I've realized that I strictly prefer buying pre-owned "used" collectibles

[SeikoForum]

When it comes to collectible items that bring me joy such as board games, furniture, watches, and fountain pens, I realized the other day that I strictly prefer buying pre-owned. Nowadays, the term pre-owned has been rebranded to "vintage," but I actually preferred it back when this term still had a negative stigma associated with it. I thought to myself and pondered the reasons behind my habit of purchasing items that have already been owned by others, and these are the points I've come up with.

1) The models I seek are usually very old, and new options simply don't exist.
2) As someone who avoids taxes, fees, and depreciation whenever possible, I avoid buying new. I can usually purchase the item at a much lower price if it's pre-owned (however, this is oftentimes no longer the case), since the 1st owner already paid for my taxes and depreciation.
3) I enjoy other people's scratches, wear marks, and history on my watches. In fact, I add value to watches with special engravings or marks from previous owners. Some of my favorite watches were dedicated to other people's special life moments. I feel honored and flattered to be the owner of these cherished items.
4) I don't need to worry about babying a piece and scratching it if it already has honest wear.
5) I'm attracted to natural honest wear accumulated over decades. Pristine pieces make me never want to use or wear the item.
6) I don't enjoy shiny objects and bling.
7) I enjoy acting stupid to sellers and receiving free discounts because an item has already been "used."
8) It takes tremendous skill to vet and evaluate pre-owned items, and I relish the challenge. Swiping a credit card takes no skill and removes the fun from collecting.
9) Purchasing pre-owned makes me feel good inside because I am saving the planet by offering a good home to an item that would otherwise be discarded.
10) An item's true value is what the secondary market -- and not the AD/boutique determines. I very much enjoy partaking in the secondary market.

Let me know if there are any other reasons I've missed. Three cheers to “used” collectibles!

 

[Daven]

I’m with you on all your reasons. I like saving an item that for some reason the original or present owner deems the item no longer useful. They have either lost interest or aren’t interested in the time and money to fix it or moved on to the next new thing. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.

 

[SeikoForum]

I’m with you on all your reasons. I like saving an item that for some reason the original or present owner deems the item no longer useful. They have either lost interest or aren’t interested in the time and money to fix it or moved on to the next new thing. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.

I love intaking what others have overlooked or deemed as “junk!” eBay has historically been a great place to look.

 

[Carter]

I love intaking what others have overlooked or deemed as “junk!” eBay has historically been a great place to look.

I love occasionally trawling through the free ads sites over here such as Gumtree and Preloved.
Bargain watches are there to be had, but I've had no luck so far.
Obviously someone selling an''old Rolex'', knows that it's worth a fair amount of money.
However, people selling '' old Seiko diver's watch'' in well worn condition may not know they have a rare model on their hands.

 

[SeikoForum]

I love occasionally trawling through the free ads sites over here such as Gumtree and Preloved.
Bargain watches are there to be had, but I've had no luck so far.
Obviously someone selling an''old Rolex'', knows that it's worth a fair amount of money.
However, people selling '' old Seiko diver's watch'' in well worn condition may not know they have a rare model on their hands.

On the other side of this, Rolex and other luxury brand watches are more likely to have been polished or tinkered with. Seikos and other utilitarian brands are more likely to be all original and unpolished.