In this guest article, Alicja appraises buying second hand goods.

We all have our personal relationships with second-hand items but our appreciation of them varies and usually depends on whether the item serves us well or shows itself malfunctioning. A second-hand printer that takes ages to detect Wi-Fi in the room could be a good case in point. Altogether I have an impression that the stories told by people about about buying second-hand items range from those that say ‘I bought something second-hand and something bad happened to me’ to ‘I bought something second-hand and something good happened to me’. For example, ‘I dragged a second-hand microwave that I found abandoned on the pavement, plugged it in and it tripped all the electrics at home’ or ‘I found an art print in the charity shop and I learnt it was worth thousands’ (not my story to tell, but I do know someone who had that much luck). While these stories represent the extreme sides of experiences, in the middle we have those more ordinary voices that reflect an average daily existence. Among them are examples of parents buying second hand bikes for their toddlers, uniforms for the secondary school, pots and pans for university freshers, or outfits for a theatre play that is going to be performed just once after Christmas. These are more ordinary and common examples of second-hand buying that sustain and understand the temporary quality of life and the quick passing of time.

Do you remember your second-hand purchases?

What are the stories behind them?

In which case was the second-hand item a sustainable solution to your need or problem?