Why Buy Pre-owned Furniture?

"Why should I  buy pre-owned?"  " Why should we buy used furniture?"  "I don't want to sit on something others have sat on?"  I have heard these questions and comments over and over from friends, family members, general folks who find  that I own an estate sale company.

Buying pre-owned means that you are a savvy shopper, that you have a great respect for your wallet and that you realize the prices in stores are inflated, as the stores have to pay rent, utilities, labor costs and taxes.  When they price their goods they take all of these expenses into consideration, which they should.  Estate sellers don't have those expenses.  We conduct our sales at our clients homes.  We do have some costs but they are minor compared to a brick and mortar store.

Most folks don't realize that when you go into a store how do you know the couch your buying is new...that it is not a couch that had once been a floor model where possibly thousands of folks have sat on it, touched it or even had bought it and returned it?  You don't.  You really have no idea if the item you are getting when ordering from a store is a new one.  Of course, they won't tell you that it was once a floor model, they'll say it was in their warehouse wrapped up waiting to be bought.

Buying pre-owned furniture and household items you will not only help save the environment by keeping items out of the public dumps, but you'll save your pocketbook.  Most items sold at estate sales are sold for an 1/8 or less of it's store value.  Many of these items are in good to excellent condition.  Some items such as a couch may have not been sat on in years as the item was in a room where the homeowner rarely went.  

Shoppers need to change their mindsets about the "ickiness" factor on buying used furniture.  Most furniture can be wiped down, professionally cleaned and aired out.  Buying items pre-owned does not mean you are buying garbage -- it means you are buying expensive items for an 1/8 of their retail value.  It means you are a smart, savvy shopper.  I've had clients spend over $14,000 on a rug that we sold for $1,500 that is less than a 25% cost of it's true retail value.

So shop estate sales - see the items in person and take them with you right there and then.  No waiting 6 weeks for the item you just pay and go.  

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