Buying second-hand saves money and is environmentally friendly, but how can you avoid making mistakes?

Have you been eyeing a new camera, game console or other product but feel a bit tight on cash, or are unsure whether you will use it often? So, have you considered buying second-hand electronic products ?

Second-hand products are cheap and can reduce electronic waste , but they also face risks such as product dissatisfaction and difficulty in returning or exchanging. How can you find satisfactory second-hand electronic products to reduce the burden on your wallet and the earth?

On this topic, I consulted my friend, Chuanchui, from the group Dadazi and Chuanchumei. As a maker who supports environmental protection, Chuanchui often buys second-hand electronic products on a certain website and uses them directly or DIYs them . I asked him to share some experiences of finding "good things".

A previous article showed the (failed) bicycle power generation device he made - the "grinding lamp" that people born in the 1990s have rarely seen | Dadazi

What’s the difference between second-hand electronic products?

To find the ideal product, we must first know what problems are most likely to occur in this type of product and evaluate to what extent we can accept it. Based on my own purchasing experience, I have summarized three common problems:

For devices such as mobile phones, tablets, and Bluetooth headsets that need to be charged repeatedly, the battery performance will decline after a period of use , especially for older models. When purchasing such products, it is recommended to consider whether your usage environment is convenient for charging and how much trouble the device will cause if it suddenly loses power.

The darkest moment for workers: I was working on a spreadsheet, but my computer ran out of power and I didn’t bring a charger｜Pexels

Another common problem is that the glue on the device ages, which affects the user experience and sealing . Such products can generally be used, but they may be scrapped if they are dropped or splashed with water one more time. So if you are prone to dropping things, or the environment where you use it is subject to splashing water or dust, it is recommended to buy a more durable one.

Finally, if you can accept scratches on the product, you can save a lot of money on this . Chui Chui said that one of his most satisfying purchases was the third-generation AirPods he bought for his wife. The previous owner probably put it together with the keys, which caused a lot of scratches on the outer shell, but the earphones themselves worked without any problems. "Just buy a new shell!" Chui Chui said proudly.

The new third-generation AirPods are priced at 1,299 yuan, but Chui Chui only spent 799 yuan on this pair of headphones, which is just over 60% off the original price. Add in the 30 yuan inspection service, as well as the purchase of the case and phone strap, and the total is only 881 yuan. | Chui Chui

If the product needs to run efficiently and stably, and freezing or sudden failure will cause great trouble , then don't buy it second-hand. For example, there are three types of things that Hammer Hammer himself will not buy second-hand: main mobile phones, main computers, and solid-state hard drives.

Generally speaking, choosing second-hand products is equivalent to investing your time and energy in exchange for a lower price, or parts that better suit your personal needs. If you are unlucky, you may invest a lot of energy but may not get anything in return.

If you are not in the mood to mess around, or you are in trouble and don't know what to do, it is recommended to buy first-hand products directly from the official store. They have a simpler and more straightforward seven-day no-reason return and warranty service . Don't buy second-hand items for urgent use, because the seller's delivery speed is generally not as fast as that of the brand's official store.

If you can accept a certain degree of uncertainty , such as you need a spare phone, or want to play with a camera or drawing tablet as a hobby, then explore the world of the second-hand market!

From product replacement to functional replacement

Considering the process of buying second-hand goods can also help us clarify our needs and ultimately spend less money, or even no money . When weighing price and performance, you will naturally think of:

In what scenarios might I use this product? How often would I use it?

The common reason for idleness of this type of goods is XXX. Will this happen to me?

I'm sure I'll be using it a lot, what's the most important feature for me?

Is there a lower-end model or alternative product that can achieve the same function? What are its advantages and disadvantages?

Ask yourself some questions, and you may save money

For example, I recently wanted to buy an e-ink reader, and Chui Chui suggested considering a second-hand e-ink phone. Compared with a medium-configuration e-ink reader, a second-hand e-ink phone is much cheaper, and the hardware configuration is good, which makes it more convenient to install apps and read online articles. Of course, the screen of a mobile phone is smaller than that of a reader, which is a disadvantage if you pursue a good reading experience, but it is an advantage if you pursue portability.

From e-readers to mobile phones, this step is a bit too big. If you want to buy a product that you are not familiar with before, Chui Chui recommends looking for "functional substitutes" in three steps:

Search by keywords, check out reviews and sharing on video websites and forums, and get familiar with the products you want to buy;

Search and browse similar products in large quantities, compare prices from different stores, and ask the online store customer service if you don’t understand something;

Shopping websites will push related products based on keyword searches, and you may find solutions you have never thought of. The recommendation algorithms of shopping websites can sometimes really open up your mind . Some products will become more expensive if certain qualifiers are added, such as "models" and "pets", etc. You can try to find a cheaper alternative.

Chui Chui said that when he bought a model engraving knife, the shopping website recommended a "collection cleaning artifact". The tool used to clean the gaps between bracelets was quite suitable for cleaning models; when buying model painting tools, he found that the cheapest makeup brushes, lip glosses, and beauty eggs could also complete the task, "Anyway, I don't use it on my face, so I'm not worried about its poor quality."

