Even if you think you’ll need the item multiple times, why bother paying full price for a new one when you can get it secondhand for a fraction of the retail cost?
Once upon a time, secondhand shoppers were limited to finding items at yard sales, thrift and consignment stores, and the random newspaper classified ads placed by sellers looking to unload goods to their neighbors. The Internet has, of course, revolutionized the marketplace for buying and selling secondhand goods, which helps frugal consumers and eager independent sellers everywhere. The Internet has also made it easier for folks to be more neighborly, with plenty of options for people to swap or borrow items, often with no money changing hands at all.
Part I of a new MainStreet.com series called “Secondhand Nation” recommends four swap sites where you’ll be able to borrow, buy, or acquire at no cost whatsoever all sorts of things—wood chippers, hand trucks, Halloween decorations, and so on. While browsing the possibilities, I even spotted one listing in which a husband asked if anyone wanted to borrow his wife. Here are the four swap sites mentioned in the story:
NeighborGoods.net
ShareSomeSugar.com
SnapGoods.com
Swap.com
Info about more secondhand and discount shopping sources:
Q&A: Everything You Need to Know About Swaptree.com
Q&A: With ClothingSwap Founder Suzanne Agasi
Glyde.com: An ‘eBay That’s Easy Enough for My Mom to Use’
Shout Out: Buxr’s Swap-portunity Roundup
32 Websites and Stores Where You’ll Never Pay Full Price