Furniture is an essential part of any corporate office. Shopping used office furniture can be an excellent way to save on this business cost so that you have more money freed up for marketing or another critical area. We’ll go over some tips to help you in furnishing a professional-looking office space without breaking the bank.
1. Determine Your Office Furniture Budget
In any enterprise, knowing what you can spend on any part of the business is critical. Those companies that don’t set a budget for office furniture and stick with it can quickly find themselves getting overwhelmed by the costs.
2. Carefully Assess Available Office Space
This is one area where precision is important. You can either buy yourself a tape measure or reach out to us for a free assessment and layout. It is important to account for the flow of your environment and account for doors, windows or floor heating vents, that you don’t want to be blocked with furniture. A consultation would certainly address all of these concerns.
Keep in mind that a desk that looks beautiful online will be useless to you if it doesn’t fit in the spot you have envisioned for it. Also, be sure to allow for the necessary space to actually work with all of the planned furniture in place. For example, will there be enough room for all the chairs behind the desks to back up sufficiently? Will there be room for people to walk around? Reach out to us for a free site visit and consultation.
3. Prioritize What Is Necessary Above What Would Be Nice
One big reason you are probably looking for used office furniture is that you have a limited budget. Otherwise, you would more than likely just shell out the money to buy new. Limited office furniture budgets are particularly likely for a business that’s just getting started. In the beginning, you need a maximum amount of your resources going toward actually producing and marketing your product or service. For this reason, only buy what furniture you’re sure you’ll need. If successful, there will always be time and money to expand later.
4. Make Quality a Priority
One of the best reasons to buy used office furniture is that it enables you to get high-quality brands at a lower price. These brands, such as Steelcase, Knoll and Herman Miller, will last longer than more cheaply made furniture brands that sell for a comparable new price. Quality furniture will usually look better as well, which only enhances the professionalism of your work environment.
5. Buy From Local Stores
When ordering from across the country, shipping is an expense you have to take into account. This is all the more true in the case of something as heavy as office furniture. A local store may also have a showroom so that you can actually go down there to check out what you’re going to buy firsthand. You’ll also feel good knowing you are supporting another local business.
6. Carefully Check the Furniture Before Buying
We touched on this in the tip above, but it’s important enough to warrant its own entry. Be sure to thoroughly check out that office executive or task chair before purchasing it. Make sure that any height, tilt and recline features still function smoothly. If the chair can swivel, does it do so effortlessly and without making noise? Carefully inspect a desk or other piece before you buy as well.
Shop a Store Knowledgeable in the Brands They Sell
If your corporate office is located in the San Francisco Bay Area, you should contact our team at Solutions Office Interiors. After being in business for two decades, we have over 150 brand affiliations. Providing new or used office furniture is only the tip of the iceberg of what we can do for your business. Our team can design and plan out your workspace, and we can professionally deliver and install your furnishings.