Looks like a similar product, the price of a pet urn is more than ten times that of a ceramic tea can | Taobao screenshot

Of course, solutions you have never thought of may also be accompanied by problems you have never thought of. Some products cannot be replaced until you use them . For example, the bristles of some makeup brushes are of different hardness and are not suitable for painting. It depends on whether you can accept the potential cost of trial and error.

How to choose reliable products and sellers?

Once you decide you want to buy a second-hand product, you can search for the right product and seller. In terms of pricing, you can first browse similar products to familiarize yourself with the market, and then look at indicators such as the usage time and wear and tear of the specific product to find an acceptable balance between low price and performance . If the price of an item is abnormally low, only 20% of the average price, run away.

Another thing to note is that Mouyu does not have high requirements for truthful description of goods. For example, some middlemen will add multiple products in one link, using popular model descriptions and low prices to attract clicks , but when you enter, you will see low-priced unpopular models and high-priced popular models. Please carefully identify.

When choosing a seller, ChuiChui will focus on the seller's reputation, transaction records in the past two years, and user reviews . If the other party has an excellent reputation and has been dealing in similar products, it means that this is a reliable second-hand middleman. Individual users can also refer to similar indicators.

Buying second-hand goods saves money but also takes some risks | Pexels

If you want to buy more expensive big-brand products, you can also try the platform's official inspection service . The inspection service price ranges from 30 to 50 yuan, depending on the value of the product. The seller needs to send the goods to a third-party inspection center to verify the authenticity. If the inspection passes, the product is sent to the buyer and the inspection service is paid by the buyer; if the inspection fails, the product is returned to the seller and the inspection service is also paid by the seller. Chui Chui said that he used this service to screen out fake Air Pods, but most of the goods are reliable.

It should be noted that the product inspection service is only responsible for authenticity verification, not for user experience verification . Whether the product has scratches will be written in the report, but it does not care about whether the system is smooth or not.

Inspection Service Example | Hammer Hammer

If you want to buy cameras, tablets, drones, and other products, you can consider looking in enthusiasts’ WeChat groups and forums . You can get a lot of knowledge about equipment selection and use in these places, and get familiar with the products you want. When more experienced players upgrade their consumption and sell their old equipment at a lower price, it is a good time for you to pick up bargains. Compared with second-hand transactions with pure strangers, the identity of netizens provides an extra layer of protection for the credibility of both parties, but it is still recommended to use third-party platforms as much as possible to avoid disputes .

My most satisfying second-hand shopping experience was the Sony camera I bought from a bird watching group. At the time, the price of a brand new model was over 10,000 yuan. A bird watching friend used it for more than half a year and sold it for 7,500 yuan, with complete packaging and tickets. Now this camera has been with me for a year and a half, and I have photographed many birds. I only asked for repair once because the battery broke.

Garbage is a resource in the wrong place

If you have idle electronic products on hand, you can also refer to the previous ideas, truthfully describe its functions and defects, and price it reasonably to help it find people who need it more .

Reasonable use of second-hand electronic products is a contribution to environmental protection. Discarded products with batteries or plugs are collectively referred to as electronic waste. The "Global E-waste Monitoring 2020" report released by the United Nations shows that in 2019, the average person in the world discarded 7.3 kilograms of electronic waste, and the total amount reached a record high of 53.6 million tons. More than 80% of electronic waste was not properly recycled . These wastes may be simply disassembled and incinerated, releasing toxic and harmful substances, posing a threat to the environment and human health.

Pexels

Although he has bought so many things on a certain website, Chui Chui has only sold three items. No electronic product can leave his house intact. Chui Chui will dismantle those broken and unusable electronic products for research and practice. The intact parts inside will also be reused and become part of the smart home. The parts that are really unusable are accumulated and packaged and sent to the special electronic waste recycling point in the community .

A DIY UV lamp, used to cure 3D printing and supplement light for plants. It uses a passive radiator from a scrap server, a broken UV lamp, and a wire with a connector cut from a scrap mouse, combined with glue and insulating tape. | Hammer

Of course, most people, including me, don’t have such DIY transformation skills, but we can still use this idea to do more for the earth. Buy more second-hand products within an acceptable range, resell unnecessary items or give them to friends in need, and recycle broken items in a classified manner. These small actions are also the power of change.

I examine myself three times a day! | imgflip.com

References

[1] Forti V., Baldé CP, Kuehr R., Bel G: Global e-waste monitor 2020: Volumes, flows and circular economy potential. Sustainable Cycling Programme (SCYCLE) co-hosted by the United Nations University (UNU)/United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) – International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) in Bonn/Geneva/Rotterdam. https://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-d/opb/gen/D-GEN-E_WASTE.01-2020-PDF-C.pdf.

Author: Maya Lan, Dada Zi and Chui Chui Mei

Editor: Mai Mai, Xiao Towel

This article comes from GuokrNature (ID: GuokrNature)

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