Purchasing second-hand children's products 
Whether you are buying goods  from an ad in the newspaper online, or at your favorite thrift shop remember: Buyer beware!

 Buying second-hand children’s products is an affordable way to equip a nursery. But it can also be dangerous as some items can be out of date and no  longer safe.
Do your research and choose carefully as safety is the most important  issue to consider.
There are children’s  products, especially cribs and bassinets that have caused deaths and have been the subject of numerous recalls. When in doubt reference our website under recalls for a direct link to the www.cpsc.gov website to check the items you are considering before you  purchase any children’s product second hand.  

Before  purchasing used children’s products consider the following:
 
Cribs
Used cribs can host a variety of hidden hazards that most  consumers may not detect. Thus, unless the crib can be fully
assembled and  operates correctly, contains all the original hardware and the instructions are  included, do not buy it. 
If  you decide to buy a used crib, follow the checklist below.

•  Make
    sure the crib is not the subject of a recall;
  
  


• 
  Slats
    should be spaced no more than 2 3/8 inches apart;
  
  


• 
  Make
    sure there are no missing or loose slats;
  
  


• 
  Do
    not buy a crib with drop side (millions of cribs with drop sides have been 
  recalled);
  
  


• 
  Make
    sure the crib has a properly-sized mattress. The mattress is too small if you 
  can fit more than two fingers between the edge of the mattress and the side of 
  the crib. An infant can get his head or body wedged in the extra space and
  suffocate;
  
  


• 
  Corner
    posts are no more than 1/16 inch high. They can be catch points for objects or 
  clothing worn by a child and cause strangulation.
  
  


• 
  No
    missing, broken or loose hardware;
  
  


• 
  No
    decorative cutouts in the headboard or footboard. Cutouts can entrap a child’s 
  head; and
  
  


• 
  No
    unsecured mattress support hangers that can be easily dislodged. Children can 
  be entrapped and suffocate.
  
  


• 
  Check
  that  there are no broken or wobbly bars;
  
  


• 
  All
  bolts  and screws should be firmly in place and not protruding;
  
  


• 
  The
  corner  posts should not stick up more than 5mm.
  
  


• 
  Make
  sure  that the mattress fits the crib snugly and that there are no gaps which
  would  allow a child to become trapped beneath it;
  
  

Car  Seats

• Check that there are no
  broken       or wobbly bars;


• All bolts and screws
  should be       firmly in place and not protruding;


• The corner posts should
  not       stick up more than 5mm.

Highchairs

• A wide base to stop the
  chair       tipping;


• A five-point safety
  harness       (shoulder straps as well as waist straps and a crotch strap) to
  stop the       child climbing out;


• No sharp edges, or open
  tubes       or gaps where fingers could get caught;


• The tray can be secured
  so the       child can't remove it;


• There should be no splits
  in       the chair's seat or back - a child could pick out or choke on pieces of
         foam padding;


• If the chair has wheels
  there       should be brakes on at least the rear wheels.

Bath  Products

• Used baby bathtubs are fine as long as the lining isn’t full of  mold or mildew. However, if the tub has an odor of either of these, stay  clear of it.


• Do not use second hand bath seats, bath rings, and inflatable tubs  since they have
  been responsible for many deaths among babies. If you chose to do so make sure you are buying from a reputable re-seller.


• In addition to mold and mildew, look for scratches or other signs  of wear and
  tear in the plastic. Old plastics are more apt to leak chemicals  and the
  scratches can also harbor bacteria.

The
Consumer  Protection Act 1999
and the Sale of Goods Act 1978 (as
amended  2002); have limited application to buying goods privately. If you do 
buy from a seller who was dishonest about the reason for selling the product, 
you may be entitled to a refund; however compensation will have to be decided 
by Magistrates’ Court.

