Kind of an aside, but check out prices with an inflation calculator. A black and white tv, 12 inch, back in the 60s cost like 200$, today thats like 1k$.
But, also note that most things still retain a value in raw materials. A broken computer can still be sold for something, any working laptop is a minimum of 100$. When it comes to furniture, apparently if you were to take it apart and try to recycle the whole thing, is zero.
The logistics of purchasing used furniture from another private party also make it a pain in the ass. If you don’t personally own a truck, you have to make arrangements with someone who does conditionally, then go look at the used furniture, then decide whether or not you want it, then make arrangements to have it picked up, and all that has to be scheduled around work and family commitments of three people–the buyer, the seller, and the friend with the truck. You may have to go half way through this process several times before it actually leads to owning a new couch.
At a furniture store, all these problems can be solved with a checkbook.
I’m assuming the return of bedbugs plays a role, the market for used furniture has gone down since people are afraid of an infestation. That is a reason why I haven’t bought used furniture. I have thought about buying a couch, but because of this issue its not something I’m willing to risk.
Im not sure…if the price difference is in the thousands of dollars, the scheduling should be inconsequential.
Fr example, i found a 300$ grandfather clock at a thrift store and the exact same model at the furniture store for 2.5k. The trouble of getting it from the thrift store is vcomparatively nonexistent. Even if i didnt know the go clock was working before i bought it, the potential savings is massive.
It’s’not so much the thousands of dollars - it’s how much does new cost compared to used and is it worth for me to try to sell my used. Nobody is going to bother buying a used couch for $300 when they can get thisdelivered- even if the used couch originally went for $3000. Lots of people wouldn’t buy one of those sets - but most of them also wouldn’t buy used furniture at that quality level. You bought the $2500 clock for $300 - but would you have paid $30 for one of such low quality that it retails for $300?
Im suspecting that they are retailing at 3k what is worth 300.
Regarding the 300/30 example, I do it all the time. With a couple of coupons, last week I bought an 80$ polo shirt for 30$. Funny thing is that i could probably sell the shirt easier and for more money than the 160 table.
Wandering around a thrift store looking for bargains and happening upon one is a very different dynamic than needing a couch.
I mean, let’s say I really, really wanted a Grandfather clock for my hallway, and for whatever reason, I wanted it within three months at the absolute most. How many thrift stores would I have to go to, looking for one? How many Craigslist ads would I have to respond to, schedule a time to meet with someone, go out there and look, only to find it wasn’t exactly correct? How many times would I have to put a friend with a truck on standby, or rent a truck I might not need, because if I go out there and decide I want it, they will want me to give them full price to hold it (which I don’t want to do), or take it then: they won’t hold it on a promise if someone else shows up with cash in hand?
What are the chances, in all that, that I manage to find a bargain that gives me the exact clock I wanted? How many favors do I have to burn, how many hours do I have to spend with flaky people, how many appointments do I have to make? And all that for a small chance of getting what I want in the end, a slightly better chance of getting something sort of like what I want, and a very real chance of having to pay full retail in the end anyway.
You’ve never bought a used car? Its not nearly as hard as you make it out to be.
A used car is a much more serious purchase than a couch. If I am looking for a couch, paying an extra $500 to get exactly what I want, as soon as I want it, without hassle, doesn’t seem that crazy. And there are a great many people that feel the same way–hence, the demand for used furniture is lower than the demand for new furniture.
The same thing is true for used cars: there is a reason that private sales are cheaper than going through a dealer. Dealers can charge a premium because there are people that don’t want to fuck around. But there are a few things that explain why the differences are not as extreme:
Cars come in relatively fewer models. Yes, there are lots of cars out there, but if I have decided I want a Civic from 3-5 years ago, I will find plenty. If I want a particular model of couch, it’s much dicier. And I think people maybe care less about the superficial details in cars: If I am looking for a particular model/year/miles combo, I am not too concerned with color. But on a couch? I care about comfort, color, style.
Cars are a much more expensive proposition, so the same percentage savings is more in absolute terms.
Flip your question around: Why do people pay so much for new furniture? I would answer “Because they put a premium on getting exactly what they want, when they want it, with a minimum of hassle.” Do you have an alternate answer?
