I've noted before to reduce, reuse, THEN recycle - in between reduce and reuse I buy open-box and used items, mostly from eBay, which has become the go-to marketplace for those items, though sometimes from Amazon for books and from Kaiyo for furniture.

Theoretically, buying open-box or used means 1 less new item produced, hence between reduce and reuse. It also makes me more aware of finding a good new home for items I don't need anymore. For example, I sometimes give them away to people in my office I know would use them.

Practically, I can buy open-box and used items at a significantly lower price than equivalent new items, even though they function basically the same. And heuristically, it controls for higher-quality items, ones people would bother re-selling.

Impractically, I feel savvy negotiating with the seller on eBay. Counter-counter-offering just to save $2.50 on an item? Let’s go!