Brand new or second hand?

Kandy-Sugar

ღWhite Roséღ ♀
Veteran
Joined
Nov 15, 2008
Messages
9,096
Age
36
Location
ღAustraliaღ ღQueenslandღღGold Coastღ
Gil
0
Well I was just looking around on Ebay for a PS3 with backwards compatibility (the original console that came out before the slim version) and I was quite annoyed to find that there was only one that I came across that was brand new.

I'm one of those people who likes to make sure that anything I buy is brand new and that no one else has touched it and may have screwed something up that I'll have to deal with later.

Even if I have to pay a bit extra I don't care. I just want it to be new.

But I don't think I really have a choice now as I don't want the slim version.

---

Are you the sort of person who looks for bargains and doesn't care if it's new or not? As long as it works?

Or are you like me and have to have it come brand spanking new in it's original packaging?

Or are you sort of in between and don't really mind either way as long as you get it?
 
I'm always looking for bargains. I also shop on eBay quite a lot, or at least I used to, and was always buying used products. As long as it works, it's good enough for me.

Although, I do love buying new products, such as a book or a movie. I love taking it out of the package for the first time and not having had anyone else touch it before. That may sound quite odd, but it's true. I love the smell of new things as well. ^^

I would never be able to have second hand clothes. Just the thought of it makes my skin crawl. Luckily, I'm the eldest child in the family, so I never had to deal with having an older sister hand me down her clothes.
 
Really I guess I'd say i'm in between. If it's something that I want but don't really care for as much as other things. As long as it's not badly damaged then I much rather take that and save some cash.
But if it's something big (or im buying a gift for someone) etc i'd deff spend the extra money to have it brand new.
So im in the middle=)
 
Really, it depends on the price difference. Initially, I will always look for something to be brand new, but if its considerably cheaper second hand, I'll get it second hand instead. So, as long as I get it at the cheapest possible price, I don't really care whether its new or second hand. XD
 
It all depends what it is and what condition it's in. If it's a game, and it's in practically the same condition second hand that it is new, and cheaper, I'll buy the second hand one. If it's in an appalling condition, I'd buy the brand new one.

Books and clothes are something I need to buy new. I like being the first one to read a book, and second hand books are often damaged and whatnot. I can't stand the thought of wearing second hand clothes either, it freaks me out just thinking about it.

So yeah, it depends on what it is and what condition it's in.
 
I guess I'm inbetween, though I wont buy anything that's not boxed/missing manuals etc. Dunno why, as I jsut shove them in the cupboard anyway, I still have my PS2's box in the cupboard from like, 5 years ago...
 
I guess I'm inbetween, though I wont buy anything that's not boxed/missing manuals etc. Dunno why, as I jsut shove them in the cupboard anyway, I still have my PS2's box in the cupboard from like, 5 years ago...

Packrat. :wacky:

It depends for me as well. I dont think I've ever seen myself buy anything secondhand. To be honest, I wouldn't care if it was though, besides clothes.

If the product I'm looking for works, and isn't totally wrecked, I couldn't care less if it were brand new or secondhand. :ryan:
 
It depends on what it is I'm buying. For the most part, I prefer for things to be brand new. If I buy a game or a music CD, I only want new ones, even though minor scratches and such will still work, I prefer to have something 100% new.

Some games might be a little older and I'll make my peace with a used game, so long as it works. For music CD's, I'll accept used ones if I know for certain that the CD is either out of print or ridiculously hard to find (yes, I have CD's that are out or print and hard to find).

But I'm willing to spend more money to buy a product that I know has never been used. It's like if you buy a used car and know that the indents on the carpet from your foot are from someone else who drove the car. With a new car, you know that those inprints are from your foot and not someone elses (it's sort of a nostalgia thing I guess).
 
The only things that I'll buy second hand are things like games and books. As long as the game works and I can read the book, I don't see the point in having it brand new. Books especially... new books don't open properly and I have to hold one side down to keep it open. -__-

Anything else, I'll buy brand new. Especially consoles. I'd rather spend the extra money to it's lasts longer. Although I did get my laptop a month old and it was hardly ever used but other than that...
 
It really all depends on how "second handy" the product is im looking at and what it is.

With clothing items for instance, I will only by new because that way I know only I have worn the clothing item and not anyone else (in comes my hygiene freakery again) as with second hand clothing items, I dont know where they have been, who they have been worn by and what they have been doing in them.

With stuff like electronical goods and the like, it depends on how "used" it is, if its in a nearly new or just out of the box condition I'll likely show interest in it, partly used a may also consider depending on the item.

Not so recently I did purchase all the outstanding old RE games for my collection and the only way to get hold of them was 2nd hand, I dropped on and got a nearly new RE1 directors cut (with the RE2 demo disk) RE nemesis nearly new and RE 4 part used (manual missing) so sometimes I dont mind if its part used if its something I'm after and I can get it for a reasonable price.
 
