Sprucing up your home isn’t always cheap. Furniture can cost an arm and a leg. It isn’t always possible to splash big cash when you are raising a family. Luckily, the second-hand furniture market is massive, and individual sellers may part with beautiful furniture for discount prices. Here are some tips for buying second-hand furniture online.
Consider How You Might Get Your Furniture Home
Larger items of furniture can be a real pain to transport. Removals companies can be costly, and you don’t always need a ten-ton truck to pick up a new sofa! Man in a van companies offer a service somewhere in between removals and odd jobs. It can be remarkably helpful to have the extra pair of hands.
Hiring a man and van London can seem like a bit of a task in itself. There are thousands of different options to choose from – ranging from organized multi-vehicle organizations to one man with one van. The best practice is to choose a company local to you.
It is also worth considering if you will need a specialist. If, for instance, you are buying a second-hand piano, then you will need a team of specialist piano movers. Fragile items and rare furniture require specialists as well.
Stay COVID safe
Buying second-hand furniture online is a breeze, but in these troubled times, a few extra precautions need to be taken. These precautions are mostly common sense.
Always wear a mask when collecting furniture
Sanitize your hands before and after collection
Wear latex gloves if you can
Never collect furniture if you have symptoms of COVID-19 or have been in contact with somebody that does
Do not spend unnecessary time inside somebody’s home. If possible, collect from outside the door
Despite these extra precautions needing to be taken, the second-hand market is surging, especially when compared to the rest of the retail industry.
Scan for Scammers
Unfortunately, scammers often target second-hand furniture buyers. In the worst cases, these con artists have stolen thousands of pounds from people by setting up fake advertisements offering great deals on furniture.
Scammers can usually be spotted in advance. If anybody asks for a deposit, a transfer of money ahead of collection offers a deal that is too good to be true or keeps rearranging collection dates, then the chances are that they are dishonest.
Talk on the Phone
Talking on the phone with the seller is a great way to check if they are genuine or not. It also means that you can ask questions that the seller might not have answered in their listing. Asking about the condition, the age, the weight and the designer of the furniture might help you make a final decision about purchasing.
Measure Your Space
Nothing is more frustrating than getting a great piece of furniture home, only to discover that it won’t fit in your living room. A surprisingly common problem, it isn’t exactly hard to solve. Simply take your trusty tape measure out before contacting any sellers.
