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Second Hand Sex Toys? - WTF!

*Written by Anonymous

This was the first thing my partner said, after hearing I’d like to consider buying a recycled sex toy that’s cheaper than a new one. Look, it’s not a secret that the cost of living in New Zealand is sky high - being a UOA student doing a science degree doesn’t make it any easier either.

Having to pay the rent on the dorms and working up a magnificent student debt means my income is very low. I try to stretch it out doing odd jobs, but it is never quite enough to sustain our lifestyle because my partner is a student as well. We both will finish our studies next year and meantime are trying to save as much money as possible.

People are always interested in new ways of saving money. In my mind, buying a used sex toy can’t be that bad. Once it is boiled and scrubbed clean it should be ready go.

What Category Sex Toy is Best for Recycling?

Firstly, there are the sex toys that lend themselves to the idea of reuse very nicely: Restraints, ­­lingerie, blindfolds, hand and ankle cuffs – in fact anything that was made to go on top of the body and not inside it.

Then, there are the toys that can be cleaned and reused in the areas which demand some sort of hygiene order: Vibrators, Kegel balls, dildos, etc.

Recycled Sex Toys

Next up, there are the devices that are meant for the dodgier ‘dirty’ areas: Butt plugs, prostate stimulators, anal beads etc. These require a total extensive cleaning because of the germs and bacteria they’ve been exposed to, and (possibly) the smell. It’s actually the thought of where the toy has been that might be the biggest problem to overcome.

To my mind, the worst kind of reused toys are the ones with the hidden spots. These are the areas like inside the battery compartments and switches. They don’t offer a clear view of all the little nooks and crannies where residual stuff may lurk and can’t be properly cleaned.

It’s this aspect of some sex toys that I could never get over and allow myself to buy, no matter how reasonable the price. These categories include penis sleeves or masturbators (the most popular being that big seller, the Fleshlight), and love dolls.

How to Get Hold of Some Vintage/Secondhand Sex Products

So, the products for external use are the best bargains to buy secondhand. Products used internally like anal pleasure toys, or ones that collect sperm as a side product, are a big no-no. Just imagine getting a Fleshlight in the mail that hasn’t been cleaned properly and you get the picture! I would rather burn my house down with a used secondhand Fleshlight in it than go through the trauma of cleaning it.

Of course, there are always people who get excited about used sex toys. Everybody has read stories about used panties vending machine in Japan (gachapon), but those are long gone (15 years), and now they are just urban legend.

They are not allowed anymore because of stricter governmental rulings. Selling used items and other fetishes are not as widespread in Japan and is actually less common than many people think. I mean, they are a country where people are happier walking around with surgical masks on to protect them from germs, so what are the chances that they would want to sniff something from a dodgy vending machine?

There are some online ladies that sell their used underwear to punters who are willing to fork out for the vacuum packing, couriering and added surcharges like Eau de Online Cootchie, once it has been worn for the requisite amount of time.

How We Went About Sourcing Some Secondhand Sex Stuff

Being a heterosexual couple, and pretty new to sex toys, I’d like to think our sex life is great, but even we could use a sex toy to spice things up. We are quite vanilla and started out with things like mattress restraints and a rabbit vibrator.

I wanted to branch out by looking for a bondage kit. Honestly, not willing to spend more than $10.00, I began browsing the internet to find the cheapest deal. It seems that the cheapest new bondage kits are around NZ$30.00 mark.

Luckily, I saw one on Trademe (A buy/sell/auction NZ site) for $15.00. It was sold as new, but it was 2 months old. The seller claimed it had never been used. It felt a bit risky but I made the decision to buy it and clean it the best I could.

Another thing was to not over-think about the previous owner using the cuffs or ejaculating over the ropes. I was able to banish those thoughts completely when the kit arrived and it was completely unused like the seller had claimed. Probably an unwanted birthday gift.

It felt good to spare the environment from more garbage that could end up in a landfill. Besides, the ‘buy new’ mentality is so irritating. We don’t need everything new. The majority of people buy used houses, used cars and most other everyday products. So why not sex toys?

How You Can Do It

Find a good seller on Trademe and you have nothing to worry about. I would stay away from Facebook groups though - too many scammers and unreliable sellers. With Trademe, the level of confidence is much higher as you can check out the person’s sell history.

Trademe Sex Toys Listing

Going back to my bondage kit seller: I couldn’t help myself contacting him after the sale to find out the exact reason for it. He told me he was unhappy with the product because he was into way more hardcore punishment than the little bondage starter kit offered, so sold it on so he could get a more extreme kit.

This makes my next point; the huge amount of people who try a product only to find out it’s not a good fit for them. It’s not like they can go to a store and give it a test drive in the changing room! They have to buy the product first.

Imagine how many people are buying products which don’t fit their needs. They can’t replace it due to very limited return policies, so they are stuck with a sex product that might have cost hundreds of dollars and no way to sell it to regain some of the price. They could try selling it on with a sexy photo of the person who used it. Some people would pay good money for that.

But, having a controlled marketplace to help anyone who wants to buy and enjoy as many sex toys as possible, and not pay full retail price for each purchase, is a real gap in the market.

The best way to tackle this issue (at least in my mind) would be to have a library of sex toys that were part of Auckland’s council unitary plan or something. Developing sex toy libraries could reduce the crime rate and make voters happier, for sure. Finally, adults over 18+ will go voluntarily to the library and it would take the place of the now defunct “Adult Section” of the old DVD stores!

 

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