Guides · second-hand · tax year 2026–27

What should I check before buying second-hand baby kit?

Ask for a nameplate photo, look the brand and model up in official records, then inspect the item. A cheap listing does not overwrite those records. This is guidance, not a safety certificate.

This is information, not a guarantee and not a product-safety certificate. Official records show recalls and standards; they do not decide the buy for you.

What to do

1. Ask the seller for a sharp photo of the nameplate — brand, model, standard (R129, EN 716, EN 1888 and so on) and date of manufacture. If they will not send it, walk away.
2. Look the brand and model up in official records. Read what official records show. “No recall on file” is not permission to buy. “Recalled — do not use” or “Avoid second-hand” ends the conversation. Not found ≠ safe.
3. Inspect before you pay: harness, frame, mattress gap, brake, missing screws, tears. If a photo cannot show it, do not buy it sight-unseen. Ask whether it has been in a crash, and whether fabric or sleep kit is from a smoke-free home.
4. Prefer a new car seat. The Lullaby Trust advises against second-hand car seats — crash damage is often invisible. NCT will not take those seats into a Nearly New hall. A travel system’s pram and its click-on seat are separate decisions.
5. For a cot, look for EN 716 on a fixed-side frame and a mattress gap of no more than two fingers. The Lullaby Trust generally advises a new mattress for each baby; if you cannot buy new, they say it must be firm, flat, undamaged and fully waterproof-covered.
6. Then pick the channel — Vinted for clothes, Marketplace for bulky kit, an NCT Nearly New Sale for a hall haul — and only bargain after the checks. A lower price does not repair a missing harness or a withdrawn standard.