There are things that simply aren't worth the price new. And then there are things that are actually better used! Here's what resale shopkeepers across the continent, who see all the mistakes coming out of their clients' closets and cupboards, think are the things you should always buy used.

1- Special occasion dressing. If you'll be wearing a ball gown for four hours, a mother-of-the-bride outfit for three, or, heaven help you, a clown costume for two hours, why buy new? You can save enough buying such outfits gently-used to have a much more special occasion!

2- Holiday photo attire. Same reasoning here: Sure, little Britney would look adorable posing in that red velvet and lace concoction, but face it: she'll be wearing it for 20 minutes. Buy her outfit second-hand and save enough to order extra prints for the family!

3- Holiday attire of any kind. Sure, that Halloween sweatshirt's cute, but you'll wear it what, 3 times? Buy it used for a few bucks, and it's not frightfully expensive. Buy it new for $40 or $50? And pay $15 per wearing? Enough to scare the daylights out of your budget!

4- Books. As one resale shopkeeper said: "The words do not get read off the page! Let someone else pay the new price!"

5- Toys. Children's interests change so fast, chances are the toy you find in a consignment or resale shop has barely been played with. And chances are also good that when it ends up in the bottom of your child's toy box, there will be another child eager to play with it, so you can reconsign it!

6- Home accent pieces. Artwork & other home decor items rarely show wear but do show the homemaker's tastes and interests. Interesting pieces from exotic lands or other times, are readily found at reasonable prices in resale shops of all types.

7- Kids' clothing. Just about anything you could put on your child is better bought secondhand: Newborn clothing abounds in resale, especially because an infant simply grows too fast to wear all the darling outfits purchased as gifts.

7a- Then there is toddler clothing. One resale shopkeeper says, "My toddler will wear an outfit to preschool once and it comes home covered in finger paint and glitter glue, ground-in dirt from the sandbox or grass stains from the yard, and cranberry juice or other remnants of lunch. When I buy it already used, it's no problem when it comes home in a shambles."

7b- Older children adore costumes and make-believe clothes. Fill their dress-up boxes with fun items purchased at resale shops and let their imaginations take wing!

8- Jeans. They ALWAYS fit better used. Someone else gets to have them shrink after the first washing.

9- Video Games/ DVDs. Why spend $50 when your child beats the game in a week. Same with movies. And most places give a warranty on these items.

10- Accessories of all sorts. Who wants to look like they bought their jewelry at the local department store? Their belt at the same mall store everyone in town goes to? Quality accessories show your style and taste. A gently-used authentic designer piece costs little more than the cheap illegal knock-off bought from dubious sources.

The media is welcome to use this material for news stories with complete attribution, however others may not reproduce this in any form without prior written permission of the author. © 1996, 2007 Kate Holmes, author of Too Good to be Threw: The Complete Operations Manual for Resale & Consignment Shops and web host of www.tgtbt.com and www.HowToConsign.com. 

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