Actually, i talked to a furniture salesman about why people buy furniture. I assumed that it was usually newlyweds setting up a house, but he said the average customer just wants a change of surroundings. While this could explain a preference of style over substance, as mentioned above, im wondering is furniture inherently worthless?
That’s not what I meant- or at least I don’t think it is. You bought a new polo shirt, right? That’s something different- almost anyone would buy a new item for $50 below retail. I would never buy a used shirt for $30 that goes for $80 new and I could never sell my $80 shirt at a garage sale for $30. People would rather buy a new $30 item than a used $80 item for $30. I could sell it, but probably not at a price that’s it’s worth it for me to keep around rather than donating. At some price point, for some articles of clothing (but probably not polo shirts or other casual clothes ) that changes - I’d rather buy a used $4000 wedding gown for $400 than a new $400 gown.
I used to buy used cars from private parties and junkyards . Quite a few. It was such a pain in the ass to make appointments to see multiple cars with someone more mechanically inclined that me, and constantly have to decide whether I should buy this one or would I be able to find one liked better before my life started falling apart for lack of a car that I eventually started using a coworker who had a dealer’s license and went to dealer auctions. He took orders- I’d tell him for example,that I wanted a Caravan no more than 10 years old, no more than 80,000 miles, 6 cylinder engine , no wood paneling and I would pay up to $4000. When he found it (generally within 2 weeks) I paid him $200 over the price of a the car and it was worth it to avoid the aggravation.
Buying a used car from a used car dealer is very different than buying from private parties, junkyards, mechanics, etc . If you could trade in your old furniture when buying new (which is how most used car dealers get their stock) and you could go to used furniture dealers with showrooms full of used furniture , maybe there would be more of a market in used furniture. But there aren't any used furniture dealers.There are private parties selling on Craigslist or yard sales , or thrift or second-hand stores that have some furniture sometimes- but chances are good that if there are only two couches at the thrift store I won't like either.
Furniture,like anything else, is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. When people say " That couch isn’t worth $3000" what they really mean is " That couch isn’t worth $3000 to me" And it doesn’t matter what the book says about your baseball card being worth $200- if no one will pay you more than $100, that’s all it’s worth.
BTW, I would never have thought that most furniture was sold to newlyweds setting up a house. I’ve been married 25 years and we’re on at least our fourth living room
In closing our parents’ homes we found the only items of value were the very old things. One exception: the most valuable item in my parents’ home was a handmade hooked rug, 9x12 oval. Since everyone of the family lives a long ways away, only items of special interest were worth the cost of shipping.
Reported.
Well, it depends. Is is solid hardwood or fiberboard?
Most dressers dont cost $3000. Most cost like $300. Those sell used for $30. But they are a large item. So yeah a Goodwill or garage sale or used furniture store will get $30, maybe $50. But those guys in Storage wars are after the quick buck. (And it’s now all set up, “faked”. )
Now sure, some designer or antique furniture does cost like $3000 (even on Amazon). But those guys dont have time to check it out. 99% of the furniture is the $300 stuff. And a locker with $300 items aint gonna have a $3000 item. People who buy cheap furniture pretty much have all cheap furniture.
I have seen Storage war shows where they spotted antique chairs and they were the high value winners, so it does happen.
When my sister and I sold our parent’s house, we gave away as much of their furniture as we could to neighbors, and donated the rest. They had very high-quality (sold wood) mid-century-modern Danish furniture, but it was very taste-specific. Unless someone was furnishing their house in “retro” styling, it just wasn’t going to attract much interest, regardless of how well-made it was. So, we skipped the hassle of an estate sale, and just donated it all to charity (the next-door neighbors ended up taking their enormous dining room table, which had three leaves, and could seat 12).
There was a similar thread receny. The upshot was that used furnyis worthless because no one wants it. Simple supply and demand.
This. There’s no way I’d bring used upholstered furniture into my house anymore. Once you’ve got bedbugs, they’re nearly impossible to get rid of. So it makes no sense to take any chances, because there’s no way to be sure an upholstered piece is bedbug-free.
Moderator Note
Note: This is an old thread that was raised by a spammer who has since been wished away to the cornfield.
As for the used furniture vs. used cars, none of my friends has ever called me to ask for help carrying their new used car up three flights of stairs. It’s not all of it, but I do know people who have bought new furniture over used for the simple reason that the furniture store delivered it.