Can I collect a second hand desk??

[CanICelebrate]

We are desperate for another desk!! We have 4 of us working full time from home and one dc is using the kitchen table which is not practical. A lady 5 minutes drive away is selling a large and nice desk for £20 and I really want it. I’ve messaged her and enquired about social distancing. I’ve suggested I transfer the money to her account and she leaves it outside dissembled. I will use gloves and wipe it down and then wipe it down again when I get it home, possibly leaving it outside for a while before I bring it in.
My dh worries it’s irresponsible but we really need a desk and don’t have the money to buy one brand new. He’s not the one at home juggling tables all day! Ikea has a 3 week delivery wait and this one I could have today.
What do you think?

We have been really strict in lockdown so I’m not a serial rule breaker!

Do it.

Meh everyone will probably say no but I would. It sounds like you've thought about it and it's something that's needed

Just do it

I think you could since it's 5 minutes away. The police have fined people for driving 100s of miles to buy things but I think it's the piss takingly unnecessary length of the journey they are objecting to.

That's fine, you're taking sensible steps.

I suffer with anxiety so the decision is making me genuinely panicky! My gut instinct says it’s fine as it really is a short drive but it’s stressing me out!

Yet I’m also stressed because of the lack of desks in my house!

Yes, I would.

Sounds absolutely fine to me, you're taking all of the necessary precautions.

Everyone will probably come on and say no but i see no problem with it if they are only 5 mins away and you do social distancing. Go for it!

I was wondering about this because for ages I’ve been looking out for a stone birdbath. Nada. Sod’s law, there’s a lovely one on gumtree a few minutes away at a very reasonable price right now!
I won’t go and get it because I can’t justify it to myself as essential, however hard I try 😁
But a desk to work from is, so I would. Would just leave it outside/in garage for a couple of days.

How long do you think I should leave it outside for? I heard the virus can’t live on surfaces for that long

I collected a 2nd hand bike for my daughter yesterday. I asked on my local Facebook if anyone had one, and was half expecting a pile on about how irresponsible I was being (the page has been full of outraged "I just saw someone I don't recognise in the shop / an unfamiliar car parked on my street" type posts).... but all my post got was a couple of likes and an offer of a free bike

I’ve consistently heard from the scientific advisers on various BBC programmes that it can live for up to 72 hours on “hard surfaces“, things like cardboard substantially less. Sunlight speeds up the process, they say, and washing with warm soapy water should kill anything.

I’d get it.

You need it for WFH, (genuine reason) and it’s a local journey you could walk home from if your car broke down midway and the garage is shut.

Wipe down, transport home on top of bin bags or an old sheet or something (that you can either wash or bin) in the car, mix up some washing up liquid and warm water and give it a good wipe over so the soapy bubbles can kill the virus, leave outside to dry for a few days if you can.

Yes I've been selling things like that.

She’s just messaged to say she’s sold it to someone else who can collect quicker!! Decision made for me!

Aw what a shame. I bet there’s more locally if you asked on local Facebook pages.

God what a twat. She sold it to someone who could collect it quicker and you live FIVE minutes away

Have you looked at Argos for a cheapy desk? They are still doing delivery but some areas are limited to what is in the local warehouse.

If you’re desperate can you take the drawers out of a chest if drawers and use the carcass as a desk?

I would and have picked up a couple of things to allow the kids to have a desk and chair.

God what a twat. She sold it to someone who could collect it quicker and you live FIVE minutes away

She's not a twat. She realised OP was an anxious ditherer and sold it to someone who wasn't!

(No offence, OP, I'm prone to anxious dithering myself!)

She's not a twat.

Maybe, maybe not.

She realised OP was an anxious ditherer and sold it to someone who wasn't!

How do you draw that conclusion? OP offered to bank transfer and collect and clean with no contact?