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yes, things that aren't too porous...(did i spell that rite) i don't take... unless it's absolutely phenomenal (i.e. an antique cutting board in the shape of something) but i've gotten some great deals on cast iron dutch ovens ($5) and big cast iron fryin pans ($3) .... i don't mind putting in the time to get them back in order. appliances, i'm skeptical... don't usually drag those home unless i could plug them in to see if they work first.

i'm on the hunt for some copper pots .... but they're a rare find. i once bought an antique set of dishes for $20. still get compliments on it.

so many precious things are out there -- they just need a lick and a polish.

Nothing. A used book is one thing. But I wouldn't buy used appliances or pots or pans or dishes or anything else for my kitchen, it just wouldn't be worth it for me. I would not be able to use the stuff because in my head it would never be clean enough. Sorry. When I bought my house, I made sure it was completely stripped. New floors were laid, new layers of paint everywhere, etc., etc. Otherwise, I would have never been able to live here. Amazingly, I stay at hotels and eat at restaurants. Go figure.

I would never buy appliances used, but everything else? Sure, why not. I love old missmatched china, and I think a 50 year old cast iron skillet would be awesome. I several kitcheny things I've gotten thru ebay used. A funky 70's cake stand, a bunch of dragonware china, a cool breadbox from the 30's. The only reason i haven't gotten cast iron thru them is the shipping would cost more than the pan.

@wookie, I know there are other people who would buy used coffeemakers, and particularly if they're clean. It's just not something I'd leap at. I'm usually not looking for bargains on electronics in particular, because usually with that sort of stuff I research it ahead of a purchase, and pick out a brand and model. Chances of me finding exactly that thing at a yard sale is slim.

But interesting serving pieces always catch my eye, and I always look at cookbooks and gadgets and pots and pans.

As far as old cast iron, at garage sales I've seen them for a dollar or two. The same stuff at the antique malls could go for $40 because people who don't know better think that any rough looking cast pan must be ancient.

@brook29: I'm with you, Remember being told as a kid, "Don't touch that, you don't know where its been"?
@db: You are right about cookbooks...its always like a treasure hunt!

If I really need something, its coming into my kitchen in a sealed box with a warranty and the knowledge that I'm the first to use it.

Oops, sorry, I meant to say @thegoch!

@brooke29 & @thegoch--I'm afraid I breathed a sigh of relief at your comments. Every time I bought thrift shop clothes in my 20s, the mildew smell put me off, garage store finds end up as clutter--other than books I cannot find at the library, I usually discover there is a reason something is being discarded. I've gotten very clutter-phobic in recent years.

So for unusual dishes I will go to discount stores like Marshalls and TJ Maxx and price-comparison shop on appliances for the kitchen.

how to clean a coffeemaker: add some vinegar to some water. run it thru. then, i usually run water thru to rinse. at least thats what my coffeemaker tells me to do. sometimes with plastics a vinegar cleanse will smell funny, so you can after doing this, run a baking soda mix thru. (a teaspoon or two of bakingsoda to a pot of water.)

personally, i wouldnt buy electronics at a garage sale, unless they let me test it there... so i wouldnt get the coffee maker, but thats a question of functionality not cleanliness.

Sheesh, some people are paranoid! You'd rather consume all the resources it takes to make new products and have them shipped to your town, than to buy a perfectly good item at a fraction of the cost from your neighbor down the street?

Most people are not going to sell you something that hasn't been well washed. There are always methods for getting things clean that make a lot more sense than buying something new.

Wow, some people sure are judgmental and self-righteous. When I choose to do something, it is my choice and I don't claim that somebody else is insert proper label for choosing to do things differently from me. But I guess that's just me.

One more thing - no, cleaning somebody else's s*%&, no matter what method you choose, does not make a lot more sense to me than buying something new. If it makes me a bad person, so be it.

@Brooke: I am with you so that means you can't be a bad person! HaHa :-) Hope you are doing well!! :)

I would never buy used Cast Iron, God knows WHAT its been "seasoned" with!

@Heart - I must be really daft, because it didn't occur to me that I may annoy or enrage someone because I don't want to buy used stuff. Now I know better:-)

I was about to say I'm skeptical about appliances, but then I remembered I bought a popcorn maker at a garage sale about 10 years ago. I also managed to find a second full set of my dishes for $3 years ago at another garage sale. Nothing has broken yet nor have I caught any strange diseases. I say go with your gut.

I'd never buy my coffeemaker used :-) Seriously, it has lived longer than a coffemaker should, and much of the white interior is stained from the coffee. No one in their right mind would buy it, but we use it every day. Which is why it looks like it does.

"Go with your gut" is good advice, If something creeps you out, don't buy it. I'm not worried about pots or pans or anything that I could put in the dishwasher, and I was thinking that I probably wouldn't buy anything porous, but I bought a wood cutting board at a garage sale last year. It was in pristine condition. Obviously never been used. Didn't bother me one bit when I paid my twenty-five cents.

And honestly, a lof of the stuff that I see at garage sales really isn't used. Or not used much. It's like people got this stuff as gifts, never used it, and now it's long enough past the wedding that they can sell it off.

Thrift store and estate sale stuff is more likely to be used, but that's where you can find beautiful old serving dishes and cast iron cookware. If that's your thing.

I don't think that there's anything in particular that I would rule out. I'd definitely be a "go with your gut" kinda shopper. If it looked nasty, I wouldn't touch it. If it looked decent, I might take it home. I think I'd be hesitant on the appliances only because they may not work. However, for a few dollars, I might be willing to take that chance.

I generally don't go to garage sales or thrift shops -- too much cheap stuff that I don't need. But, if I do, if I can clean it, I'll buy it.

So where does one draw the line on someone else's things. Never, no way, no one? A hand-me down from your mother? Something your cousin says she/he never uses? Would the antique glass cake stand I bought in a store be a no-no? Not judging. Just surprised at the strong feelings.

On my last visit, tracking down my BH, I picked up a heavy duty stainless steel ricer at the local hospice thrift store for $3 and was NEVER USED. I'm on the lookout for a good old school quality food mill, maybe they will have one next time, but their pricing system is so screwy good stuff is cheap and borderline junk is high priced. It seems they think if it's in the original box and lightly or never used it must not work well and not worth anything as the ricer was in the original box a bit worn by time but circa early 60's.