Flower Love
If you are trying to create a space that you find comfortable and useful, the best thing to do is to buy new furniture.
Not everyone can afford this, however, and many often choose an alternative route and buy used furniture.
There are some drawbacks to choosing this route, and you should be very careful when doing this. To keep things simple, here are a few things to keep in mind to minimize the error rate.
Change where you look for used furniture
The most common places people think they can find used furniture, such as flea markets or online marketplaces, and even used furniture stores that sell a lot at a discount, aren’t the only ones you can take advantage of. There are many others out there, and sometimes what you find there can be even better.
Image source: Hide & Sleep Interior Design
Hotels or bars often give away what they don’t need when they change their interior – use this to your advantage and contact them. Furniture dealers are another great choice – ask if they have used sofas or something else that they have previously rented to someone. This type of furniture usually has a price that is well below retail.
Image source: Connie Cunningham Designs & B & B.
Be careful what you are buying
When you buy used sofas or used beds or anything else that is used for that matter, you want to get something that you cannot afford at retail price. Because of this, buying something that isn’t really worth what they’re asking for isn’t a very wise choice. Review everything you buy carefully.
Image source: Love home
For example, if you see a label that tells you that the piece of furniture you are buying comes from a place not known for long-lasting products, you may want to avoid it. Having a smartphone on hand is also useful when you don’t recognize the brand – Google it, you never know what you will come across.
Image source: Toronto Interior Design Group
Try first, buy later
If you are heading to a flea market or buying used furniture online, it is always best to try the furniture for yourself before paying for it. For example, if it’s a chair, sit in it.
Image source: Rethink Design Studio
If it is a table, try to lean on it and apply some pressure. That way, you know that anything you buy will not be damaged by use or repair, and it is well worth it for the asking price.
Stay away from fakes
We live in a time when counterfeits are so good that you can hardly tell from the original product. If you can’t really say anything about the origin of a product, it may be enough to carefully check the design yourself.
Image source: Alex Amend Photography
Is it made of solid wood? Is it well made and put together so that the overall structure is stable? Buying something that just looks good can be a serious mistake – be careful.
Check all used furniture piece by piece
This is especially important if you can’t find the label. Know what to look for – start with the materials. For example, you will get a much more stable product if it is made of solid wood than one made of chipboard.
Image source: Sarah Greenman
Next, look at how the pieces of furniture are put together. High quality furniture usually opts for dovetail joints, while the cheaper ones and those that break more easily use nails because they are cheaper and easier to make.
Be aware of where you will be placing the piece
Would you buy a bed from a second hand furniture store only to find that you have no way of poking it through all the doors and getting it into your bedroom? If you don’t want to return what you bought, or worse, need to toss it in the garage, double-check before handing over the money.
Image source: Kim Parker Interiors
Do not throw anything away as it is easily damaged
When you see a piece you love for an amazing price, but it has a few cracks here and there, don’t throw it away entirely. Changing the pads on your own isn’t that difficult and you can if you try.
Prepare to compromise
Second hand furniture is tricky, you never know what you will come across. Make sure you are willing to compromise or you may never get the piece you want.
Image source: Westcott Construction Ltd.
Trust your senses
Any piece of furniture someone has already owned may possibly have the smell of its previous owner. This is an important thing to keep in mind as what you buy will stay in your home for a while.
Some odors, such as smoke odors or pet odors, are often never vented. So if this bothers you, you are forgetting so much. It’s just not that great anymore.
Don’t lie to your wallet
The beautiful sofa looks great – and it only costs $ 50. And all it takes is new pillows. And some new stuff. And someone to do it all. These things can raise prices unexpectedly. So keep that in mind and calculate the final price before pulling the trigger.
Image source: Natsumi Photography
Set a budget and stick with it
This is one of the biggest mistakes people make – there is always something better for a little more money.
Set your budget and don’t go over it. Negotiate everything to keep prices as low as possible and, if necessary, calculate delivery prices as well. Some sellers don’t offer delivery, and you’ll need to add that cost to the total – see if you can afford it.
Image source: Veranda light interiors
Have enough money and don’t waste your time
A flea market or a used furniture store are both places where the good stuff is gone in minutes. Make sure you have enough money with you so that you can take something with you as soon as you see it. If you have to go to the ATM it might be gone by the time you get back.
Avoid buying a used mattress
Even if you can’t really see them with the naked eye, every used mattress is harboring a lot of bacteria and germs. Because of this, they are never recommended for use again after they have been used, and alternatives such as an air mattress may be a better option, at least until you can afford a new, traditional mattress.
Image source: Rikki Snyder
Don’t buy what you don’t need
If you see something that you are not sure you will like, avoid it. If you don’t fall in love with her now, neither will you later. So just avoid it and don’t spend the money that you could normally use elsewhere.
Image source: Pierre Jean-Baptiste Interiors
Don’t spend a day of rest if it’s not worth it
Let’s say you want to buy a large couch. You need to find someone to help you get it from the market to your place and then to the upholsterer and back. If you are working your 9 to 5 and only have two days off each week, do you want to spend them working on it? Do you really need a new couch now or can it wait a while?
Image source: SuzAnn Kletzien Design
Be ready to take your furniture with you
Image source: Susan Duane
Although some stores offer to keep everything you buy for a few days, some may tell you that you need to take something you want to buy home with you the same day. In that case, having a vehicle big enough to fit whatever you buy is a smart call. Make a map of all the places you visit and get a truck big enough for anything you might come across.