Going garage sailing is a great way to find some bargains for a little bit of money. However, there are several items that you should NEVER buy at a garage sale. I’m sharing those 7 things down below!
7 Items You Should NEVER Buy at Garage Sales
Do you love a great deal? If so, you probably love sifting through garage sales. Garage sales are a great way to find a bargain and get the items you need for less. But did you know that there are some items you should NEVER buy from garage sales? Buying these items can prove to be dangerous to your health and your home, so they should be avoided. Take a look below at 7 items you should never buy at garage sales and instead walk on by!
1. Infant Car Seats: Because car seats are often recalled due to malfunctions or updated to prove more effective, buying one at a garage sale is never advised. You also don’t know if the car seat has ever been in a collision or experienced impact, which could make the car seat less effective and safe. This is an item you should instead buy new.
2. Bike helmets: Bike helmets may seem harmless to buy secondhand, but the truth is you don’t know to what degree of impact the helmet has experienced. This can cause the helmet to be less effective. If it was worn excessively by the original owner, it might have taken on their shape which makes it less suited for another person. This is another item you are safer to buy new.
3. Bedding: You might think that giving any secondhand bedding a good washing will do the trick, but that may not get rid of lice or bed bugs that could be present in the fabric. Instead, avoid buying secondhand sheets, bedspreads, duvet covers, or pillowcases as they can be a breeding ground for these bugs.
4. Stuffed animals: This is another item that even if laundered, might have bugs present. There are all sorts of places for these critters to hide, so it is safe to avoid buying them secondhand. No matter how cute that plush bunny or bear is, it is better to leave it be.
5. Chipped dishware: That stack of dishware might be a great deal, but if there are any chips on it keep walking. Even restaurants have to toss chipped dishware because bacteria can get into the porous exposed material and pose a health hazard. Don’t purchase any chipped dishware for food use.
6. Televisions: This is an expensive investment, and you are running into the issue of dealing with used appliances. You never want to buy a television at a garage sale as you will have no warranty, no idea how long the owners have used the t.v., and no idea if it has experienced any damage. The t.v. may seem perfectly fine, and a week later you can experience issues and have nothing to fall back on. Save yourself a headache and avoid large purchases such as this.
7. Cribs and playpens: Over the years many cribs and playpens have been recalled after causing injury and even death to infants. It is not safe to buy a crib or playpen second hand as you don’t know if it has been recalled or functioning properly. Cribs and playpens continue to evolve to be safer, so it is better to buy new than buy a piece that has been recalled or could even be missing a piece or two.
Keep this list in mind the next time you go to a garage sale so you can be sure you don’t buy items that could cause a danger to your health, children, or home!
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