The Real Cost Of Second Hand Goods.

Right i know its been a while since i wrote on here but i've been really busy. So for a change, i've taken some time off to sit here and write about something i've been thinking about.

The hidden cost of second hand electronics has been on my mind. I was in the process of buying a new mobile but before i decided what i wanted, i checked out a few reviews and videos, the most noteable here being the "unboxing" videos on youtube.

Sure you may get the second hand mobile, mp3 player, laptop at a knockoff price, but you're not getting the full experience of the purchase. What exactly do i mean? I mean the actual unboxing of the device and seeing it in its raw, unscathed, untouched state, freshly wrapped in the packaging with all the extras that came with it.

A tech fundi like me would probably compare the experience of unboxing to that of child birth. Taking the device out of the box for the first time (i know what you're thinking, and no not that box, i'm talking about the phone and the packaging) and holding it in your hands, fresh, shiny and clean. Something like that new car smell.

With second hand goods, you don't really experience this. It's already been unpackaged, handled, most likely dropped and scratched a few times, and probably nowhere near in working order as it was when it was new. So your iPhone you bought for 300 bucks, might be a bargain, but you're missing out on a 300+ experience the original owner had.

The excitement when you first open the box and see it in absolute perfect condition for the first time is already gone and used on someone else. In this sense, i try to always go for a new device. This is probably why people like to take photos of the unboxing event and videos, so they can preserve that memory. Like a childs first words caught on film, or the first time he/she walked or got caught playing in the mud (i have a pretty memorable pic of a similar experience involving me and my brother haha. i just need to find it).

Really, what i'm trying to say is, theres a lot more that you pay for than the bargain price tag. And that, my friends, is what i believe to be the hidden cost of second hand goods.

Enclosed is a video of someone who just got his hands on the new Nintendo DSi. Have a look, you can almost feel the excitement and joy.

Nintendo DSi unboxing at CrunchGear.