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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

People wanting ridiculous money for secondhand sofas

68 replies

AliceandAnnie · 13/02/2018 09:33

They’re like cars aren’t they? Lose a fuck ton of money as soon as they leave the shop

I know you paid £1000 two years ago but nobody is going to pay £800 for your sagging sofa that your dogs been farting on for the last 24 months

AIBU or do they hold their value?!

OP posts:
SilverDragonfly1 · 13/02/2018 11:20

The trouble is that sofas are massively overpriced to start with. We really need a new one, but no chance. I am terrified of bedbugs if we get secondhand, though most of them are out of our reach as well.

Original poster
AliceandAnnie · 13/02/2018 11:28

Be careful about charity shops if you want it to go to a low income family, my friend donated a beautiful loaf sofa which wouldn’t fit in her new house, a dining table and quite a few other bits because she wanted someone to benefit who wouldn’t be able to afford it.

It sat in the charity shop for 6 months with a huge price tag

OP posts:
schnubbins · 13/02/2018 11:35

I had to sell my beautiful red velvet sofa that I bought in the U.S as it was too small for a family sofa and I had no where to put it in our new not so big house here.New it had cost $2000 USD and was just so well made and an absolute gem.I put it on Ebay for Euro 250 and it a lady snapped it up quickly.But when she came to pay said she only had Euro 200 .I nearly cried seeing it go out the door.Still think of it.

Notso · 13/02/2018 11:38

I agree about charity shops, my local BHF one was selling a £50 Ikea wardrobe for £75 plus £25 for delivery.

Appuskidu · 13/02/2018 11:39

when she came to pay said she only had Euro 200 .I nearly cried seeing it go out the door.Still think of it.

And you let her take it?!

Original poster
AliceandAnnie · 13/02/2018 11:46

schnubbins, noooooo that’s awful!

OP posts:
Original poster
AliceandAnnie · 13/02/2018 11:48

Charity shops are over priced for people on a low income. Our local BHF has a furniture bit and employs someone to upcycle everything, you can’t get anything cheap in their at all it’s all covered in chalk paint and £££££s

OP posts:
AdmiralJaneway · 13/02/2018 11:57

I think your local BHF store does depend on the staff - I got a fab three AND two seater sofa for £240 total including delivery and I’m well pleased with them.

SaskaTchewan · 13/02/2018 11:57

I am not sure only low-income families shop in charities shops! Shop owners or bargain hunters have a pick, and they are the ones who can usually afford to pay a man with a van to pick up and deliver the big items.

mumgointhroughtorture · 13/02/2018 11:58

Our BHF had a corner sofa which had been reduced to about £80 , they knocked £100 off it but the corner was all sunken in , the springs were nearly showing ! What a bargain . Although we did have our recliner suite from there (2+1) I think it was £130 and not a mark on it .
Some of these sofas being made today I wouldn't pay £50 brand new for , a 2 seater sofa , no way would you get 2 people on them unless it's for 2 kids lol.

BewareOfDragons · 13/02/2018 12:00

I'm always amazed at how much people are asking for used sofas around here, especially when you know the house has cats and dogs and children!

SheepySheepy · 13/02/2018 13:36

While I would hope some of the money would go to charity my approach more with the BHF shop is that if it goes there it will probably get sold, rather than me sending a perfectly good item to the tip. More of a recycling issue IYSWIM, once I've exhausted eBay, Gumtree, Freecycle etc.

dingdongdigeridoo · 13/02/2018 13:51

People are CFs when it comes to furniture. We recently needed to replace our sofa, but the only kind that fits in our living room is the big corner type which can be very expensive. Trawled facebook, gumtree etc and couldn't find one under £500. Even for the shittiest, grubbiest sofas that had been farted over for years. Plus we would have had to hire a van to collect.

Ended up buying a factory second on eBay for £350 in the January sales, which included very fast delivery within 2 weeks. I hope those greedy sods are cursed to never sell their sofas, having them clog up their garages forever!

