What do you buy new vs. used

[BrooklineBiker]

Hi all,
I am new to frugality and am curious what you buy new as opposed to used? Here are few things I buy new:

-Bike parts that will wear out like chains
-Outdoor clothing
-Laptop computers
-Shoes

Here are some things I buy used:-
-Ties for work
-Gardening equipment
-Clothes and sporting goods for little kids

How about you?

[CarDude]

New...

Mattresses
Tires
Underwear

[RetiredAt63]

What carsafetyguy said

Plus shoes - I have very fussy feet.
New when I cannot find what I need used - but even then, there are almost always sales.

RRR - reduce, reuse, recycle - reduce comes first - do you really need the whatever it is,whether it is used or new?

[AzStasher]

I actually bought a used laptop because i wanted a core i7, 8 GB RAM, 2gb Nvidia graphics card,  high end machine due to the nature of my job.

It was one year old and cost less than half the price of a similarly powered new laptop. If you go this route just make sure you thoroughly test the machine. So far I am very happy with it. I never could have brought myself to buy a new core i7. Too expensive.

[Nords]

I'm glad socks & underwear were mentioned, because I was having a hard time thinking of things I buy new.  Once I learned to line-dry them for improved elastic longevity, I slowed way down on those purchases.

If I need a pair of shoes to fit perfectly then I'll buy new, but that's a once-a-decade item.  (I buy yardwork sneakers at Goodwill.)  We buy new tires for our vehicles, especially since mounting/balancing labor is part of the final price.  About the only other new things we seem to buy are home-improvement supplies & tools.  As a poster mentioned on another thread:  sometimes it's easier to buy a new tool, use it once, and sell it on Craigslist than to buy it from Craigslist (or from a pawnshop). 

Otherwise Craigslist and Goodwill seem to get at least 90% of our business.  Maybe 98%.

[Hedge_87]

When I read the title I automatically thought of two but they are already on here.
Shoes
Underwear and socks
Didn't think of the mattress right away but Yea definitely a new mattress
I like new tooth brushes too. Normally by the time somebody sells a tooth brush there just isn't much left.

[nereo]

buy new: 
condoms, toilet paper, toothpaste/toothbrushes, (actually most personal care products now that I think of it)
used:
virtually everything else, but the major things on the list are
cars, books, clothes (whenever possible), homes (renovate!), wood (reclaimed whenever possible), most of my tech.

[Rural]

New:
Underwear and socks
Some building supplies (but we check the salvage place for everything we can first)
Probably mattresses from here on. I've bought two in my lifetime, one used and one new.
Tires (though I have bought used for clunkers with irreparable alignment issues, and might again)
Food. Unless you take the long view of the cycle, in which case it's used. We also produce some ourselves.
Auto parts, usually.
+1 On the toothbrushes. Also medication, what I don't make myself.


Used:
Shoes, usually. Exceptions for my work shoes if I can't find them used in a reasonable time. Ditto work boots.
Computers
Clothes
Cars
Furniture, what my husband doesn't make.
Appliances
Hand tools when possible (usually is), some power tools

[trailrated]

buy new: 
condoms

I do the same, but turn them inside out to re-use them. Maybe that's why I have a son...

[luigi49]

I actually bought a used laptop because i wanted a core i7, 8 GB RAM, 2gb Nvidia graphics card,  high end machine due to the nature of my job.

It was one year old and cost less than half the price of a similarly powered new laptop. If you go this route just make sure you thoroughly test the machine. So far I am very happy with it. I never could have brought myself to buy a new core i7. Too expensive.

How do you thoroughly test?

[Albert]

Actually the only thing I've bought used recently is a bicycle. However, I don't buy a lot of stuff in the first place (no car, no kids, no house thus no need for most tools).

[fantabulous]

I actually bought a used laptop because i wanted a core i7, 8 GB RAM, 2gb Nvidia graphics card,  high end machine due to the nature of my job.

It was one year old and cost less than half the price of a similarly powered new laptop. If you go this route just make sure you thoroughly test the machine. So far I am very happy with it. I never could have brought myself to buy a new core i7. Too expensive.

How do you thoroughly test?

Beyond "does it turn on and does the battery hold a charge", there's the basic hardware things:
* Use a test pattern to look for dead pixels on the screen
* Make sure wireless/bluetooth can connect
* Plug things into ports to make sure the ports are functional

You might also try some sort of stress/benchmark test to see if the laptop has overheating issues. I've gone the used route on lower end "business" netbooks and gotten solid machines. It was on that borderline of need vs want for me (not strictly needed, nice to have for work). I'd probably also go the used route for a higher end laptop if I need one in the future.

