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by rorykoehler 2067 days ago
Depends on the country/culture. In Singapore second hand is a dirty word.
2 comments

This is a really interesting contrast. For example here in the Netherlands, it's very common to leave leftover good furniture on the street in front of your house before you move away. Usually it's all gone in a few hours, giving things a new life in the hand of whoever needs it.

I wonder if it's related to signalling in some way. I'm not a Dutchie myself, but they're infamous for looking down on showing off with money.

This is very common in the United States as well, I have gotten some great pieces this way. Best find ever for me was a Breuer chair ages ago
Yet Carousell (the local Craigslist) is still massively popular.
Most of it is new products. Every year during Chinese New Year a significant portion of our neighbours would throw away good but old unwanted furniture and no one would look twice at it. All the valuable stuff was already taken away by specialist "karung guni" (rag and bone men) for spares and stripping for scrap.

I did get some good second hand stuff on carousel. Scooter, baby chair, laptop. All super cheap though. My 3.5 year old mbp 13 cost me less than USD$800. Brand new battery and top case too. You'd never get that in Berlin where I am now but you will find an unending wealth of good secondhand products for sale. Stuff left on the footpath is gone almost immediately too.