Generally, kits are not bargains. Good Will frequently has listings for lab kits. These science kits are titled eScience labs, Science Interactive, Labpaq, Hands-on Lab kits, and FOSS Next Generation. The eScience, Hands-on Labs, and Labpaq kits are usually kits college professors assign to online science students. Innovating Science, FOSS, Nasco, and Delta Science are usually elementary or middle school kits. I bought two FOSS kits for science camp from Good Will; my husband, Rob, is going to use the kits for Physics because the electrical components work well.
Often the kits were unused and donated to Good Will. They are available on eBay, though seldom at a good price. My target price for kits is $25, including shipping. Look at the kit’s contents. Does the kit have a thermometer, digital scale, beakers, pH paper, cylinders, etc? Generic lab equipment, such as beakers and cylinders, is always useful. (Note to self: you already have a bin full of beakers and cylinders.) Filter paper and pH test strips last a long time. Make sure the contents in the kit have a value greater than $25 before you bid. I’m not too concerned about small, random packets such as colored beads labeled ‘DNA’ or ‘Population Ecology’. I have two boxes of mini bags to use for random labs. I cannibalized the kits for beakers or dissection specimens and tossed them into a box. I can always Google pop beads and DNA lab. Below are examples to see the contents from sample kits. Happy hunting for science kit deals!
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