CruCru · 13/02/2018 14:03

I don't mind if people want a lot for their second hand furniture. It does bug me when they keep bumping their post with comments like "SERIOUSLY I really need this gone. SOMEONE make me an offer" though.

If you need it gone so badly then reduce your price.

Skiiltan · 13/02/2018 14:04

There are loads of charity shops with good-quality second-hand furniture at very reasonable prices, and most of them deliver (though not necessarily at convenient times). There's even more on eBay, although you usually have to be able to collect it.

I wouldn't buy any flat-pack stuff second-hand. Even if it's been assembled carefully it will be damaged by dismantling and moving. Add to that the fact that many people damage the chipboard or veneer while assembling it and it's really not worth the risk.

Skiiltan · 13/02/2018 14:10

AliceandAnnie - There are specific charities that you can donate furniture to if you want it to be given to someone in need rather than sold in a charity shop. See www.frn.org.uk/, for example

SaskaTchewan · 13/02/2018 14:19

dingdongdigeridoo
What a very strange attitude. Why should people give you anything for free? You want an expensive sofa, then be ready to pay the price. If it's too much, buy something else. If you can't find anything for less than £500, then.. its' the price, sorry. You found what you were looking for, great, but you are unreasonable to expect people to give you something for nothing.

I can't find a mansion for less than £2 million! Cheeky fuckers, I want to buy one for £200k!

ToadOfSadness · 13/02/2018 14:25

I sold ours for 99p and gave them the matching chair. it was a lovely sofa but we moved and it was too big. Trying to find a replacement on Ebay was not so easy, the state some of them are in I think even the people at the tip would refuse to let them in.

The thing is, they wear out fast, seats sag and people can't be bothered to replace the seat pads but think as it cost so much someone else is bound to want it.

I bought a pair of vintage ones in the end, solid and well made, covers still good, and clean. Spent a bit more on replacing seat pads and I have sofas for as long as I need them. Cost a lot less than the overpriced flimsy stuff I have seen for £££££££££'s.

Medeci · 13/02/2018 14:30

BHF will email to let you know how much items sell for.
I gave a 2 yr old sofa to them, it had a few cat scratches but otherwise in good condition, cost me around £2000. BHF sold it for £1200, which I was pleased about as doubt that I'd have been able to get that price.

SheepySheepy · 13/02/2018 14:32

Toad any tips for where to find vintage ones? Recovering something with a solid base would be great.

DeleteOrDecay · 13/02/2018 14:33

I agree I've seen some awful looking second hand sofas on sale for much more than anyone in their right mind would pay when you could probably find a second hand sofa that is much nicer for the same or less.

If it's genuinely immaculate with no marks/sagging/damage etc then I can see why you might charge more. But a sofa that obviously looks used and possibly even a bit grubby won't have the same value regardless of how old it is.

FluffyWuffy100 · 13/02/2018 14:33

Yup they are like cars - loose shit loads of money as soon as you get them home.

Also the buyer of a 2nd hand sofa has a massive hassle of renting a van and collecting it and getting it into their home - which you didn't have as the first owner.

BothersomeCrow · 13/02/2018 14:37

IKEA is funny as people buy it ready-assembled for more than the original flat-packed price. Which is great when you want to upgrade your old IKEA for some hardwood furniture that goes for a song!

Can anyone recommend quality sofa manufacturers as I'm about to look for a large 2nd hand sofa? Multiyork have gone bust (current Multiyork survived 20 years but one end has given up under children's bouncing...)

dingdongdigeridoo · 13/02/2018 14:39

Hmm I never said I expected one for cheap cheap. Just pointing out it’s cheeky to overprice things when I could get one new for cheaper. Especially when second hand items often need a good scrub and are a bit worn in. Anyway, it’s no bother as I sorted one out.

hollowtree · 13/02/2018 14:43

I buy/use second hand out of necessity and not to find a good bargain... So no way would I pay that much. We had a good as new sofa off eBay the seller needed a quick sale and even delivered it for us as they were moving abroad. The whole thing was £150 and it's a 4 seater corner sofa that turns into a sofa bed!

We were so so lucky with it but whatever had been on sale- we could only afford £150