> New stuff is so poorly made that I’m now increasingly buying old items for my own use, and not only as gifts. The quality coming from the large online retaile

> New stuff is so poorly made that I’m now increasingly buying old items for my own use, and not only as gifts. The quality coming from the large online retailers is abysmal, and my safest bet is often secondhand. This. I made the shift to buying older items a number of years back because -- generally speaking -- if it's new, it's likely to be garbage. Particularly when it comes to furniture, appliances, and clothing. I've always bought my cars used because I've yet to see a car that is actually worth the new price. That's even more true now than ever before.