One of the most enduring insights from the anthropology of exchange is that value is produced not only by the symbolic meaning of goods, but through their circulation. At first glance this would seem not to apply to the market for second-hand goods, which is driven primarily by the values of thrift and concern for the natural environment, as well as by desires for unique or one-of-a-kind items, but research among international mothers in Copenhagen suggests otherwise. For these mothers, most of whom had no previous experience buying second-hand products before moving to Denmark, the trajectory of use that characterizes clothes, toys, and furniture bought or otherwise obtained second-hand, makes them preferred to goods that are purchased new. I argue here that the material affordances (e.g. sustainable materials and quality construction) of second-hand goods for children shapes cultural narratives of use and re-use. The expectation that such objects have both a history and a future stimulates their re-circulation, which in turn builds community and engagement among international mothers. This research shows that cultural norms that valorize re-use, repair, and sharing can produce new orthodoxies around the value of second-hand goods.