Research from Esure home insurance has indicated that one in seven objects around British homes is second-hand, and only 14% of people would be embarrassed by telling their friends that an item was used when bought.
Boot fairs and internet auctions are among the favourite ways for bargain-hunting Brits to find their used treasures. Amongst the most likely items to be bought used were electrical products, and white goods such as refrigerators, microwaves and ovens .
In excess of 9.5 million homeowners in the UK frequent car boot sales and charity shops with the sole purpose of finding a bargain. 740,000 respondents to the research admitted to having rooted through skips and rubbish bins to find items.
One third of household owners admitted that they "simply didn't see the point" of purchasing items such as books, DVDs, and CDs brand new when second-hand items performed just as well and were much cheaper to purchase.
Nikki Sellers, head of Esure home insurance, commented that: "The rise in popularity of ebay and hobbies such as 'car booting' has led to a phenomenal transformation in what we buy for our homes and has lengthened life spans of everyday objects as they are frequently passed on from one owner to the next".




