I’ve never been a fan of things second-hand. While I understand the appeal of things such as vintage clothings or bags and such, I have never been one to really source and search out such things.
That is, until I became a mummy. The internet proved to be a great wealth of good and affordable second-hand buys! Here’s some of my second-hand finds…
With Jay, I gingerly stepped into the world of second-hand shopping. And got him his Peg Perego Pliko Pramette at S$400, a steal, considering it was very new, and a new one would have cost double the amount.
But that was the extent of my second-hand shopping spree. With Xav, I became a LOT more adventurous. Here’s a list of my online buys (I started when I was about 5 months preggers, so as to spread out the damage, and minimize heartburn):
The Medela Pump-In-Style Advanced. Retails at about S$750. I bought mine for S$280.
The Beco Butterfly II baby carrier. I was sold on reviews which spoke of the Beco’s ergonomical design and the fact that it can carry the child up to 20 kg. I mean, essentially that means I can carry Jayvon (who weighs 16kg) on this. But I won’t cos he can walk. Haha! This carrier retails at $258, and I got mine for $150.
Don’t ask me why I bought two baby carriers. Haha! But I also got the Baby Bjorn Synergy baby carrier (in gray). While this carrier is easy for first-time baby-wearers like me (cos of its structured shape), it also means that you would not be able to use these for very long. I decided to get both to see which would be better. Retails at S$299, and I cannot recall the exact amount but it was much lower than that.
Other smaller buys include the Medela breastmilk bags (retails at $59.90 for a box of 50 pieces, and which I bought for $30 a box).
To buy second-hand:
- You need a lot of patience to scour the Internet and online forums. Some places I hung out at: MummySG.com, Singapore Motherhood, Craigslist, Ebay, and of course good ol’ Google! I bought my Baby Bjorn from a CAR forum.
- You also need a healthy dose of NON-analness. These are preloved items, and it would not be in pristine condition. If you’re an absolute clean freak, believe me, your life would be easier if you just buy retail (or wait for the Taka Baby Fair or something). Some people are fussy about using say a second-hand breast pump. Well, I have no such issue. Nothing that sterilization cannot help. For Medela, you can get brand new parts (like the tubing and such), but I honestly didn’t bother.
- Most sellers would require you to self-collect at their home or work-place, but occasionally you might also meet one willing to deliver the product to you. Most sellers are also willing to let you check the product before deciding whether or not to make that final plunge.
- You will be AMAZED at what you can get from the forums. Some good deals can also be snagged, especially when expats move away from Singapore and are willing to sell off their items at a very good price.
Well, I hope this has been useful for you! I have enjoyed (and saved!) on my preloved items purchases to date, and hope this has inspired you to also try it out!
Happy shopping!
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