Living on my own means I've had total control of what furniture I buy for my flat and the theme I want. I could've easily gone crazy on high end home ware websites but girl ain't got those funds so I took to second hand furniture shopping - if you know where to look you'll be amazed at what people are throwing away!
1. Don't buy the first thing you see
The main thing for me when it comes to buying furniture second hand is to keep looking, even if I find something I like - you can guarantee that someone else is selling a better version for the same price or cheaper. When it came to finding a sofa for my new place I had my heart set on one from DFS that was over £1000 but I found one on a Buy and Sell Facebook page for my town that was in perfect condition and was only £220. The lady I got it from was lovely and super genuine just wanting to find a good home for something she was sad to see go.
2. Do your research on the seller / selling page
I've seen more often than not, that people get scammed by eBay, Gumtree or similar websites because they don't do their research into the seller. If someone has got a tonne of bad reviews on eBay - don't even bother browsing!! Email the seller and form some sort of idea about what they're like and that they're being honest when they say what you're buying comes from a pet and smoke free home.
3. Write down your measurements!
I'm not saying get the measurements of your alcove tattooed onto your inner arm, but make sure you have them saved on your phone at least. I was in town for work clothes the other day and stopped by a charity furniture shop for a browse and low and behold I found the perfect Mid Century Modern style TV cabinet and I'm in love. Luckily I had my measurements saved on my phone and the lovely people let me use their tape measure to ensure it wasn't too big, but it's a perfect fit and only set me back a tenner!
4. Save don't splurge
Although everyone loves a splurge save it for things that are worthy of it! Things that are going to last a looong time and that you won't get sick of. Microwaves, fridges etc. If it's possible to save money on something you love and if you end up not enjoying it anymore at least you didn't spend a fortune.
5. Enjoy!
Most importantly, enjoy second hand shopping. It's so much fun if you have the time to find exactly what you're looking for. Do your research on local warehouses that sell stuff for cheap and get the opinions of others to be sure you're not making a rash decision.
I hoped this helped some of you self confessed second hand addicts like me, and as always head to my Bloglovin page to stay up to date with my posts and follow me on Instagram where I post daily.
Charlotte x
No comments
Post a Comment