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Secondhand items that may not be worth the savings or the risk

Discover 6 everyday items that may be better for your safety and your wallet to buy new, instead of saving money

Buying secondhand can be a smart way to save money. Thrift stores, resale sites, garage sales and estate sales can turn up everything from furniture and kitchenware to electronics and baby gear at a fraction of the original price. In many cases, a gently used item can work just as well as something brand new.

But there are some purchases where getting a bargain may not be worth the potential downside. Certain items are difficult to clean thoroughly, while others can deteriorate with age or develop problems that aren't obvious until after you've brought them home. 

That doesn't mean every used version of these products is automatically dangerous. The condition, age, previous use and ability to properly inspect or clean an item can make a big difference. In some cases, professional cleaning or repairs may also make a secondhand purchase reasonable. Still, when safety, sanitation or reliability is involved, buying new can sometimes provide more peace of mind.

Reader’s Digest reported potential concerns associated with several common secondhand purchases. The report offers a useful rule of thumb: If you can't reasonably determine an item's history, condition or ability to be cleaned or repaired safely, the savings may not justify the risk.

Here are 6 secondhand items you may want to think twice about before bringing them home.

1. Mattresses can hide problems you can't easily see

Mustafa Fatemi / Unsplash

A used mattress may look clean and barely used, but there can be plenty going on beneath the surface. According to Reader’s Digest, mattresses are difficult to clean thoroughly and can harbor allergens, bacteria, dust mites and pests. Their warm, humid environment also makes them a particularly suitable place for dust mites to live.

Bed bugs are another concern. They can hide in mattresses and may leave behind reddish stains, dark spots,........

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