Selling a used carseat question

Thanks to this board, I have decided to get a Radian and keep ds harnessed past 40lbs. (we are not there yet, just for future) But I have a Britax Roundabout that is BARELY used. It has been our second seat and we purchased it, I think, around May 05. I feel like I am wasting $200. Also, if we like the Radian, we may get a second and sell my Marathon. It is the Blue seat cover with Fighting Illini on it. (gorgeous seat!!) Purchased in April 06. So, my Q is, can I sell them? Where should I sell them? For how much? I don't have the boxes anymore. The only reason we are thinking of 2 Radians is because of the size factor. NO other reason. Thanks for any advice.

You know before you start selling off seats, you should make sure the radian fits every which way you plan to use it, with the belt, without, your car, grandma's car, etc. It's not a seat that is known to fit in many vehicles.

You can sell them. Ebay or craigslist are popular places.

Someone else had a formula a few days ago about how to calculate the prices for them. I can't remember any of it at all. Something about dividing total cost by projected lifespan and subtracting that amount from the total cost? I don't know.

Wendy

yes before you start be absolutely sure to install the radian in every possible situation(latch vs seatbelt, outboard vs middle, ect...)
Then I would ebay them. You will get the best money back that way.

Im sure that it probably has not, but has the seat ever been in any sort of accident? Have you washed and dried the cover on hot or with bleach? Have you ever washed the harness besides just spot cleaning with a damp with water only rag? Has it ever been dropped or carried around by any of the straps?(I think there may be more but I cant think of them)
If you answer no to all of these then the seat is fine for use(and to sell)

papooses said:

If it passes the Used Seat Checklist > http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/usedseat.aspx < then it's fair to divide the original cost by the life span of the seat (usually 6 years), then subtract the amount equivalent to how long you've owned the seat & also subtract any extra amount for faded cover, etc. -- this would be the asking price or "buy it now"....

Click to expand...

There's the selling formula Tiffany posted previously.

And I ditto making sure the Radian fits well FIRST.

I have heard that about the Radian alot! But I wonder why? Does anyone know? The seats have never been in a crash or dropped. I have washed the cover in cold water on delicate. Each once. Didn't know that was bad. You can't tell. We have not had to do a thing as far as cleaning. Ds got some mild on the chest buckle once, but wiped off easily. These seats have been a dream to install, I really hope the Radian is not as bad as everyone says.

Thanks for the link! I will be sure to use it when and if we sell.

it is because of the no base design, narrow width, and the low belt path. certain types of vehicle seatbelts dont work with it. Seems like most can get a good install with latch, but not all cars have latch and latch is only good to a certain weight(40/48lbs depending on vehicle).

It is ok to wash the cover, just not on hot or with harsh detergents. Never use bleach on any part or any other strong solution. You should only air dry the cover, my dryer has an air only setting so I can dry it like that. It really doesnt speed the drying time up that much but it gets it past the dripping wet phase without leaving a wet spot on the ground somewhere.

Well, the Radian does have some issues, but I think there are less than sometimes comes across on the board. Yes, be cautious, but not too paranoid. I love my Radian (well DD's) and the only car that it doesn't install well in at all with the seatbelt is my Saturn Vue, and it has LATCH in all three back seat positions, so it's not a big issue for me. I have had it in at least 10 different vehicles. (We have three, plus visiting multiple relatives, etc.) If you have seatbelts that come out forward of the seat bite you are likely to have problems, worse with the Radian, but also not great with other seats.

It's a little "different" just because it's really heavy and I have to give it a good "knee and tug" to get it tight, but it's really easy if you are used to it, or just used to installing seats really tight all the time.

So far, now that DD is FFing, it's my favorite seat. (I have a WZ, which I like too, and a Chase.) I'm getting a Young Sport for our other Jeep Wrangler so I'll have to see which I like better, although I'm sure I'll probably like them both for different reasons. I like the idea of true SIP for our Jeep since she has to be outboard (and the WZ will be used by baby), but if I couldn't buy another seat I would use the RN in there too since it installs great. (seatbelt, it's pre-LATCH)

Anyway, that's just my opinion. I wish I could bring it over and try it on your car for you!

You can also post a for sale ad in the Coffee Break forum and link to your ebay or craigslist page.