What to buy and what to pass, and New or Used, a Cloth Diapering Conundrum

Where do you spend your money? Where can you save it? A lot of people start cloth diapering for one main reason: to save money. You can certainly stand to save quite a lot cloth diapering, but where is it worth scrimping? A few dollars here and there can make or break your cloth diapering experience.
I'm going to quickly list out some of the main things that have made cloth diapering so much easier that they are well worth the money, some of the things that I think can be done without, and some of the risks to buying used diapers to watch for.
1. Buy a good diaper wetbag. In fact, buy 3 good wetbags in different sizes. Keep a large one at your changing table, a medium on in your diaper bag, and one small one in your car or in your stroller basket in case you end up needing one when you are out. I like Planet Wise or Wahmies brand. Planet Wise is sturdier and will hold up better, Wahmies is less expensive. I greatly prefer these to the pail as they can easily be thrown into the wash when soiled right along with the diapers, and anything that keeps me from playing in poo I appreciate. Also, they can fit in any spot you want like a shelf or hanging on a door knob or off the side of your changing table. They also look full so you know when to do laundry without having to open and check, which is one more way to keep out of the poo.
2. Buy good cloth diaper wipes. You will end up shoving the wipes inside the diaper and having to pick lint out of diapers later if you do not, plus you are just putting more chemicals on your child and paying for one more single use item. I like the bamboo ones best because they are naturally antimicrobial. My preferred ones are the bumGenius Bamboo Wipes.
3. Get one of the wipes warmers approved for cloth diapers. I like the Prince Lionheart Wipes Warmer best. It is sturdy, the cord is long enough, and everfresh pillow really does keep the wipes from browning or getting smelly.
4. Cloth diaper friendly detergent is essential. You must use detergents which do not have additives and are generally unscented. I have several that I have used, and there will be another blog entry on detergent later, but Planet is available at Whole Foods, bumGenius makes one that you can order from the Cottonbabies website and ships free, and I recently started using Rockin Green which allows you to have scents back in the wash room and has a special formula for hard water.
5. You will need a system for line drying. Ikea has a little octopus here http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/80189663 for $4.99 and it'll hold 16 covers or inserts, so it is pretty much perfect for someone who washes every other day.

What can you pass on? If you are on a budget, pass on premade diaper wipe sprays and solutions. You can use water and it will work just as well. I'd also pass on a pail and pail liner system, as a wetbag can do double duty. You can pass on laundry additives, since only the cloth diapering detergents are needed.

New or Used diapers?
If you are new to cloth diapering then used may not be the way to go unless you are willing to put in some time asking questions. How many children have used them? What detergent was used? When were they last stripped? Are they put into the dryer? How is the elastic? How is the Velcro? Any broken or missing snaps? Is the PUL layer still intact? How many diapers were in the stash and how well were they rotated? All of these things give you a picture of how much the diapers were used and how they were cared for. I usually expect to pay between 60-70% of retail when I purchase a well taken care of diaper used. If it was not well taken care of then it is not worth buying for most people at any price. The only exception is if you are quite good at sewing and have the time to take on a project, and it is a VERY good price. I have seen several people start cloth diapering with purchasing lots of used diapers, only to become discouraged when the diapers leaked due to loose elastics or detergent build up on the microfiber. It isn't worth getting frustrated, and if you are new to cloth diapering you may not know how to troubleshoot the issues. If that sounds like it would be too much for you then it is not worth the extra money saved, just buy new.
If you do find a good to great set of used diapers, and they are in that 60-70% of retail range, pick them up. Give them a good wash, with 1/4 cup of bleach if you choose, and hang them in the sun to dry. We've all been burned at least once over eBay or Craigslist purchases, but you will still be saving money in the long run either way. Just make sure to ask those questions and keep your limits in mind.