New furniture can be so expensive to purchase, costing thousands of dollars for what can often look like unexciting staples that everyone has. What if there was a way to buy unique furniture that hardly anyone has? Or perhaps just to buy furniture at a cheaper price, some of which can have a retro or vintage style to it? Well there is a way, you can buy it second-hand. Whether you're after gorgeous antiques to stylise your living arrangements with a unique homely touch or just something cheap, there are places you can look which many people don't bother with. This of course can mean a lower price for you, which is evidently advantageous.
Firstly, I'll speak of one of the most obvious places to look –
Gumtree. This wonderful site is a free listing system which is what attracts sellers and often buyers to it. A quick Sydney region search has unveiled over 1,000 pieces available for sale right now. It is also nicely organised into outdoor, living room, bedroom, backyard or barbeque, kitchen, white goods and even other household furniture.
If for some reason you dislike Gumtree, you can try the
Sydney Exchange classifieds which also feature a nice collection of used furniture at marginal prices, starting from as low as a few dollars. There are lounges, fans, desks, tables, beds and anything you could possibly need.
If you're uncomfortable with buying furniture online, that's okay too – there are whole warehouses available selling things for low prices.
Brady's Used Furniture has a warehouse located in Dulwich Hill where you can browse and purchase used furniture to your heart's content. Prices start at $95 for lounges, $125 for beds, $95 for wardrobes, a set of tables and four chairs from $95, bookcases from $65, chests of drawers from $85, cabinets from $185 and even desks from $195. Given that you can inspect the furniture yourself, you don't risk quite as much as buying something directly online. My only criticism of Brady's Used Furniture is that their whitegoods only have 3 months warranty. Nevertheless, fridges cost as low as $125 and washing machines as low as $195. You'll be able to find gorgeous wooden antiques and unique pieces for your home.
If you're after something inexpensive for a corporate environment, you could try somewhere like
The Barn. This establishment has deals for students, home offices, boardroom packages and general office packages. If you're non-committal, you can actually hire used furniture here too.
If you're perhaps simply looking for something to aesthetically spice up your home, rather than be a practical asset – you could try something like
Furniture from the Attic. The
listing facility does not state prices, but if you have access to a car or the trains, you could easily travel to the Edgecliff location to pick up a unique piece for your home. There are West German pottery jugs, 70's ceramic lamp shades, enamel bread tins and even a painted jug if you examine the page contents. There is likely to be much more at the store, too.
Ben's Rent-a-Centre not only rents furniture and includes budget package renting deals but also sells ex rental goods at seemingly low prices for standard items. The price list is
here and includes bedroom ex-rentals from $150, ex-rental whitegoods from $110 and home furnishings such as televisions from $50.
One final suggestion I have to make is slightly more altruistic but it could be an amazing opportunity for yourself and your community. Your local
Salvation Army or
St Vincents De Paul store will often contain used furniture at low prices. Help others while helping yourself and find something truly unique.
Whether you wish to purchase your furniture online, offline, from ex-rentals or just from people shedding their unnecessary furniture – you can do so at a cheap price and find something beautiful and special if you wish. You can also sell your used furniture to some of the aforementioned locations if you like.
