How to Shop For Furniture At A Thrift Store

A thrift store is a great place to by furniture for a dorm room or apartment. Think about it. Regular furniture stores usually overcharge for new furniture. And stores like Ikea provide value, but the furniture needs to be assembled. As long as you have a high taste level and can resist the urge to purchase bad looking furniture. You'll need to be very selective when you buy furniture at a thrift store.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Look for high quality items.
   
   Shop by quality, not by price. Determine the items original value. A high quality item will always retain some of it's original quality. A cheap item will only deteriorate.

2. Judge the condition of the item.
   
   Inspect the edges and corners of the furniture for excessive wear. Look at the overall quality of the item. Not everything purchased at a thrift store has to be in perfect condition. A lot of furniture in people's homes is in less than mint condition. But you have to be careful not to buy excessively damaged furniture that will make your home look cheap.

3. Look at the fabric carefully.
   
   If the furniture has fabric, inspect it carefully. Is it ripped or torn? Does it look like an animal has lived on it? How does it smell? Smoke is hard to remove from a couch. You don't want to buy a couch or chair that makes you feel dirty every time you sit in it. If you're not sure, take a friend to the store for a second opinion.

4. Get a truck.
   
   Have a friend with a pickup truck help you pick up your purchases. If you rely on a small car, you might not be able to get your purchase home without breaking or disassembling it. Make sure the furniture you are buying is worth the time and effort of picking it up in a truck.

5. Don't overpay.
   
   Go to a couple of thrift stores in the area and buy from the one with the best furniture selection. Selection is largely dependent on how many people shop at the store. Stores without a lot of traffic are often better than high traffic stores.

[MarlaineMarie]

on 3/2/2009 I reupholstered and refinished furniture for a living for some time and find if the furniture is solid when you move it around, that's half the battle!