Pic. Ambrosia in her second hands clothes.
My father had some very interesting habit; one of them is ‘refuse to use second hand goods’. Anything that doesn’t have a package around it, he would not even look at it. When attempting to get him to use it. He would shout: “I am not a beggar!!!!”
Beggar?
Another friend of mine, who’s recently married, just bought her very first home. Rang and asked if I know any good furniture store for furniture. Suggesting ‘what about Trade Me (a online auction site very similar to eBay)? She gave me a long hard look, nostrils flaring, as if I did something terribly wrong before saying: “I don’t used second hand rubbish.”
Rubbish?
A South African colleague of mine learned I was expecting a girl, brought two huge plastic bags of her two daughters’ baby clothes one morning to give it to me. Some of them still in their original packages! While I was terribly surprised and excited. I noticed several other colleagues looked at me with certain degree of disgust in their eyes.
Disgust?
Hasn’t been back to Taiwan for over 6 years now, not sure what people do these days. But when I was in Taiwan, really, people around me were almost obsessed with using anything first hand. In those days when there was no recycling services and you have to take your rubbish to certain point in your neighborhood for collection, most often you would see some giant, almost brand new stuff such as television, couch, tables, desks, sometimes even clothes. The range was so good; those who had no budge on buying things after moving into a new house can take those home.
They are people, on this planet, absolutely, hate, using, second hand things.
I often scratch my head, almost pulling my hair out, to figure out why. Can understand why people would like the brand new items. Absolutely, there is certain freshness quality on those things. It must have generated some kind of euphoria or some sort within our body, making us happy, bliss, or excited. Also the up to date design/technology factor, certain items, such as electronic appliances or gadgets, come with the top of the range innovations and programming. Who want to be left behind on those?
But second hands, what about them?
There is also certain quality that people like about second hand things. Well, first, some second hand items, either because of extra cares given by the previous owners or were hardly ever used at all, were just as good as new. In New Zealand, there are several hire pool services, which have the whole range of machinery for people to hire. They are all second hand (some probably even X hands), and people don’t mind using them instead of buying some brand new ones and only used them a few times; almost all baby clothes/accessories shops have equipments for hire: breast pump, baby seats, and baby capsules. All of those will no longer be useful once your little bubs turn 1, better hire one then buy it brand new. There are several flea markets/garage sales/boot sales/school fares running throughout the country, mostly at the weekends. You can picked up some pretty good second goods from there. My mother loves visiting those places. She almost always comes back with a few items in her hands, proudly bragging how beautiful they are for hours until they bored our ears off.
The second things about second hand stuff are the price. There is no other way around it. In the economy situation like it are these days, almost every second countries have some degree of recession and the inflations are high, why spend the top dosh when you can get the same thing with much less? Beggars? I didn’t really beg, didn’t I? I paid every cent. That’s why eBay (or TradeMe in New Zealand) are so popular. Besides, just on a side notes, aren’t antiques second hands? Why do you fighting over a tiny old snuff box?
I like second hand things, and I don’t mind using them. Call me disgusting, beggar, or anything you like. No, you don’ have to buy new stuff those show people you have certain class or you are rich. It’s not the looks it counts.
Both Ambrosia and Horatio have marvelous clothes and things to use and play. They are all second hands, but they still look adorable and having heaps of fun. An old lady just told me the other day, having your children wearing second hand old clothes are easier to look after.
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