Right before going to grad school, I went to my first garage sale. I bought a blender for $3, which I still have today, 20 years later. That was my first garage sale, and I became a fan of buying used from that moment on – mainly because it helped me stretch my meager income.  However, there are also dangers of buying used. In certain situations, buying secondhand can cost you more money or compromise your health.

Bugs

Furniture is expensive, so buying used can be enticing. After all, you could save quite a bit of money. Instead of buying a $900 sofa, you could get it from the classifieds for $100 or so. But often, the savings isn’t worth it.  Buying couches, mattresses, and other soft furniture can potentially give you bedbugs or fleas.

While this isn’t very likely, buying furniture contaminated with bedbugs or fleas is a possibility. If you are one of the unfortunate ones who buys used furniture with bugs, you could be paying much more out of pocket than you would if you had just bought the furniture new.

“A full bed bug removal, expect to pay anywhere from $500 to $1,500 depending on the method you choose and the experience of the exterminator,” according to Angie’s list.

Safety Issues

There are also other items you can buy used that pose significant safety hazards, such as used car seats and helmets. Did you know that car seats have an expiration date? They do, and using them beyond that point may mean that they’re less sturdy and reliable.

In addition, you cannot always tell if a car seat has been in an accident.  If it has, the recommendation is to buy a new one because it may no longer provide adequate safety if it’s in another crash. Buying used helmets is risky for the exact same reason.

Mold

This is not a topic that many people are aware of, but 24 percent of the population is mold-susceptible. That means, if they’re exposed to toxic mold, their bodies have difficulty getting rid of the mold internally. Often, these people become ill – depending on the level of exposure.  Obviously, when you buy used, you don’t know what kind of house and environment the item has come from. Furniture, books, clothes, anything that is soft or made of paper, may harbor toxic mold spores, which could make you, or any member of your family that is mold-susceptible, sick.

While most people who enjoy buying second hand have no difficulties, there are obviously dangers of buying used as stated above. You can avoid these by being picky about the items that you buy, or you can choose to stop buying used at all.

I, and two of my children, found out this year that we’re mold susceptible, which has caused a few of our health issues. I’m no longer buying most products, especially those that can harbor mold spores, used. It’s either spending good money on a product that will last, or buying the most frugal option for something such as kids’ shoes that my children will grow out of quickly.

Do you have limits on what you will buy used? If so, what are those limits?

An Amazon Prime membership offers a number of perks such as free Amazon shipping, free movies and music, a discount at Whole Foods, and many more.  However, some people balk  at the $119 annual membership fee, which is understandable.  If you’d like to have an Amazon Prime membership but want to save money, there are a number of possibilities.

Split an Amazon Prime Membership

If there’s another adult family member that you’d like to split Amazon Prime with, you can.  And no, this isn’t like sneaking another family member into a hotel without telling the hotel staff.  Amazon has a whole page dedicated to how to split a membership, which they call Amazon Household.

Say your mother-in-law lives with you.  You’ll share a membership, each putting in a payment method to pay your portion, and you will have separate accounts.  If you can do this, you’ll automatically pay just half–$59.50 instead of the full price of $119.

Get a Student Discount

If you’re a college student with an .edu email address, you can get a discounted Amazon Prime membership by signing up for an Amazon Prime Student account.  The first 6 months are free, and then you’re charged $6.49 per month (equaling $79 per year, a $40 a year savings from traditional Prime)

EBT & Medicaid Discount

If you receive EBT benefits or Medicaid, you’re eligible for a special Amazon Prime membership for just $5.99/month.  You’ll need to verify that you actually receive benefits, and every 12 months, you’ll need to verify that you’re still eligible for this type of membership.  You are allowed this special rate for 48 months.

Credit Card with Prime as a Perk

Some credit cards offer an Amazon Prime membership, or a discount on the membership, as a perk.  For instance, the Uber Visa Card by Barclay offers $50 off an Amazon Prime membership after you spend $5,000 on the card each year.  This will take the Prime membership down to $69.

Likewise, the Amazon Business Prime American Express Card offers a $125 Amazon.com gift card when you’re approved for the card.

Amazon Prime Discount

Amazon Prime rarely offers discounts, but once a year, you can usually find them.  They may offer the deal in July during Amazon Prime Day, or when they have new shows to debut, or their shows, like Mozart in the Jungle, win awards.  You’ll just need to keep a close eye on Amazon to snag the discount when it’s available.

If none of these discounts applies to you or you just don’t want to spend the money, keep in mind, you’ll get free shipping from Amazon if your order is over $25, and you can always get a 30-day free trial membership should you want to binge watch a show or order a number of items, say around Christmas time.

Do you currently have an Amazon Prime membership?  If so, do you use one of the above strategies or another one to avoid paying full price?  Do you think Amazon Prime is worth paying the full price?