Where to buy a hard-wearing, inexpensive sofa that's not from Ikea?

[culturemulcher]

Need a new sofa for my flat that's rented out. I've lots of expenses at the moment so I'm only looking in the £5-600 bracket, but I need a new sofa by the end of the month.

I've looked at Ikea, and I'll probably end up ordering one from there, but at the moment I can't see one that looks right.

Any thoughts?

Charity shop?

Was going to suggest charity shop. Also worth while checking out dfs. Most of them have a store room at the back with cut price sofas (due to cancellations etc).

Sofa sofa. Lots of good, sturdy ones in that price range. Ours was about £800, but it is pretty nice and there are plenty that are less expensive. Have a look at their website.

gumtree
ebay

Have a look at Argos. Some of theirs are very hard-wearing. Look for a basic and fairly solid design and you should be fine. Friend has one which is still going strong after 25 years!

EBay - just bought an immaculate Multiyork sofa and matching chair for £700. Another £50 to arrange for delivery.

Ooh lots of replies - thank you. I'm going to check out sofa sofa and argos (hadn't thought of that). Don't think there's a dfs near here but I didn't know they kept ones 'in stock' as it were.

Tricky business finding a sofa that doesn't take weeks to order.

all. Any other ideas?

Have a look at tesco online, we got a corner sofa very cheaply and it was much nicer than others we'd seen that were 3 or 4 times the price.

Debenhams have got a really good sofa sale on at the moment. I bought the large and medium 'Fyfield' in pewter grey and they're fabulous (and very comfortable). I got both for 850 quid. Have a look here - although they did, in all honesty, take a couple of weeks to arrive.

If you have an auction house anywhere nearby, you might want to check that out as well. Some auction houses are better for this type of thing than others, but they should offer a general viewing before the sale proper, so you do get the chance to see the sofa in the flesh, as it were. Some even photograph that week's catalogue, so you can peruse what's in the sale online before going and having a look.

You don't need to attend the sale itself; you can just leave a bid with the auctioneer. If the bidding exceeds your bid, you won't get it.

If you need it to a deadline, it's not a strategy to rely on exclusively, but if you have one nearby, it wouldn't hurt to take a look.

smoothieoo the sofa you've bought is pretty much exactly what I'm looking for (even the colour ). The price seems very good - are you happy with the quality?

Thanks very much for the link.

MrsSteptoe I handn't considered an auction - it's a good idea. I'll need to see if there's one in my area.

smoothie I think I might go with the Debenhams one. Now just wondering whether to get the extra large or large. Does the your large comfortably sit two / could you sit three at a squeeze?

Culture I'm really happy with the quality! The large sofa sits three with not much of a squeeze although it usually houses 2 - DS1 and DS2 who have a lot of cushion space each! DS2 (14) even took the back cushions off and slept on it with a sleeping bag when we had overnight guests and was really comfortable.

Gumtree, I have bought two immaculate sofas from there, one was £20!

smoothie that's good to know - thanks for all your help.

Pannacotta I'm about to check out Gumtree quickly before I take the Debenhams plunge.

The sofa king. Because their prices are sofa king cheap!

Homebase is also worth a look. I paid £480 for mine 5 years ago and it's still going strong and is super comfy.