Vintage View: Shop sustainably by choosing secondhand buys

Starting with furniture, we make the case for pre-loved bargains, both nearly new and truly old, that don't cost the Earth

Cheap furniture has no long term future and once you release it to the market, it’s probably headed to land-fill. Solid, honest materials can go around the block for decades. Picture: iStock

Buying secondhand is complex. Yes, it’s an economical, Earth-friendly way to acquire robust well-made things we want and/or need, but there remains a deeply entrenched vein of insecurity amongst home-makers about picking up even the lightly used object.

Starting with furniture, the older the piece, the less likely we are to feel compromised by buying it in. Conversely, the 10-year-old object — well, that seems to recoil many of us. The faint slings and arrows of the last and still living owner stands out uncomfortably on the item. This thing resulting from another’s “upgrade” seems just too vivid. There’s a touch of bruised pride that can hold us back.