1. Explore Hotel Furniture Liquidators
Hotels, even high end hotels, remodel on a regular schedule that can be as frequent as every three years or so. That means all their old furniture, which can include headboards, chairs, couches, tables, entertainment centers, and armoires as well as drapery fabric and wall art, are put up for quick sale, typically through furniture liquidators.
Hotel furniture is usually still stylish within a few years of the latest fashion colors and patterns. Because liquidators deal with lots of duplicated items, prices can be very attractive, too. Your best bet for finding bargains is to check furniture liquidation specialists in large cities near you. They may even know ahead of time which hotels are getting ready to renovate.
2. Shop Seasonally
As with the clothing industry, furniture manufacturers follow a seasonal schedule, releasing new products twice a year, usually in August for the holiday rush and again in February. Retailers typically start making room for these new products by putting their existing stock on sale at least a month ahead, in July and January. You can find some great bargains, especially on showroom merchandise priced to move quickly, when you shop during these transitional times.
3. Peruse Estate Sales
Also called a “tag” sale, or just a “liquidation,” estates sales are good places to score bargains on quality antique, collectible and nearly new furniture. Most of these events are “cash only” and do not include niceties like delivery services. You can often find announcements of estate sales in your local newspaper or on Craigslist.
4. Refurbish What You Have
Refurbishing or repurposing items you already own makes a lot of sense. Keeping useful items out of the local community landfill is a green choice, and some of those items may contain better quality materials and reflect better workmanship than pieces you’d purchase new at a “some assembly required” boxed furniture store.
Look at it this way: If you’re on a tight budget, you might be able to afford a table or chest made of paper covered particle board. That old table of Granny’s, however, could be the real deal–hardwood. The price of refinishing the hardwood table could be comparable to the cost of buying a low end table that won’t stand the test of time or even a spilled mojito.
5. Check Thrift Stores
Let’s face it, thrift stores contain lots of junk; but there are some gems mixed in with those ancient tchotchkes and discarded sweater vests. You may have to dig, but for the persistent, there are bargains to be found. Your dollars may also help support a worthwhile charity.
For the best chance at finding that sleigh bed or depression era glass vase you’ve been looking for, ask the thrift store manager when new merchandise is delivered and stocked. Shop early on those days, and be prepared to transport your finds within a few hours of purchasing them.
6. Visit Yard Sales
Nowhere was the saying, ‘One man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ more true than at a yard sale. You can often score amazing bargains for the investment of a few dollars and a trek up someone’s driveway. To maximize your coverage, check the newspaper for block sales or community yard sales where whole streets or neighborhoods drag their useful discards outside on the same afternoon. As with estate sales, you’ll probably have to pay with cash and make arrangements for transporting any purchases yourself.
7. Follow Online Auctions
Online auction sites like Ebay.com offer both new and used goods. Often the shipping charges for heavy or bulky items sold on these sites are pretty high, but sometimes sellers assume the cost for shipping, making furniture shopping a somewhat more attractive proposition. Also, some furniture is only sold for local pickup, reducing the number of potential bidders and keeping prices low. One way to score big is to search for sellers in your area, or where you’re willing to travel, and follow their auctions. Purchase for pickup and save.
8. Learn to Negotiate
You may think the sticker price on an item is chiseled in stone, but that’s not always true. Furniture sales people are sometimes under pressure to make monthly quotas, which leaves them some wiggle room when it comes to offering discounts, especially during the last 10 days of the month. If you find an item you like, request an additional discount. It never hurts to ask.
9. Be Flexible
You may have a mental picture of the perfect couch, or the perfect upholstery print, or the best style of dining room chair, but that’s no guarantee your imagination and reality are going to mesh when money is tight. Flexibility is the biggest weapon you have in your search for furniture bargains. A quality sofa outfitted in the wrong fabric is one reupholstering away from being perfect.
Until then–well, that’s what slipcovers are for. Try choosing a backup idea for each of your furniture wish list items. Think of it as an exercise in keeping an open mind. To help you make decisions on the fly when shopping, carry an idea notebook that contains a list of room dimensions and other details just in case you decide to readjust your thinking in light of a great deal. It should also include things like fabric swatches, paint samples and photos.
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