Giving used Christmas gifts is a great way to reduce pressure on the planet by reducing resource extraction, energy and transportation costs, and waste production.
If you have young people who suffer from eco-anxiety or older people who are aware of environmental issues, buying used items is a good way to address their concerns. These purchases are good for the environment and a great way to buy local.
Indeed, even if the object was made in China, for example, its used purchase becomes local, because all the profits remain in Quebec. Even though, in most cases, it is non-profit organizations that run the second-hand stores, so there is an additional positive social impact.
A large choice of gifts is offered to us in the user. Whether it’s sporting goods, CDs, DVDs, video games, books, clothing, furniture, antiques, kitchenware, electrical appliances, etc., you can find almost anything in a used version.
There are several places where you can get these items. Let us mention flea markets, garage sales, bazaars, auctions, charity counters, thrift stores, resource shops, classified ads, bulletin boards and finally the various dissemination tools, mainly on the internet: Pacs, Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace, AbeBooks. In addition, recently has been added the online sale by the organization “Our things have a second life”.
We must overcome certain prejudices when it comes to giving used gifts. However, when one understands the benefits for the environment, one can easily gain recognition from those to whom such a gift is given. In addition, we can often offer a larger gift, because the prices in the user are 20 to 30% lower than those of new items.
Buying used gifts for Christmas is a good way to continue the tradition of holiday gifts without falling into the abuse of overconsumption harmful to the planet. Personally, I bought the gifts for my four children, their spouse and my eight grandchildren online in three hours for less than $ 225 and almost all of them in a used version.