2nd hand car seats

Hi Everyone,

I am curious to know people's experiences and thoughts on buying 2nd hand car seats.
I have been researching and it seems that it is recommended that car seats should only be used for 6yrs and then should be replaced, earlier if involved in an accident. Has or does anyone use them for longer? The only reason I am asking is I have noticed car seats seem to go for decent prices on ebay etc (in my mind I think why not pay $50-$100 more for brand new) and what gets me is a lot of the time these seats are MORE than 7yrs old. A safe n sound guardian went for $140 the other day and was 8yrs old and they have them in Target catalogue this wk for $199new! Do people get carried away or can these seats be used for longer than recommended?

hmm I didn't realise there was a time limit... I have a turn a tot that is 5 years old now.
I personally wouldn't buy second hand because you don't know for certain that it hasn't been in an accident. You can hope that people wouldn't put other babies at risk but they might not know that or might just want to flog it off quickly.

I was told it is fine to buy most things 2nd hand but car seats should be bought new as you just don't know if they have been involved in an accident. Apparently they can be cracked but you won't be able to see it?? That's what I've been told anyway. We bought ours at target when they were half price so got 2 top of the range for $300. I just trawl through all the catalogues until everything I want is on sale..

Hope this helps

Hugs Bel

I guess if you buy second hand you want to have a really thorough look of it, and find out as much history as you can. I have no idea what difference a crack or bent metal would make to a car seat, but you want to have that peace of mind.

i'd get a new one if i was you, like you said they dont cost too much more. and i think obviously baby goods hold there value which means in 6 years time you can sell your one and make most your money back!

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.

HTH :)

Second hand car seats are a risky business - they can have hair line cracks which can't be seen.

As I have said before - if you want to save money, google "safety first 0-18Kg car seat" and save yourself $100 that way...

Why risk the safety of your baby...

if you do not belive me, search some of the safety sites, RACQ or NRMA sites on second hand car seats...