The 9 Best Things to Buy Used九種最值得購買的二手物品

傅穎/譯

Buying used items vs. new stuff is always a wise choice. Its one of the most effective ways you can help protect the environment.

購買二手物品而非新品始終是明智之舉。這是你能為保護環境做貢獻的最有效方式之一。

You can find used stuff in a wide variety of categories. Here are our picks for the categories where youre most apt to find smart buys on items that would require significant natural resources to manufacture new.

你可以找到各種各樣的二手物品。在以下我們選出的品類中，你最有可能發現物美價廉的好東西，而生產同樣的新品則會消耗大量自然資源。

Clothing

服裝

Apparel items require massive resources to produce. That pair of jeans you just bought？ It took up to 1，800 gallons of water to produce. Your new t-shirt？ About 715 gallons. Then theres the environmental impacts of packaging， transporting， and ultimately disposing of clothing.

生產服裝需要大量資源。你新買的那條牛仔褲？生產它可需要1800加侖的水。你的新T恤？它大概需要715加侖的水。此外，包裝、運輸以及最終對衣物的處理都會影響環境。

A LOT of clothes are manufactured every year—and a lot of them get discarded. Fast fashion encourages buying stylish clothes and then quickly discarding stylish clothes， not only because styles change quickly but also because fast fashion items simply arent made to last. Clothing and other textiles make up a significant portion of the waste stream.

每年有大量衣物生產出來——也有大量衣物被丟棄。快時尚鼓勵人們購買新潮衣物后很快就丟棄，這不僅僅是因為潮流瞬息萬變，而且因為快時尚產品根本不耐用。在廢棄物中，服裝和其他紡織品占了很大比例。

Fortunately， increasing numbers of clothes buyers are choosing to donate or sell used items， which means that you can find incredible buys on everything from almost-new designer apparel to everyday basics.

幸好，越來越多的衣物消費者選擇捐贈或者出售二手服裝，這意味著你能在二手市場淘到很棒的東西，從幾乎全新的名牌服裝到基本款服裝，應有盡有。

Books

書

Each year， we cut down about 30 million trees to produce new books. In the meantime， our shelves at home overflow with ones weve already read， and a number of retailers do brisk1 business buying and selling gently used books at discounts of 50% or more off their cover price.

每年，我們為了出版新書而砍伐的樹木約有3000萬棵。與此同時，我們家中的書架上堆滿了已讀過的書，而一些零售商以五折甚至更低的價格買賣八九成新的二手書，生意非常好。

Furniture

家具

You dont have to be a collector to appreciate the appeal of used furniture. Anyone whos ever been to an estate sale2 or one of our many antique shops and used furniture resellers has encountered the incredible range of styles and types of furniture that can be snapped up at bargain prices. Better yet， older furniture is often much better made than new items， particularly when it comes to wood furniture.

并非只有收藏家才會欣賞二手家具的魅力。凡是去過搬遷戶舊物變賣或是古董店和二手家具轉售店的人都曾見過用低價就能撿漏的各種風格和類型的家具。更棒的是，老家具的做工往往比新家具更勝一籌，尤其是木質家具。

People are fickle about furniture. They often change their minds after a purchase， resulting in large inventories of barely-used furniture at second-hand stores and flea markets. From sofas and tables to desks and kids furniture， the shopping opportunities are endless.

人們對家具的喜好反復無常。他們經常在購買后改變主意，導致大量幾乎全新的家具出現在二手商店和跳蚤市場，從沙發、桌子，到書桌、兒童家具，買二手家具的機會數不勝數。

Shopping for used isnt your only option， however. You can also transform your current furniture with refinishing techniques or have pieces reupholstered.

然而，購買二手家具并非你唯一的選擇。你也可以通過飾面拋光或更換軟墊將現有家具改頭換面。

Bicycles

自行車

Bicycles are generally well-made and easy to maintain and recondition， which means that theres no tradeoff in buying used versus new two-wheeled transportation.

自行車通常制造精良，維修方便，這意味著購買二手和一手兩輪交通工具沒啥區別。

Fortunately， here in one of Americas bike-friendliest communities， you can find great deals on a wide variety of bikes， from sleek road models to fat-tire， winter-ready designs. Whatever bike you choose， youll enjoy a significant discount off the price of a new one.

