Trading/buying/selling used toys can be a safe, inexpensive alternative to shelling out exorbitant amounts of cash.

So...some people are down with trading and/or selling toys that they've tested that they haven't necessarily enjoyed ,or just simply don't need, to others who may appreciate them more. I am one of the people who loves opportunities like these. Sex toys, especially luxury toys can be hella expensive and shelling out big bucks ( i haven't been reviewing long enough to get toys worth over $50 for free) for toys that you end up not liking ( eg. The Je Joue FiFi) sucks. I currently have toys for sale or trade on edens classifieds and I have gained a ton of toys from the other contributors on Eden. My best deal yet was a $35 Jopen vr6 - a toy worth over $140 online and well over $200 retail. Unfortunately my anatomy rejected the shape of the vr6 but at least I got to see for myself what power horses the Jopen Vanitys are. Even better a few months later I traded the vr6 for a JimmyJane Form 2 which currently is in my top 5 fav toys! The Form 2 is also worth $140 so I seriously lucked out. So, Eden has a safety scale for the different types of materials that sex toys come in. At the top of the list, and my personal favourite is silicone, glass and steel. Next, at a rating of 9, are ceramic and wood ( which I have not tried yet and frankly have a bit of an aversion too but that's another story. Hard plastic is an 8 and still considered non-porous. The safety scale is all about how porous the materials are. If a toy is permeable ie. absorbent, then you run the risk of either a. transferring contaminants from orifice to orifice (which could result in a yeast or bladder infection or jock itch that you just can't get rid of)or b. possible STD transmission. As long as the toys are cleaned properly between uses (with antibacterial soap and water or a 10% bleach solution or commercial toy cleaner/wipes) toys with a rating of 8 or above are safe to share. They are also phthalates and latex free and hypoallergenic. It just makes sense to use a safe toy. If you don't like the rigidity of plastic, steel ,glass etc then stick with silicone which comes in many different textures and densities. Toys in the mid range (various combinations of materials including silicone hybrids, TPE and elastomer) are safer, but should still be used with caution. Then there's what I consider to be an evil material that is really only useful if you are not prone to yeast or bladder infections and plan on keeping the toy to use alone only, in your cooch(vagina)only and don't care if the material breaks down in a matter of months. Lots of people used to come into the sex shop I worked at and go straight for jelly. If I ever manage to open or run my own sex shop one day, rest assured I will sell very little if any jelly ( which is a 2) toys. Luxury toys use medical grade silicone which is really at home in your nether regions and depending on the finish can be used with or without lube, as long as its water based. When buying used toys (more often than not they've only been used once or twice and usually just for review purposes) make sure that you lean them properly before using, just like washing panties before wearing them. If your toy doesn't house a motor it can even be boiled or put through the dishwasher for sterilization. I had one member on Eden point out in a Would you buy a second hand toy? poll and thread that I started, that it's just like having a pap smear done by a doctor with a speculum that has been used on countless women. But, as you'll see if you click on the link above their ate a ton of different views on the subject and I don't feel like any are wrong. It really depends on what you are comfortable with. I wouldn't buy a second hand vibe as a gift though lol. I started this post originally to mention Adriana Ravenlust@ofsexandlove.com. She is also an Edenite and has a fantastic website which was in the top 100 sex blogs of 2011. Adriana recently posted on thetoy swap thread a ton of toys that she was giving away for nothing more than the price of shipping! I ended up with 12 toys in total for $40 valued over $600!!. An amazingly generous woman and awesome writer check out her blog and right now (July 2012) she's giving away a brand new icicles#5 dildo! Just go here