baby stuff on Craigslist and on my husband’s employer’s intranet listings. I don’t think we’ve sold anything for more than $50, and that was the barely used $160 papasan swing.
Old diapers make great dust rags. If you actually dust, that is. I just take off my glasses. Easier for everyone.
When we lived in our condo the people upstairs had a baby the same time we did, and their in-laws gave them the modern version of the baby carriage in the photo. It was a beautiful thing, *very* expensive, but they rarely used it because (1) it was bulky, weighed a ton and they could not carry it up the stairs to their unit and they had to park it on the first floor in a common area and (2) those carriages are really made for perambulating a baby through a flat London park, not really for navigating the narrow and pock marked streets and sidewalks of Boston.
They gave up and bought a modern hi-tech collapsible stroller. However the wheels on those old fashioned baby carriages are great for soap box derby cars!