[ketchup]

New:
Food
Dog food
Socks, underwear, and shoes.
Certain sensitive electronics (hard drives, etc)
Software
Toilet paper
Replacement parts for household things (filters, etc)

Used:
Cars: obvious
Tools when practical
Mattress: I guess I'm in the minority here.
Furniture: Like Jacob said on ERE about this: "You get what you pay for, unless you buy used."  Cheap new furniture is usually garbage, but cheap used stuff can be great.
Most electronics: A nice place where "living on the trailing edge of luxury" is cheap.  Generally 95% of the utility for 20-50% of the cost.
Photography equipment
Video games (except Steam)
Clothes except socks, underwear, and shoes.
Books
Water.  All my water has been used before billions of times and it's as good as new.

"It depends":
Cookware: I bought a new cast-iron skillet two years ago that will last me forever.  My grandparents' pressure cooker (circa 1953-1978 or so) is probably also going to last me forever.
Car parts: Maintenance car parts like spark plugs and oil are bought new.  Non-wear parts like replacement outside mirrors are bought from the junkyard.

It's really hard thinking of a list of "thing that we buy".

[ThriftyD]

One thing (among many) that I actually prefer to buy used are my men's dress shirts.  I'm a taller, thin guy with longer arms and I found nothing but problems when I used to buy from the department store.  Either the collar fit nice and the sleeves were too short or the sleeves fit nice but the collar was too large and the shirt was too baggy.

Buying my shirts at Goodwill or another thrift shop allows me to try them on to make sure they fit nicely before I buy them. 

Also...any other men notice or get frustrated at how many pins, paper, and plastic are used and wasted in the packaging for men's dress shirts?  Just when I think I get all the pins out, I feel one poke me in the wrist. 

[YK-Phil]

New: most clothes, mattress, shoes.

Used: practically everything else.

I say most clothes because until recently, I would have never got used underwear and socks. But my wife owns a consignment store and her best consignor is a wealthy young couple who do a full wardrobe replacement at least four times a year. Everything they buy (and bring for consignment) is high end, really expensive, and always in like-new condition, even socks and underwear, so since she would not sell used undergarnments in any case, I could not pass on the opportunity to wear $50 Andrew Christian underwear :D

[Hedge_87]

One thing is for sure I sure am glad that somebody invented Craigslist.  I really dislike going to garage sales. You can find some amazing deals but it's just not a fun experience for me. Maybe it's because when I was a kid grandma would drag us all over the county to go to them.

[theglobetrotter]

Anything that goes inside me needs to be new. New undies and socks a must also. New toilet paper!!

I love consignment shops! I got most of my clothing there. Ditto for the kids although their coats I've bought new but always on sale. They last the girls three years! I am not lucky with used shoes. I'll buy used if I find them but it's rare. 6pm.com has some great ones for a deal.

New external HD. I do photography and I feel safer new. I do buy new computers/electronics but they're refurbs. My $1800 camera I bought for $1200. Watch the classifieds. Got a $1500 piano for $300. But good quality stuff. It'll last forever!

We use a lot of non-throwaway stuff. Mostly because we're a bit of a hippy than being frugal. Less trees to cut and as little plastic fantastic as possible. We cloth diaper instead of throwaways -- and for this, I am ok 2nd hand. 

[MrsPete]

When we were younger, I used to buy a whole lot more used items -- but that was before we had a fully furnished house.  In those days, we needed to buy furniture, kitchen items, and so forth, and they were easy to find used.  Then we had the kids, and it only made sense to buy their quickly-outgrown clothing used. 

Fast forward to today, we don't buy all that much.  Our house is furnished, and we aren't the type of people to re-do the living room because a new color has come into fashion.  Our closets are full of clothes, and we buy only a few items each year (sometimes new, sometimes used) so our wardrobes will stay functional.  We don't need new appliances, etc. on a regular basis.  When we do buy something, we investigate our options carefully and "buy smart", regardless of whether that's new or used.

[avongil]

Used mattresses have bed bugs!  Seen renters infest a house with curb mattresses twice!

I try to buy just about everything used, unless it's quite obvious it should be new like carsafteyguy points out.

AG