• Inspect  the
  Goods You Are Buying.   Inquire as to the age and quality of the product
  and whether it is still  covered by warranty. If the  product is
  electrical, plug it in to see if it works. For mechanical or  technical
  products, take someone with you who knows about the item, or make the  sale
  conditional.  In the case of a car,  it is a good idea to ask for a day to
  have it checked by a mechanic so as to  decide if it will cost more to have it
  licensed than it is worth;


• Sales are
  final once you exchange money and receive the item;


• Ask for a
  receipt which shows what you have bought with the date, name, address
  and  telephone number of the seller, and any conditions of sale;


• If you pay a
  deposit, get a receipt and make note of the agreement you  have with
  the seller regarding remainder of payment, collection of product and  time
  frame.  Make sure both parties sign the agreement.

Buy Local – How Spending Money Locally
Benefits You & Your Community
Sure, the convenience of those big-box stores is nice because you can
get almost everything you need (and a bunch of stuff you don’t, if
you are anything like the average person – myself included) in one
place, but do you know where your money goes after you give it to the
clerk? It heads right back to the big-box headquarters, paying out
giant bonuses and perks to the bigwigs while leaving the workers to fight for
minimum wage and meager benefits.  I fight the urge to buy everything at the
big-box stores as much as the next person, because of convenience and price, but
when I think about where my money is going it does make it a little easier to
try to search out smaller shops.  When I lived in New Mexico, I lived in a very
small town where most of the stores and restaurants were locally-owned, and I
tried to make it a point of buying from them instead of driving the 63 miles to
the nearest Target Superstore. (There was a Walmart in my town, but I never shop there
for reasons I won’t get into here and that you guys have heard before) 
Sometimes it took going to 2 different stores to find what I needed, or spending
an extra $.50 over the price it would have been “down the hill”, but it was
worth it because there was a local human behind the storefront.

These people worked very hard to keep their small businesses alive in
town, and as a resident of the town, I wanted to support them as much as I can.
And even though I now live in a major city again, I still prefer to patronize an
independent coffee shop or diner when I can, so that I know my money is staying
in my community and benefiting my friends and neighbors.


There are several reasons why supporting local small businesses is so
important for our communities:

1. When stores are kept in business, it keeps jobs in
town.  That might not seem too important to you if you live in Los
Angeles or NYC, but in small-town America, every job counts. Believe me, I have
seen it first-hand.


2. Money spent in your town in a local small business usually stays
in town.  It goes into the local bank, where it is loaned out to local
residents, and it circulates within the local economy. Money spent at the
big-box stores leaves town immediately and goes to the headquarters of said
company, never to return to the local economy again.  One 2004 study found that for every $100
spent at a local businesses, $68 remained in the community versus $43 for chain
stores. That’s a big difference.


3. You get better customer service from small businesses.
Have a problem with something you bought?  Walk in and talk to the guy that sold
you the product.  Try getting someone to truly care at Target or Walmart!


4. It keeps your community alive. Instead of having a busy big-box store down the street and empty store-fronts lining your downtown, keeping local business owners “in business” keeps your town alive and kicking. If Taos, NM didn’t have a local economy, the town would not exist. Period. We had 1 Walmart and 1 Applebees there (other than
fast crappy food); the rest were privately owned stores, restaurants, dry
cleaners, coffee shops, etc. Starbucks?  Yea right – thankfully we had 4
independent coffee shops selling great coffee to locals and tourists alike. 
Keeping the economy alive also helps with local events, which small businesses
are more apt to sponsor and support.  Big-boxes usually just take the money and
run.


Supporting local businesses is a way of living mindfully and giving
conscious thought to where you are spending your money and where it goes after
it leaves your wallet. Sure, there are times when I need to pick up a
few things at Target because I cannot get them at a small shop nearby, and
that’s fine with me. It’s getting harder and harder to find Mom and Pop shops in
big cities, but I do my best to try to support them.  Besides, I like
saying “hi” and knowing the face behind the counter.


Do you have a favorite small town store you frequent instead of just heading
to the closest big-box store?
This story is published by David from My Two Dollars

This story touched my heart and I dont believe it applies only to business but also to life in general!
Jessica Morin, Owner Jammies 2 Jeanz
I hope you agree!

by Trent Kirby / Paparazzi Founder


Success is a great feeling. The degree of success doesnít matter, big or
small, it feels great. Business is full of both failure and success. Not
allowing failures to keep you from achieving your dreams is the key to reaching
the goals you have set.


