Furnishing a new house can take a real beating to your bank account. Especially when most people think that purchasing brand new stuff is a great way to ensure a quality product in a timely manner. But it’s not always the ‘brand new’ state that matters. With the rise and fall of economic situations that people experience today, saving money is quickly becoming an advantage for individuals. Therefore, the choice to purchase cost-related stuff may take a worthwhile consideration.
As part of the saving process, some people would take advantage of purchasing pre-owned goods over new ones. Practically, saving money is the most common reason why they opt for used products but along with this perk are other benefits that some might not realize.
1. You save resources and reduce waste.
Pre-owners find a way to make money out of used pieces of furniture instead of throwing all these items when they no longer need them. By means of selling or purchasing used furniture, you eliminate these items from lying in a dumpster or a landfill and save the environment from their waste materials.
In addition, used products do not require a packaging that is mostly produced by chemical materials such as plastic, hard casing, cardboard box, or styrofoam pads that may harm the ecosystem. These chemical materials also use energy resources to be created. So, you do not only keep the environment clean but you also help reduce the consumption of energy resources for the demand of producing package materials.
When ordering the used furniture, you may request a home delivery service and refuse to take package materials as much as possible.
2. You spend less on the same quality.
Needless to say but quality furniture should last for decades and even centuries. Since the furniture is pre-owned, you would know that you are paying less amount for the same quality of a brand new item because it has already survived the test of time. Most of the cabinets you find in the market today were only designed like wood but they’re actually made of cardboard. That’s why old pieces of furniture can last longer sometimes, given that they were produced with real solid woods.
When we’ve spent too much on something, we feel like we cannot let it go. It’s really tempting to throw away an old and tattered couch even if we don’t need them anymore. Mainly because we’re attached to the idea that we previously spent a lot for this item and we just can’t let these dollars fly away like that. But since pre-owned items are usually 50-80% lower than the price of brand new, you won’t feel the same attachment guilt knowing that you only pull out a fair price for the item.
3. You find joy in furniture hunting.
These days, you can purchase pre-owned furniture from any thrift shops around the corner, from your neighbor’s garage sale, or from various local or international online stores. And so the benefit just goes beyond the hunting phase. People, especially homemakers, are fond of window shopping, checking the item’s price, and evaluating its quality. And what makes it more exciting to visit a thrift shop is when you find several items that are still polished and just need a little restoration to look amazing again with a fair price.
4. You get unique designs.
Malls and furniture shops make sure their products are always fresh. So, they would keep on replacing the outdated items with modern stocks from time to time. Because of this method, it’s very rare to find a similar design between old and new pieces of furniture these days. Old furniture is likely to have more artistic hand-carving designs that you will no longer find in other homes. Given that the marketplace is driven by low-cost production, the hand-carving design is becoming a lost art today. So, purchasing old furniture gives you the opportunity to have something unique at home.
5. You support the local economy and the community.
Some thrift shops are selling pre-owned items on behalf of charitable projects for the community and the youth. Others are run by individuals who just want to earn some extra money or restore their old houses. Therefore, buying from a thrift shop is a little way of supporting the local economy and keeping your money in the neighborhood instead of those corporate behemoths.