SECONDHAND IS BETTER (2H=B)

by Suzanne; Douglas Matthews & Susan Cowley Wymelenberg ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 13, 1975

The subtitle promises the very best buys on everything from automobiles to zithers. The zithers go for $5 to $25 in a pawnshop. Other places where you can search for the rabies amidst the rubble include auctions, garage sales, flea markets, Salvation Army ""department stores"" and auto graveyards. This enthusiastic book is, as you might expect, more useful to college students setting up a crash pad than to the suburban lady who wants to redecorate. A lot of advice on auctions is cautionary on a fairly elementary level--don't expect to drop in at Parke Bernet and make a killing. You may do better on consumer items at the semiannual Post Office auction or at the periodic sweepstakes run by the U.S. Customs Department. But again a caveat: often goods are sold in lots--e.g, two dozen coffee tables--and ""on a single item you'll end up paying twice the retail cost."" The authors feel that buying secondhand still represents a daring ""breach of consumer ethics"" though recently the state of the economy has inspired a certain flea-market chic which has inflated the prices of the junkiest ""jonque."" Listings of major fairs, auctions, outdoor markets and various rag-and-bone merchants in major cities. We're bidding low.

Pub Date: Oct. 13, 1975

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Arbor House

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1975

Categories: NONFICTION