Babies are expensive little people! They need so much equipment that it can really put a lot of pressure on families who cannot afford to buy everything at full price. It is possible however, to find baby equipment at lower prices and even for free. All it takes is a little time to look around, making good use of the Internet and you could save yourself hundreds of pounds.
* Ebay
Ebay is a very good website to use if you would like to find a bargain. Be careful though, sometimes it can be easy to think that just because it is on Ebay it is a bargain. Do your research, compare the price of the item on Ebay to what it would cost in a local shop, and don’t forget to consider how much postage would take the total amount to as well. Ebay often has some very good second hand items for babies; you can buy bundles of clothes, pushchairs, cots and even toys. This can save you a lot of money although be careful that you read peoples’ small print so you can see if they accept returns if you are not happy with the conditions of items that you receive.
* Buy and Sell groups
If you are on Facebook then make use of buy and sell groups. This are popping up on an almost daily basis. There are groups which are based just around baby and toddler equipment or there are groups which are more localised and sell everything. Join them and have a look at what people are selling or put up a wanted post. There are usually lots of things to choose from and people are often just wanting to clear some space so put them for sale at very reasonable prices.
* Compare websites
If you are wanting to buy new and from a company that you can trust so you can go back to them if you are not happy then use the Internet to compare prices between stores. Often shops can vary dramatically in the prices of their items, you may see a cot in one shop for $100 and in another the exact same one is $70. By spending time looking at several stores and websites you will be able to find equipment for less.
* Use vouchers.
There are many websites which advertise sales that websites are having, you may find a voucher which enables you to make savings on the products you were going to buy.
* Freecycle.
There are several websites which offer items for free. Freecycle is one. People will list their items as for sale or wanted and you can have them for free! Some items will be gone very quickly so you do have to keep checking and be fast to snap up a bargain. But you could just get yourself some baby-related items completely for free and local to you so you don’t even need to pay postage!
* Netmums
Netmums is a website which is dedicated to Mums in the UK. There is a for sale and swap board which you can join in your local area. This is where people advertise items they have which are for sale or wanted. There are often items put up for free too. This is a great way to get second hand items at very reasonable prices. There are bundles of clothes to car seats and prams.
It is possible to find ways in which to reduce the cost of baby equipment if you just spend some time using the Internet to help you find great offers and deals. There are many websites out there helping people to sell and buy baby equipment at reduced prices to make having a baby more affordable. Spend time doing some research and looking around, and you could just save yourself a lot of money.