Yeah I totally agree with all of you. It just stumps me why people pay nearly new prices for 2nd hand seats! Or in that case 2nd hand anything. Maybe people just get caught up in the bidding wars!
I sell second hand car seats all the time. The things to look for are:
* Check the harness straps and tether straps for fraying (don't buy if there is any).
* Always ask the history of the car seat (how old is it? has it been in any accidents?)
* Check the plastic parts for signs of stress. The plastic is designed to show stress (i.e from an accident), it will have faded looking lines/marks if it has had stress. You can see this by turning the car seat around and looking at the back.
* Don't buy anything older than 10 years old (from the manufacturers date, not from when the original owner bought it) or it no longer meets the Australian standards. All Safe N Sound car seats have a date sticker on the left-hand side (your left!), if it has been removed, look for a date stamp imprinted on the plastic at the back of the car seat. The year (i.e 04, 05, etc.) will be printed inside a circle that will have a tiny arrow pointing to the month it was manufactured.
* Look closely and make sure it feels structurely sound, it should feel nice and firm and not wobble excessively, etc.
* If you intend to use it for a newborn, make sure it still comes with the padded newborn insert, otherwise it is not safe to use for your newborn. You can't use alternative ways to snug them in (like a blanket or towel) as it is not deemed as safe. The inserts can be difficult/expensive to source.
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