We  often need to get through the tough points of life all on our own. Too
often, we turn to our closest friends, family members, a spouse or partner
looking to vent frustrations and gain support. Unfortunately, the venting
session turns into an ìI told you soî reprimand that only distracts us from
achieving what is possible.


Reading the histories of Americaís most successful, you will find the common
thread of tuning out the discouragement of family and friends. Michael Dellís
parents said no one would ever have a computer in their home. One of Starbucksí
founders, Howard Schultz, was told no one would ever pay more than one dollar
for a cup of coffee. The success of both companies came to pass due to the
determination of the dreamer. They never allowed someone else to determine what
they were capable of becoming.


Running a business is difficult, especially when doing something that others
believe to be impossible. In the beginning, you will have people telling you
that youíre crazy. Then, you put in the countless hours of hard work and
dedication, sacrificing your free time in order to achieve your dreams. When
your success arrives, your critics will never credit all your hard work and the
sacrifices you made. Instead, they will say ìyou are lucky.î


Success is very rarely a product of luck. This is the excuse that society
uses to explain why they didnít receive the same amount of success, rather than
accept the reality of your hard work and sacrifice. Success comes from going to
the party when you are tired and wish you could just go to bed. It comes by
taking that phone call late at night to answer the questions of a person from
your party who wants to learn more.


Donít commit to your goals in words only. Do everything necessary to build
your business, and then give a little more to make it special. Understand that
when times get tough, you may have to walk alone.  Satisfaction will come when
you have achieved the impossible and share your success with the doubters. You
are awesome! Keep up the great work, and your success will soon follow.

Consignment Shopping - Used is the New "New"Far from the experience it
was just a few years ago, consignment shopping has become a way to both save
money and save the earth.
Consignment
shopping, once thought of as embarrassing and shameful, has now become the chic
and fashionable way to shop. No longer do we have to hide and sneak our used
purchases from our friends and family. We can now hold our heads up high and
proudly exclaim to all the great bargains we have just acquired.

Back in
the day, consignment shops were dingy little stores with low lighting and dusty
merchandise. The tightening of the purse strings has led to an evolution of the
consignment business. Many of the new resale stores are more like boutiques.
These places usually accept only new or very gently used items that are
up-to-date and trendy. Items are usually priced at one-third of the original
cost. You can get a lot more bang for your buck.

Getting a bargain is
only part of the appeal of the consignment store. Not only do we save money and
get great things, we can also make money by taking in our clothing and furniture
and other items that we no longer use. Most resale shops give you 30-60% of the
selling price once your items sell. That's a lot of cash just for getting rid of
things that you no longer want!  To stretch that bargain even further, you can
then turn around and buy things that you DO want from the same consignment store
for a discounted price.

In addition to the bargains and the money,
another huge appeal is its impact on the environment. The state of the
environment is on everyone's minds these days. Everywhere you turn you hear
about reducing your carbon footprint and how to make things more "green". When
you buy and sell on consignment, you are doing your part to try to reduce the
amount of waste that ends up in our landfills. Why throw away a perfectly good
sofa or pair of jeans that you just purchased last year and are either sick of,
or they just don't fit anymore? Hundreds of thousands of tons of our unwanted
goods and gadgets gets thrown away each year. Recycling your unwanted items and
buying others' diminishes these numbers vastly.

Most importantly,
consignment shopping is fun and exciting! It's like going on a treasure hunt.
You aren't looking through rows and rows of the same boring stuff that you would
find in the malls. Most are organized by size, color or style. Each item that
you look at is different from the last. These stores often receive items that
were originally purchased from all parts of the world and somehow landed in your
neighborhood. You could be the only person on your block to own one of these
jewels.

There is no other place you can shop, earn money, be green and
have fun at the same time! You can find your local consignment shops by going
online or looking in your area yellow pages. They are so popular these days,
most cities and towns have them, and new ones are cropping up everyday.
By Buzzle Staff
Published:
8/27/2010