With the business climate mired in a recession, anyone looking for furniture these days is asking the used furniture question. Many times I have heard the statement “There must be a lot of used furniture available with all of these companies laying people off or going out of business.” This is true.
There is a lot of used furniture available. Much of it is old or junky, because a lot of furniture was purchased in the late 90s and early 2000s during the boom. Or it is in dot-com colors like purple or yellow or orange. But there is a lot of good furniture as well.
How do you take advantage of the great price advantage of used furniture in your company’s facility? Here are some tips.
Be flexible – Be flexible about what you want. Most cubicles are 8x8 or 6x8. Most are also taller heights like 66”. Everyone wants smaller cubicles with lower panel heights these days. Those inventories are more rare and therefore more expensive. So when I get a call saying, “I want 48” tall 6x6 cubicles in light beige with glass elements.” I tend to suggest refurbished or new furniture.
Think Long Term – Unless you know you are outfitting a space for less than a year, look for something that you can add to later that will match. Either that or plan your space so that you fill it up and by all you will need for the full space. Buying matching furniture later is always more expensive than your original furniture. Some people don’t mind having the second set of furniture not match. This is the very cost effective.
Set a realistic budget – Decent used cubicles (Like the Allsteel Terrace shown at the top) in this market cost from $500 to $800 per station. Cheaper cubes are available, but they will be older and possibly in bland or nasty colors and finishes (Like the cube shown below). This price does not include installation charges. And no, you cannot install them yourself. Installation for a bare bones crew in an easy access building will cost $150 to $225 per station. If you have to have weekend or after hours access, require union labor or a stair-carry is required, add more money.
Plan ahead – Give yourself as much time as possible to determine your plan in advance and then look for the right inventory. Get a plan from your landlord. An AutoCAD (.dwg) file allows your vendor to plan the space to scale so you know what can fit. Do a block plan in 6x8 and 8x8 cubicles and see if the counts work for you. Then go look for the size you want. Think about what height panels you want. Full privacy is 62 to 70 inches. Seated privacy height panels are 47 to 56 inches. Open plan heights are below 47 inches. You can mix the heights too. Don’t get too specific though. (See point 1)
Find a vendor you trust – If you commit to one reputable dealer before you start, they will work harder for you. Ask for two or three names from your real estate broker or colleagues. Interview them and then select someone as your top choice. Be open about what you are doing and tell them if you are talking to others. If you see something else from someone else, show main partner vendor. Odds are they can find something similar or even get you the same furniture. Be aware that dealers may show you inventories that they do not own. This is okay and will get you a look at more product. A true partner will show you more and work harder to get you what you want. Give your partner the last look before you buy.
Good luck shopping.
SRK
