I revel in used stuff. I use PaperBackSwap almost religiously. I love shopping at thrift stores and consignment shops. I look forward to yard sales and make a day out of “community yard sale day.” Undeniably, though, there are drawbacks. Sure, you get a nice financial bargain, but no purchase is a perfect one. Whenever I talk about my love of buying things used, I hear from people about the problems of buying used – and some of the same topics come up time and time again. Used stuff smells funny or isn’t clean Used books can sometimes smell musty. Used clothes sometimes don’t seem perfectly clean. The same goes with used dishes and countless other items. The amazing thing, though, is that things can actually be cleaned really easily.

Read more here – Five Challenges of Buying Used – and How to Overcome Them