Buy used child seat - you should pay attention to that

Buying a new child seat often means spending a lot of money. The thought quickly comes to buy a used child seat.

To start with: yes, it is possible to buy a used child seat. BUT, it is important to pay attention to a few things. Your child’s safety is at stake.

Buy used child seat – what you should pay attention to (on the picture: Reboarder Britax Roman Max-Fix 2)

What should I pay attention to if I want to buy a used child seat?

As I wrote here in the section "What should I look out for when buying a child seat?", You should first of all check the used seat for general things.

Seal of approval ECE-R 44
Check the seat to see if it can have an orange seal of approval. If this is no longer to be found, keep your hands off the child seat! Current models may only be sold or used with the ECE-R 44/03 or ECE-R 44/04 (current) test seal.
Group 0 to III
Make sure that the used child seat is tailored to your child. Groups 0, 0+, I, II and III divide the seats into the weight class of children.

If you can tick off these points, you are only one step closer to buying a used child seat. The next points on the checklist should not be neglected!

The seat was involved in an accident?
Very important: ask if the seat has had an accident. If the question is answered with yes, you expressly refrain from buying! After an accident, child seats are unfortunately junk.
Does the child seat show any damage?
Check the seat for damage. The cover must be removed for this. If this is not possible, the purchase should not be made here either. You can only take a closer look at the seat shell with the cover removed. Pay attention to cracks, deformations or breaks. It often happens that the coating on the straps flakes off. Accordingly, you should also inspect the belt and the belt guide. These must be in perfect condition.
Are all parts still present??
First of all, you should ask about the operating and assembly instructions for the seat. Use this to check the used seat, whether all components are present.
Check functionality
However, it is not enough that everything is still there. The components and groups must be checked for functionality. The belt, the belt buckle and all locking systems (if the seat can be rotated, for example) are particularly important..
Seat shouldn’t be too old
Over time, the plastic becomes brittle. It is possible that the seat may no longer offer the same level of safety as a brand new model. Also because the manufacturers are constantly developing safety, one should not buy used child seats that are much older than four years.

Only buy used child seats if you can trust the seller!

You don’t want to impose anything on anyone, but unfortunately there are always sellers of used ones Child seats want to bring to a man or woman with a background – to make money. The truth about the use is often kept secret. Unfortunately, the safety of our children is dealt with too negligently.

Because even if the child seat cannot show a visible crack after an accident, it would still be negligent to continue using it. Reduce the finest hairline cracks that are not visible to the naked eye of a layperson security of the child seat many times over.

It is therefore important to be able to trust the seller. First, ask friends and relatives whether they want to sell a used child seat. If you can then tick off all of the above points, the used child seat can also be used without hesitation.

Buy used child seat – you should pay attention to that

What should I pay attention to if I want to buy a used child seat?

Only buy used child seats if you can trust the seller!

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