How to Buy Used Furniture

Great article - to go further on the points about construction, don't reject furniture because the fabric is worn or even stained. If it's a quality chair or sofa, reupholstering is not that hard a thing to learn to do. Even if you aren't that handy, having a really good piece professionally reupholstered is often worth it. And slip covers are always an option for sofas with stains (but no odor - don't buy smelly stuff!)

Also, look for solid wood items - coffee tables, bookcases, etc. Very easy to repaint, or even sand down and refinish to match your decor.

I find it easier to find simple, good quality, well-constructed furniture at your average garage sale or on Craigslist than at a furniture store. They just don't make 'em like the used to!

I don't want to cast a damper on this thread, but having just endured the nightmarish, expensive battle against bed bugs I shudder to think about ever taking used furniture into my home again. I received an unwanted but useful education about these horrible little creatures and now know what a huge epidemic we have. While many people have brought them home from hotel rooms (http://bedbugregistry.com) and others are infested from visitors or from neighboring apartments, a substantial number of victims report bringing the bugs in via used furniture gotten through Free Cycle or Craigslist or found on the street. As the eggs and nymphs are almost invisible to the naked eye, it's not always possible to find them on inspection. Both wood and upholstered furniture can harbor them. Bedbugs are not gotten due to uncleanliness or poverty, although these issues can contribute to the difficulty of eradicating them. For anyone interested in further reading about this serious and spreading infestation, here is a really comprehensive website: http://bedbugger.com.

I agree with the post about bed bugs. You should be very careful about buying any used furniture from someone you do not know. Bed bugs are increasingly common. (You should also be thinking about fleas and cockroaches.) Many people associate them with poverty however you can find them even in high priced hotel rooms. The eggs and the bugs can be hidden in the crevices of bed frames, dressers etc. Pretty much anything found in a bedroom or around where people are sleeping. Once you get them it requires lots of pesticides, detailed cleaning and throwing out of curtains and linens. I personally feel that if you are in the market for furniture only purchase from someone you know or save for new high quality furniture that you will keep.

As a side note. When you go to ANY hotel leave your bags outside the room until you have checked the room for bedbugs. You do this by folding up the linens on the mattress. Look for any small stains on the mattress that could be dried blood or poo from a bed bug (dark red dots). They like small crevices. They often hide in the seams of the mattress. You can also look where the headboard meets the wall. As an extra precaution you can keep your bags and cloths in the tub. This sounds paranoid until you know how common they are and how difficult they are to get rid of.

I agree. NO way do I want a used mattress. gross.

I bought a used dresser for $30 last summer at a yard sale. it was $100 new at target. so I saved money... :)

had a few scratches on it but I did not care. I was replacing a very old one that had been broke for many years.