幸運的是，這里是美國最適宜騎自行車的社區之一，你可以找到各種各樣超值優惠的自行車，從流線型公路自行車到適合冬季騎行的寬胎款型。無論選擇哪款，你都能享受到比新車價格優惠得多的折扣。

Small appliances

小電器

From blenders and toasters to coffee makers and panini presses， a wide range of small appliances can be found at used retailers. Need a slow cooker or a bread maker？ Looking for a toaster， roaster or steamer？ These are all items that can be found in great condition—often barely used—at area resellers. People receive them as gifts. They buy them on impulse. And invariably， a large number of owners discover that they dont actually use them.

二手零售商出售各種小電器，從攪拌機、吐司機到咖啡機和帕尼尼機。需要慢燉鍋或面包機？想要吐司機、烤箱或蒸鍋？這些東西在當地轉售店都有賣，而且品質極佳——通常沒怎么用過。它們或是人們收到的禮物，或是沖動消費的產物。總之多數物品主人發現，他們壓根就不用這些東西。

Exercise/sports equipment

鍛煉/體育器材

It wont come as a surprise to anyone that a lot of exercise equipment doesnt get much use. People buy it with the best of intentions， but only a small percentage of purchasers stick with their exercise regimens for the long haul.

很多鍛煉器材利用率不高，這并不奇怪。人們購買器材時躊躇滿志，但只有少數購買者長期堅持他們的鍛煉計劃。

Likewise， you can find all kinds of used sports equipment， from lacrosse sticks to hockey skates. Purchased new， these items can cost a fortune， so do yourself a favor and make a point to explore your opportunities to purchase sporting goods used.

同樣，你可以找到各種二手體育器材，無論是曲棍球棒還是冰球鞋。這些物品買全新的得花一大筆錢，所以不妨給自己省點錢，留意一下是否有機會購買二手體育商品。

Childrens products

兒童用品

Kids grow up fast. The clothes they wore last season no longer fit them this season. The toys they loved a year ago， they cant be bothered to play with today. Which means that choice and bargains abound across the gamut3 of childrens products， from apparel to games to play equipment.

小孩子長得快，上季穿過的衣服在當季就穿不下了。他們去年喜歡的玩具現在就不愛玩了。這意味著從服裝到游戲用具再到玩樂設備，各種兒童產品都有很多廉價的二手貨可供選擇。

Its always a good bet to shop used for kids items， not least because so many toys and other items are made from plastics that cant be recycled. Your kid will love what you buy， and youll feel good about keeping these goods out of the trash.

購買二手兒童用品總是明智的，尤其是因為太多玩具和其他兒童用品是塑料制品，無法回收。你的孩子會喜歡你買的東西，你也會為讓這些東西免遭丟棄而感到高興。

Home electronics

家用電子產品

Home electronics， much of it mass-produced devices that are frequently updated and discarded， generates a tremendous amount of whats known as “e-waste.” The United Nations estimates 50 million tons of which are discarded every year.

許多家用電子產品是批量生產的設備，更新換代快，經常被丟棄，從而產生了數量驚人的所謂“電子垃圾”。據聯合國估計，每年被丟棄的“電子垃圾”有5000萬噸。

Fortunately， a growing number of resellers are focusing on this category. And because so many consumers tend to discard perfectly functional items for the “latest and greatest，” you can find great deals on barely-used items， including computers and monitors， smartphones， Blu-Ray players， gaming consoles， flat-panel TVs， digital cameras， speakers and much more.

幸好，越來越多的轉售商開始關注這類商品。由于太多消費者一味追求“最新最好”，往往為此丟棄功能完好的舊型號，你可以花很少的錢淘到幾乎全新的設備，包括電腦、顯示器、智能手機、藍光播放器、游戲機、平板電視、數碼相機、揚聲器等等。

Musical Instruments

樂器

The price gap between new and used can be astonishing when it comes to musical instruments， so it really pays to shop second-hand in this category. And thats especially true when it comes to instruments for a child. Its great insurance to buy used for your child since you have no idea if theyll really commit to the instrument.

新舊樂器的差價可能大得驚人，因此這類物品買二手貨很劃算。給孩子買樂器時尤其如此，因為你不知道他們是否真的會用心學，所以給孩子買二手樂器就十分保險了。

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者）