5 Places to Find Quality Used Furniture is a post originally published on: Everything Finance - Everything Finance - Its all about Money!

It’s no secret that furniture is expensive. When I moved into my first apartment, I remembered going to the furniture store and looking at all the high-priced items.

I needed a couch for my living room and the one I wanted was $500. I couldn’t even afford that. So, I financed it and ended up paying way more than the purchase price because of interest. This is why financing furniture is usually a pretty bad deal.

If you’re trying to save money on your furniture purchases and avoid financing the things you need, one of the most common solutions is to resort to used furniture.

Now, most of the furniture in my house is used and I love it. Here are a few of the best places to find quality used furniture along with some basic safety and savings tips for buying used furniture in general.

1. Yard Sales

Yard sales are great for buying used furniture because items are usually extremely marked down. People just want to get rid of their stuff. If you can take it off their hands, they may even be willing to negotiate with you so you can get an even lower price.

A few years ago, I found 2 great lamps at a garage sale for $5 each and they’re now in my living room. Most people put signs up in their area when they’re having a garage sale, or you can look at garage sale listings online.

Your town may even have a community garage sale each year, which would be a great time to stock up on some cheap used furniture. Estate sales are also like gold when it comes to scoring some nice used furniture pieces.

2. Thrift Stores

Thrift stores are another great place to buy used furniture. Often times, you will just get lucky when finding the right items. Plus, you really have to sort through things because some of the furniture at thrift stores is pretty outdated.

I like going to places like Goodwill and Salvation Army. Recently, I’ve been going to other, lesser-known, second-hand stores. They actually buy used items from customers and resell them. The items at these resale shops will probably cost more than your average thrift store, but sometimes it’s worth it.

At a local resale shop in my area, my husband and I found a really nice TV stand for $70. It doesn’t sound cheap, but the TV stand is pretty nice. It looks new, came with two glass shelves, and can hold a 70-inch TV.

Normally, a TV stand like that would cost us several hundred dollars new. So it was definitely a steal.

3. Online

If you can’t find any good items at garage sales or thrift stores, don’t forget to consider shopping for used furniture online to broaden your search. You can use sites like Craigslist, where people buy and sell used items.

You can also search on FleaPop which is an online flea marketplace. Etsy may also be a good option for refurbished furniture.

Just be sure to communicate clearly with the seller to ensure you’ll be getting exactly what you’re paying for.

4. On Facebook

Facebook deserves a category of its own because it’s a solid option for finding affordable used furniture thanks to local buy-trade-and-sell groups.

Most towns have one and you can locate your local group by conducting a simple search on Facebook. Some groups have specific rules you need to follow, but it’s a great place to advertise anything you’re selling and find potential customers.

If you’re looking for specific furniture, you can ask if anyone is selling it in the group or simply respond to the ads and negotiate a fair price.

5. The Side of the Road

Don’t rule this option out. Even if you’re not the ‘dumpster diving’ type, you can still ride around your neighborhood on garbage day and see if anyone is throwing anything out that may be of value to you.

A few weeks ago, I was dropping my younger brother off at my mom’s house and I saw that someone was throwing a shelf out. It looked like it was still in pretty good condition.

The shelf was black, and matched the end tables in my living room. When I got a closer look, I decided it would be perfect to hold all our movies, so I grabbed it and put it in my car.

Grabbing furniture off the side of the road can save you a ton of money. Plus, it even does the person who’s throwing it out a favor since they won’t have to spend the extra money to have waste management pick it up.

Buying used furniture is a great way to save a lot of money on furnishing your home.
Click To Tweet

Practical Tips For Buying Used Furniture

Now that we’ve identified a variety of places to find quality used furniture, here are some tips to keep in mind as you shop.

Pay Attention to the Construction of the Furniture

When you’re buying used furniture, you still want it to last. So, pay attention to how it’s put together to make sure it’s sturdy and priced accurately. For example, cheap wood shouldn’t cost you an arm and a leg. But, hardwood furniture may be worth spending a little extra money on. Also, if you see any scratches that you’re okay with, you can always ask for a bigger discount on the item to save more money.

Don’t Overestimate Your DIY Skills

Everyone loves looking at inspiring DIY projects on Pinterest, but actually putting together the finished product is another story. You don’t want to buy junk with the intention of fixing it up and refurbishing it only to let it sit in your home taking up space for several months or years.

Unless you’re an expert at working on furniture, only purchase items you can move into your home right away and require little fixing up.

Avoid Mattresses

I’m all for saving money on furniture, but if I had to draw the line, I would do so with used mattresses. I don’t think Goodwill even sells mattresses which says something.

Mattresses are only good for a certain number of years and if you get one used, you won’t have any idea how long it’s been around. Plus, it’s pretty hard to clean a used mattress.

If you want to buy a mattress for cheap, you can get one new on Amazon, or take advantage of mattress sales at local retailers around the holidays.

No matter what your furniture preferences are, you can save a ton of money when you consider buying used. Consider using these tips the next time you need affordable furniture.

Have you ever bought used furniture? Where do you like to look for used furniture?