Is Used the Best Value?
By Office Interiors President, Bill Coons

As an office furniture dealer, I am often asked if used furniture is a good low cost solution.  While I always want to provide a concise, black and white answer it’s just not that simple.  Used furniture can work successfully and provide savings, but it’s often not as easy or as low cost as it’s perceived to be. 

 

Pre-owned furniture appeals to buyers for different reasons and a reduced out of pocket investment is not the only advantage to be had when purchasing used product.  For example, upgrade options or additional product at no additional cost may be an added advantage. Furthermore, in today’s environmentally conscious world, one important possible benefit to note is that buying used furniture may also factor into an environmental impact by qualifying end users for LEED points eligibility and/or contributing to a green footprint.

 

Whatever your motivation may be, however, there are many factors to consider when purchasing any type of furniture for an office space, including functional needs, size, desired colors, product quality, and price.  When considering used furniture this same list applies, but the options are now controlled by both the existing space and furniture and by what is available on the second hand market.  For example, an end user must now consider not only what will work with the furniture and space they already have, but also whether or not these specific choices will be available in sufficient quantities and at acceptable quality and price points on the used market.

 

Often overlooked, but other important pre-owned considerations include the electrical capacity of older product and the actual electrical condition of the product.  Also, how much will disassembly, shipping, and reassembly costs be, and who will absorb these costs?  As most used furniture is sold in “as is” condition, the end user should always plan travel expenses for a site visit and visual inspection of product prior to purchase.  This step is especially important since most used product brokers require full payment up front. 

 

Imagine paying in advance for used workstations (which you’ve also paid to ship cross country) only to discover during installation that critical pieces are missing or that some pieces are now discontinued and not available to be reordered. Your “new” furniture has just become dysfunctional. Obviously situations like these can be very frustrating, time consuming, and costly for all parties.  But remember, the furniture was a deal, right? 

 

So, is used office furniture really a good value?  It certainly can be if you, the end user, are very flexible, you understand the challenges of used furniture, and the seller is reliable.  “Caveat Emptor” remains the golden rule when purchasing used furniture. Using a trusted reliable dealer to help you source the product and manage the process and risks associated with buying pre-owned is extremely important.

 

But what if I said that there were other economical options to buying pre-owned furniture? In my experience, most end users are not looking for used pre-owned furniture as much as they are seeking a good price, the best value, and the best solution to meet their needs. Believe it or not, you can purchase new product to meet all three criteria without having to compromise budget concerns.

 

In today’s highly discounted and evolving office furniture environment there are several product entries with price points equal to, or just slightly greater than, pre-owned options.  While it’s easy to spend $2,500 to $5,000 per staff member, it’s important to recognize that you don’t have to.  With today’s value engineered lines, you truly can meet the same need for $1,000 to $1,500.  What about the quality?  Will value price lines even hold up through the installation, let alone through your lease? The answer is yes. There are several excellent furniture lines on the market that carry solid warranties and will provide you with a life cycle sufficient to meet your lease term and beyond.

 

Sound too good to be true?  I thought the same thing until a few years ago, when after quoting a project using my same old approach, the client informed me that he had received another proposal at half my price!  Of course, I did not believe him at first.  Nonetheless, I was forced to respond with a revised solution because even though this client wanted to buy from me he wasn’t going to pay double to do so.  Therefore, in an effort to be competitive, I began to investigate the market’s more economical offerings and was pleasantly surprised!  I discovered that a number of good-looking, good quality products now exist at significantly lower prices yet still provide many flexible options for the end user. 

 

Well, I got the sale and my client is very happy with their new furniture, but it required me to open my eyes and look again at the market’s value engineered lines.  And that is my advice to you who ask, “Is used really the best value?”  Do your research in investigating your options.  You’ll find the answer to be, ”Maybe, but maybe not.”   

 

Consider the following:

 

Before you only go down that pre-owned path, consider all your options and examine what is now available.  Find a dealer you can trust to talk through all your needs - product, time frame, flexibility, budget, etc., and one that will go to work finding you the best value. Believe it or not, it may or may not be used! 

Contact us today, for more information.

Bill Coons is the President of Office Interiors Inc. in Atlanta, GA and has a thirty year history in contract furniture and owns an architectural interior company as well that provides turnkey solutions for corporate clients across the U.S. He works closely with commercial real estate brokers to provide solutions in relocation, budgeting and design.

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