If it works it works really. Uhm i wouldnt buy anything expensive like a tv or a ps3 seconds hand. When i buy something like that i want insurance aswell so if it fucks up im covered. As for things like dvds computer gamnes etc if i see them cheaper second hand im sure as hell gunna buy them.WHy pay more for the same game when both copies work fine? Seems silly to me.
 
I could probably count on one hand the things I've bought that're second hand, and even then the only reason I have those is because I couldn't find them as 'new' (though as luck would have it, I'd always find one a week or so later...). The thought that someone else has had their mucky paws all over it just puts me off. It's not that I'm [entirely] a snob about the whole thing; the hygiene aspect plays on my mind far too much.

And yes, I use disinfectant wipes on my games/CDs/DVDs etc that're second hand. xD
 
I've got no problem buying games 2nd hand. Hell, I've bought tons of old NES games as well as some for PSX/2 and never had an issue. Yet, several times I've had to return brand new games because of defect. Actually, when I initially got FF XII for Christmas in '07, it quit on me after a week or so. My wife neglected to keep the receipt so I was SOL - luckily the Gamestop in my neighborhood had a pre-owned Limited Edition for $35 that was in mint condition.

My first Playstaytion was from a pawn shop back in '97 and still works.

Clothes - no way. I don't want to put on my pants and think of some other dude's stanky pills.

Books - absolutely. You can find some gems in hardcover - great for reading and filling out book-shelves / tables for decorative purposes.

Of course - 2nd hand instruments are the best. A lovingly broken in guitar > a stiff new one that probably saw poorer quality control than a preceding vintage.
 
I'll admit that there's more of an appeal when buying something brand spanking new. When you buy new, you know that that product his yours and has only been yours. Starting from scratch, so to say. When it comes to computers and video game consoles, I'd rather buy it brand new. If it's something like software, I wouldn't mind buying it second hand. Usually when I go to places like Gamestop, most of the games I buy there are used as long as the original case and manual are still inside, and as long as the disk itself is not scratched. Books I wouldn't mind buying second hand either, especially textbooks that are required for classes.

I like buying movies that are brand new since it feels more like part of a collection, and I like tearing the plastic off for the first time.
 
For me it depends on the rarity as well as what the item is--I've had to get most of my SNES games secondhand because I guess by the time I had really gotten into playing, the PS had just come out and SNES was already starting to fall by the wayside. There's also one of my favorite books--a nonfiction account of Helge Ingstad's archaeological observations of Greenland--that's rare enough that I had to get it used, turns out it's in great condition though. Books I'm okay with as long as they're not dirty/greasy, and electronics as long as they work, I can live without the manuals and boxes if I have to. Clothes--mm, it really depends on what it looks like, but then I'm hard to fit so I'd be hard pressed to find anything at a Goodwill etc. anyway (I've looked). One thing I am STAUNCHLY against, however, is secondhand food. I will not buy that ever. :mokken:
 
If I know I can get something for a bargain and it would work or do its purpose just as well as a new purchase, then I probably will. But there are certain things like clothing and whatnot that I'd prefer to be 'new' and not previously used.
 
Let's see...as depressing as it sounds, the only thing I've been buying on a regular basis have been games and probably the only thing that I can use for this kind of discussion.

Honestly, I often look for used before new for the fact that I know it will be cheaper. I don't care if a game is second hand. As long as it works, that's all that matters to me.

In general, I am kind of a bargain hunter. If a used game is significantly cheaper than new, I'd get it. I remember I bought a used Grandia III game for 20 bucks while it was still in stores at new for 35+.

Granted, there's the perceived 100% Guarantee that new games won't be bad, but I guess I'm willing to take the risk for used. Honestly, only 2 used games crapped out on me compared to the plethora that's still in my collection over the years.

I recently managed to track down a used (or refurbished as the fancy term the store wanted to use :P) 60GB PS3 system. For a system, I admit I'm more wary and nervous. I'm crossing my fingers it'll last as long as my PS2 has.
 
It depends on what I am buying and what the cost difference is. If it is an expensive item then yes I have to buy it new only because of a new warrenty. Not to mention it has a lesser chance of having something wrong with it over something used. If it is something inexpensive then while I will buy something used if it is really cheap, I would prefer to settle for new.

Now clothing is a different story. No questions asked. NEW!
 
I would personally not buy a used game consol. They are too expensive if it turns out that they do not work and that would be a complete waste of money. Unless the consol was being sold very cheap, which it's probably junk.

Games on the other hand i would buy. I've been buying PS games lately and the price for a new game could be around $200 while a use may only be $40. Every used game I have bought has played very well.
 
Condition condition condition, that is the most important factor to me.

If i can't find it new i go for used, if it's not in good working condition i do not buy it. This doesn't happen often though, i get most of the stuff i want new. Also if i can't afford to buy a item brand new i get a used one instead.

Last year i bought a DS lite used for 80 bucks, it works great that and the fact it wasn't used much either. That was a great buy that day for me.
 
Back
Top