Intro to office furniture
If you are considering furniture for your office, one of the major decisions that must be made is whether to purchase used or new office furniture. Understanding these considerations can help you make a confident decision that best meets your needs.
Buying Used Office Furniture
Benefits of used furniture
When it comes to buying used office furniture, price is usually the driving factor. Used pieces provide more financial flexibility. They can be obtained for up to ~70% off retail prices and help stretch capital and minimize upfront costs. With the savings in mind, you may also find some unique items that aren’t available in stores anymore or would otherwise cost significantly more if purchased new. From an environmental standpoint, recycling used furnishings reduces waste.
Downsides of used furniture
On the other hand with purchasing used goods comes a tradeoff of quality assurance as condition of pieces isn’t guaranteed. Furthermore since most used furniture has been previously owned by someone else total control over manufacturers choice fabrics & finishes won’t exist. Instead one must choose from what’s available on hand (i.e. picking dining chairs from 3 different sets). Despite this an added bonus is that usually used furniture is available at the drop of a hat. This is because used furniture is usually on hand and you will not have to wait for a manufacturer.
Buying New Office Furniture
New office furniture provides peace of mind knowing all pieces are personally inspected prior to arriving at your door step. Most new furniture comes with a warranty of some sort should anything go awry post delivery. This doesn’t exist when shopping preowned so watch out! In addition to these benefits new furniture has the benefit of being customizable before being ordered. Meaning colors, fabric, materials and accessories can all be chosen. One of the downsides to new furniture is that larger quantities it usually have longer lead times. This can span from a couple weeks to a month or two depending on the vendor, manufacturer and quantity.
