Singapore furniture second hand or bring with us?

[beachavendrea]

Hi
just looking for experiences, are fully furnished places very common in Singapore? if not is there a big second hand market? or should we ship our furniture over?
would prefer not to ship but will do if this is the most cost effective. Also not terribly fussy about furniture.
Opinions please!

thanks so much

[butterfliesinmytummy]

Furnished places are not common in Singapore so you would need to either ship or buy over there. Fortunately there is a high turnover of expats so you can look through classified boards on facebook, or expat auctions etc for pre-loved items in good condition. There is Ikea in Singapore (they will deliver and assemble items for a price) - seems to be cheaper there than the UK, we used loads of ikea stuff in the kids rooms - and wardrobes are always built in so you wouldn't need those. We rented our UK home furnished and bought when we got there. There are lots of shops for Asian style sideboard / cabinet type furniture which is cute. You can either re-sell or ship it home afterwards.

[nemno]

We looked at about a dozen places, only one was furnished. Admittedly a while ago now but l somehow doubt landlords have gained the appetite to be responsible for furniture. Renting stuff is possible but expensive. There is the expat fallback IKEA. School and supermarket noticeboards advertise second hand furniture, which can be very cheap. Men with vans are cheap too.

Beware asian furniture that looks good but is made from underseasoned wood. IT will warp and crack.

[beachavendrea]

thanks guys good to know! looks like it won't be too much hassle to furnish a place.

[Laptopwieldingharpy]

Dont rush to ikea before you see expat auctions & a few local stores like this one & this warehouse shop
Take full advantage of the big june sale for key pieces.

[Laptopwieldingharpy]

expat auctions

[butterfliesinmytummy]

Slaps head forgot about Taylor B, some seriously good stuff there, run by a lovely American couple, don't forget to bargain a little bit or ask for free delivery.