How We Do a Secondhand Christmas

We all know the Christmas season can be expensive, but for our family, it can be even more challenging. With several birthdays packed into November and December — including our eldest’s on the 25th — it’s double the planning and double the gifts for us! In the early years, this made the holidays feel more stressful and costly but over time, we found a way to make it work by changing our mindsets and how we shop. Instead of heading to the High Street, we started shopping secondhand as much as possible. Not only has this saved us money, but it is also sustainable, the kids still get what they want (and often more), we find more unique gifts and the whole shopping experience is so much more enjoyable. Here is how we do secondhand Christmas and how you could too.

Changing Your Shopping Mindset

If you haven’t ever shopped secondhand before or rarely do I totally understand that it can take some time to get your head around this change. Buying brand new has been and is consistently still being pushed on us by adverts, good/clever marketing, celebs and influencers. It has long been seen as “the norm” but once you begin to step back and look closely at fast fashion stats and facts, the poor practices carried out within factories, low pay for the workers, the environmental impact and so on, it’s far easier to make secondhand your go-to way of finding the items you need. Another way of turning your head to preloved retail is by comparing prices, especially toys at Christmas time. I can almost guarantee that whatever your child is into at the moment, you will find the same or similar for a lot less money on Vinted, eBay, Marketplace or in charity shops. Try tallying up how much it would all cost you new and compare this to secondhand prices, it’s usually a no-brainer. And don’t forget that not all secondhand has been used so if you feel going used is too much at first, search for almost new and new with tags on items. Go on, dip your toe in, have a looksy and if you are new to this and need a bit more help I have lots of tips for shopping secondhand in this blog here.

Making Their List and Checking it Twice

Kids. They know what they want, what they like and I am sure that just like mine, yours tell you all year round “I want that for Christmas!” too. As tedious as it can get, this is actually really helpful and I will often bank some ideas away in the back of my mind to save for a later date. I don’t ever buy early on in the year simply because kids change their minds AND they can do this fast! Favourite TV shows come and go, fads do too, things are cool one month but aren’t the next. So, take these ideas, remember them, jot them down or ask them to make a list and then double-check with your child/children come September/October time. Get them to make any changes and updates and from here you should be set to start your shopping.

The Secondhand Christmas Shop

I see the Christmas list as a guide. They won’t get everything on it, there may be some items that will be added by myself because they are needed, useful or just fun or interesting and of course, some may not be an exact match but will be similar. Here are a few ways you can think about doing your secondhand Christmas shopping:

Vinted

This, for us, is the most accessible, straightforward and easy way to do the Christmas shopping for the kids. Vinted is one of my favourite ways to shop and from watching me use the app, the boys know exactly how it works. So around September I will hand them my phone, let them search for the things they would want and they go through tapping the heart in the corner of the image. If you don’t use Vinted, the heart saves these items into a favourites section which allows me to go in later on and view what they would like. I often discuss size, condition, and what is stated in the descriptions with them just to make sure they know what they would get and to ensure we get the best version of that product/item of clothing. I will then make the final decision on which gifts they will be receiving so that I stay within budget, we don’t all get carried away and end up with too much (easily done when it’s much cheaper) and so that it’s all a nice surprise!

You can honestly get so much on Vinted from toys to clothes, books and comics, stationary, bags, lamps/night lights, lego and games so we always manage to find some fantastic “big gifts” as well as smaller things for their stockings. For more Vinted Shopping Tips click here.

Charity Shops

This is my other main go-to for secondhand shopping. I am very fortunate to have plenty of charity shops in the town where I live so I am always hopping in and out of one just keeping an eye on what is in stock, what the prices are like and so as not to miss a good find. Now I know I am again very fortunate because I do work for myself and I can choose my hours so I have more flexibility in my day to be able to get out and about but I would say, anytime you are near to a charity shop, just pop in. You could also ask others to keep their eyes peeled for certain items for you or you could phone the charity shops if you have something in particular you are really trying to source. A lot of charity shops are open all weekend now too so that gives you more opportunity to do a little shop. If you can take your children with you, they can help to guide you into knowing what to purchase them as gifts.

Again, a charity shop sells a wide range of items, they are usually priced well (although this can vary from place to place) and you just never know what treasures someone may donate.

Facebook Marketplace

Another really simple way to shop of an evening is to scroll through Facebook Marketplace. Most people have a declutter in the couple of months before Christmas making it a great time to get searching for what your child may want. Some people don’t charge much if anything at all.

Freebie Facebook Groups

One of the best things you can do to save money and keep items in circulation is to join a local freebie Facebook group. I am in one and there are around 19k members! There is always so much being shared and so much choice, creating a really helpful and kind community. The only tricky thing I find is that people are very fast to comment making it easy to miss out so make sure you turn on the notifications in the run-up to Christmas.

eBay

I don’t use this as much these days but if I strike out with any of the above, eBay is another handy app to turn to. You could use this in the same way as I do with Vinted by allowing your child/children to add items to a watchlist and then go in later to do a little reccy. The only thing you will have to ensure is that you have your filters set beforehand.

Car Boot Sales

We recently went to a local car boot sale, my first in years and years, and I couldn’t believe the amount of fantastic stuff they had there. These are a great place to head to on a Sunday morning to find some bargains and again, some unique gifts too. We picked up 3 bags of old school Lego at such a low price (new Lego costs so much these days) and we will be heading back to see what else we can find for this year’s Secondhand Christmas.

Cleaning and Packaging

I am always very careful about the items I pick and will look carefully at photos as well as descriptions as I don’t want to end up with Christmas gifts that are damaged or have pieces missing etc. I try my best to source items like Lego still in their boxes with instructions but this isn’t always possible. In these cases, I will make sure I save up boxes from other deliveries along with packaging so I can keep everything safe and display the gift nicely plus it makes it far easier to wrap.

Everything is always checked for cleanliness and I will wash clothing items and used toys before the big day. I remove sticky charity shop labels with warm soap and water and disinfect items that require it with white vinegar.

Top Tips Round-Up

• Don’t start too early in the year
• Begin your Christmas shopping search from around September
• Be specific in the search bar and set filters accordingly
• Let the kids help with decision-making
• Take advantage of app features such as “favourites lists”
• Take your time and don’t rush a purchase
• Compare items across apps to find the best deal and better condition
• Don’t be afraid to haggle
• Ask friends/family to keep their eyes peeled for particular items on apps or in charity shops
• Join local freebie groups
• Look out for local car boot sales or secondhand sales
• Enjoy the process!

Secondhand shopping has been such a positive in our lives. Having converted to shopping this way a number of years ago now, we have saved so much money which has enabled us to let go of those financial stresses that we used to deal with at Christmas making the festive season much more relaxed and enjoyable – as it should be. If you also do a secondhand Christmas and have more tips let us know about them in the comments below.

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