Used or new: how to get the most for your money online

The online second-hand market has become so large and so well organised that “used or new” is a real choice for most of what we buy, from prams and skis to phones and sofas. But the answer is not the same for every item: some things lose most of their value the moment they are first used, while others are worth every krone in new condition because of the warranty, the known history or hygiene.

This guide gives you a sober framework: when used pays off, when new is the right choice, which rights you actually have in each case, and how best to combine the two.

Short answer: when does used pay off?

Used pays off where the item wears well and the consequence of a hidden fault is small: children's equipment, sports gear, furniture and books. New pays off where the warranty, the history or hygiene matters a great deal: electronics you depend on, mattresses and safety equipment such as car seats. Refurbished from a retailer is often the sensible middle ground.

What is worth buying used

The common denominator for good second-hand buys is items that lose a lot of value early in their life and carry a low risk of hidden faults. The first buyer takes the drop in price; you take over the usefulness. These categories are usually safe:

• Children's equipment: prams, carriers, clothes and toys are used for such a short time by each child that much of it is sold in practically new condition
• Sports gear: skis, skates, bicycles and exercise machines are often bought with good intentions and barely used
• Furniture: solid pieces, particularly in solid wood, survive several owners, and the drop in value from new is steep
• Books, board games and physical media: the condition is easy to judge, and faults are rarely hidden

A good starting point is to look up the new price first: if you know what the item costs new, and what it typically goes for used, you can quickly tell whether a listing is a good buy or merely looks cheap. Note too that children's equipment has one big exception, safety equipment such as car seats. We will come back to that.

Timing helps as well: the second-hand market follows the seasons, and the selection is widest, with prices often lowest, when people are clearing out. Ski gear tends to be cheapest once the season is over, bicycles when autumn arrives, and children's equipment appears in waves as children grow out of it. If you start looking well before you need the thing, you buy when sellers are many and buyers are few.

What you should buy new

Buy new where you need a warranty, a known history or hygiene. That covers electronics you rely on day to day, mattresses and other hygiene products, and safety equipment such as car seats and helmets when the history is unknown. A car seat that has been through a collision can have invisible damage you have no way of checking.

The same goes for helmets: a helmet that has taken one hard impact should be replaced, and the impact does not always show on the outside. If you do not know the previous owner and the history, the saving is rarely worth the uncertainty.

For electronics it comes down to risk. A used phone from a private seller can be a good buy, but if it breaks after three weeks you have few rights and no warranty behind you. The more you depend on the thing working, and the more expensive a repair would be, the more the security of buying new is worth. The hygiene argument is simpler: mattresses, pillows and the like are rarely worth the second-hand saving.

Your rights depend on who you buy from

If you buy from a private individual, the Norwegian Sale of Goods Act applies, not the Consumer Purchases Act. That means no right of withdrawal, weaker protection if something is wrong, and an “as is” clause that shifts much of the risk onto you. Buy used from a business or an online second-hand shop, and you have full consumer rights and the 14 day Norwegian right of withdrawal.

You are not left without rights in a private sale: the item must match the information the seller gave, and even with an “as is” clause there may be a defect if the item is in significantly worse condition than the price and the circumstances suggested. But the threshold is higher, and you have to pursue the claim with the seller yourself; there is no customer service line to call.

That difference is worth pricing in: a second-hand purchase from a private individual should be correspondingly cheaper than the same item from a second-hand shop, because you carry more of the risk yourself. How the right of withdrawal works when you buy online from a business is covered in our guide to the right of withdrawal and returns in online shopping.

One practical piece of advice whoever you are dealing with: keep the listing, the photos and the message thread until the item has arrived and been tried out. If a dispute arises, it is the information the seller actually gave that decides what you had reason to expect, and screenshots of the listing are then worth a great deal.

Refurbished electronics: often the sensible middle ground

Refurbished electronics, meaning used devices that have been tested, repaired and sold on by a retailer, combine a second-hand price with consumer rights. You get the right to complain about defects and the right of withdrawal, as with any other online purchase from a business, and often a separate warranty from the retailer on top. For phones, tablets and laptops this is often the best compromise between price and peace of mind.

“Refurbished” is not a protected standard, though, so check what each retailer means by the term: what has been tested and replaced? What cosmetic condition can you expect? How good is the battery health, and how long is the warranty? Reputable sellers answer all of this clearly in the product description; vague answers are a signal in themselves.

How to avoid scams on the second-hand market

The two biggest warning signs are demands for payment in advance and prices that are too good to be true. A seller who is in a hurry, will only take Vipps or a bank transfer in advance, and cannot meet you or show you the item, is a bad sign, however credible the listing looks. Scams on the second-hand market are rarely sophisticated; they exploit a buyer who is in a rush and afraid of missing a bargain.

• See the item in person where that is practical, particularly for expensive purchases
• Use the marketplace's recommended payment and delivery options rather than paying in advance outside the platform
• Check the seller's profile, history and reviews
• Treat screenshots and receipts offered as “proof” with scepticism; they are easy to fake
• Take your time: a serious seller will not pressure you into paying quickly

The environmental argument, briefly

Every used item you buy is a new item that does not have to be made. For many products, a large share of the environmental cost sits in the production. You do not need to turn buying second-hand into a philosophy: the financial and the environmental gain usually point the same way, and that is motivation enough.

The combined approach: used where the risk is low, new where the rights count

The most profitable approach is rarely “everything used” or “everything new”, but a deliberate mix: buy used where the consequence of a fault is small and the drop in value from new is large. Buy new where a warranty, the right of withdrawal and a known history are actually worth something, and then make sure you pay as little as possible for the new.

For the new purchases that means comparing prices, timing bigger buys to the sales, and taking the cashback where it exists: if you shop via Sparebørsen, you get a share of what you spend back at many online shops, money that in practice narrows the price gap between used and new. How that works is explained in what cashback is, and more practical ways to save are in how to save money shopping online in 2026.

That way you get both: second-hand prices where it is safe, and the protection of consumer rights where it actually matters.