The Cost of Raising Kids: Benefits of Buying Secondhand

Picking out baby gear for a new little bundle is an exciting part of the parenthood journey. Strolling down the aisles at your local baby store, trying to decide which stroller fits your lifestyle is a rite of passage for new parents. After all, the strollers and car seats and cribs on the market today are high tech, user-friendly and extremely covetable. There aren’t the baby buggies our parents had!

But what happens when the stroller you love is simply out of your budget? Sure, it has a lot of incredible features, and you can just imagine the long walks you’ll take with your little one bundled inside. But if all the bells and whistles make the stroller too pricey for your budget, you might have to compromise on the brand or style you really want to make it work with your wallet.

But what if you didn’t have to compromise to get the stroller of your dreams? Instead of sacrificing what you really want because it’s just out of range, what if you buy secondhand from Good Buy Gear and saved upwards of 40 percent off the retail price? This just might be the solution for you. 

The Cost of Raising Kids: Ways to Save

New York Life estimates that a child’s first year of life is no walk in the park financially. Starting with baby’s delivery and ending with his first birthday, baby’s first year can cost between $20,000 and $25,000 because of all the baby gear, childcare and healthcare visits he will need. Good thing babies are cute!

Even with the cost of raising a child in the U.S. so high, the birth rate in the U.S. has increased yearly since 2018. But new parents, specifically Millennials and Gen Zers, are getting creative with cutting child-rearing costs, especially in baby’s early years. These generations are adapting to the ever-rising cost of having kids by shopping secondhand for many of baby’s must-haves.

The resale market is growing at an unparalleled rate, with new parents buying more gear secondhand than ever before. Mintel, a global market research firm, states that less than half of U.S. parents buy their baby gear brand new. That same survey suggests that 80 percent of parents have bought baby gear from other parents or resale sites such as GoodBuyGear. In fact, 40 percent of consumers now buy with the intent to resell their goods. Talk about bang for your buck!

The Cost of Raising Kids: Saving Money by Buying Secondhand

We all want what’s best for our children. But what if the best items aren’t always affordable items? Baby gear, like most items on the market, comes with a variety of price tags. It can be hard to know which brands to trust or which items to splurge on.

So many parents turn to reputable parenting websites and resources such as The Bump, an industry leader in all things baby and kid related. They scour the internet looking for must-have items. They make lists of which items to splurge on and which items to skip. They try to determine which items should be purchased brand new and acquired before their child is even born and which ones they have some time on. They try to budget for these items, big and small.

The Bump just released its Best of Baby Awards for 2020. There are so many fantastic, innovative, need-to-have-them products on this list. But let’s talk about the cost of these items for a minute.

Let’s pick five items baby needs. Baby needs a car seat. This is a non-negotiable. Baby likely needs a stroller, as well as a playard and a bouncer. And maybe a diaper pail. Because diapers are stinky.

If you were to purchase The Bump’s recommended item from each of these lists at retail, here is what it would cost you:

1. Car Seat: Cybex Sirona S 360 Convertible Car Seat, $500
2. Stroller: UPPABaby Cruz V2, $650
3. Playard: Bugaboo Stardust, $299
4. Bouncer: Mamaroo4, $250
5. Diaper Pail: Ubbi Diaper Pail, $70

These five items, brand new, will cost you $1,769 before taxes and any optional warranties. That’s a lot! Now, granted, some of these will have a longer lifespan with your child than others. The car seat is convertible, meaning your child can use it from birth until about age four. The stroller should last until he is about five. The bouncer will have the shortest lifespan with your child, lasting only from birth until about six or seven months. The diaper pail should last until he is potty-trained. If you have more children, these items should be able to be passed down. If you maintain these products well, you should be able to resell them with Good Buy Gear to recoup some of your initial expense.

But what if you saved money up front and bought them used? Let’s look at what these same items would cost you on Good Buy Gear.

1. Car Seat: Cybex Sirona S 360 Convertible Car Seat, $349.99
2. Stroller: UPPABaby Cruz V2, from $369.99
3. Playard: Bugaboo Stardust, $155
4. Bouncer: MamaRoo4, from $145.75
5. Diaper Pail: Ubbi Diaper Pail, from $29.99

These items, when purchased secondhand from Good Buy Gear, will run you about $1,052. That’s 40 percent off retail! That’s $700 less on the same items you could buy from a store. That’s $700 back into your budget. Good Buy Gear has these items and so many more top name brands for your child at a fraction of the retail cost. If you want the top brands for your baby but still want to be able to afford other necessities (a crib, diapers, clothing, pacifiers, the list goes on), buying these big items at far below retail price may be the right move for you. Take great care of your secondhand items and you’ll  be able to resell them after your little one outgrows them, too!

The Cost of Raising Kids: The Benefits of Buying Secondhand

It’s true, buying secondhand isn’t a perfect system. You may not be able to buy the item you want in the exact color or pattern you were hoping for, but there are benefits to buying secondhand beyond just saving money (although that is a huge reason to buy preowned!).

A few more great reasons to consider buying secondhand:

-Buying secondhand saves items from landfills.

-Purchasing an item secondhand from another parent put cash back in that parent’s hand so that.

-Shopping secondhand supports small businesses such as Good Buy Gear rather than just big box retailers.

When you are ready to get the baby item you want without paying retail, be sure and check out Good Buy Gear. Good Buy Gear inspects each item and only brings you top-quality used items that will work well for you and your new bundle of joy. And, when that bundle of joy outgrows his baby items, sell them with Good Buy Gear and turn your cash into something new for baby (or you)!