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Best Places to buy Second-hand Furniture in London
Growing up, one of life’s luxuries was getting home after school & taking off your shoes, ignoring your parents when they ask you about homework, switching on the TV for after school cartoons and jumping up to your favourite seat on the sofa. When you get to the age of having a place of your own whether it be student digs, a bedroom in a shared house or a house of your own, eventually you have to decide on how you want to furnish that space.
Making it your own and creating the environment that defines you is an amazing experience but one that can be well a bit heavy on the wallet. So today this guide will help you save a few quid here and there with making the best decisions when it comes to buying your second-hand furniture.
Where can I buy second-hand furniture in London?
Let’s be honest this is probably the most important question. This will help define your budget for your new pad and it is always best to have a list of places to hit up first.
When it comes to buying your second-hand furniture there are multiple options to go for as London is full of second-hand furniture stores and it can be very overwhelming. Now when deciding on your aesthetic it is best to first define if you are going to go for something more contemporary or vintage.
Vintage furniture stores are on almost every local high street. Some of the best you will probably find in the East side of London around the Hackney/Shoreditch end like the wonderful Mr Allsorts, Northchurch Rd, N1 3NT in Dalston (don’t let the postcode deceive you, Dalston is one of the most vibrant and amazing culture hotspots in the East). These guys are an almost Harry Potter Esq land of second-hand furniture with a wide range of different kinds of vintage furniture from sofas to wooden chairs. Everything there is full of character and you can rest assured that it has been given a good look over by the store before it hits the sales floor so it’s all in good condition.
When it comes to more of your contemporary furniture it is best to hit up local charity shops. Again, your local high street will have one closer than you think, and you get to support a good cause too! One of the best places for this is The British Heart Foundation Furniture and Electrical stores. They have around 20 locations just inside the M25 all around London. They are also ones to make sure they are only putting the best out for you to view and try out to make sure it is as comfy as it can be! But if you can’t find what you are looking for in their store then they even have an amazing eBay store too.
With both kinds of stores, it is collection only and they do not deliver. This is commonplace with second-hand furniture so make sure you have some kind of transport as they will not be able to arrange any kind of delivery for you.
Speaking of eBay it isn’t just a great place where The British Heart Foundation sell furniture others do it too! Now depending on the piece that you are looking for, you might be lucky and get not only a great deal but also delivery too! Warning though they will most likely be only doing delivery locally but it could be a great way to get something at a good price. Try searching via postcode and setting it to within 2 or 5 miles to start with if you are trying to find someone who will do delivery.
Where can I get free furniture in London?
Ok, so you don’t have the budget for splashing the cash on something like furniture. That is fine and let’s be honest living in London is Hella expensive so looking for some free furniture is your option, and oh boy is there some options for you!
The first option would be to ask friends and family members. Put a shout out in the group WhatsApp chat seeing if anyone is getting rid of anything. If you know your friends and family well you will find the highest quality stuff this way whether it be a bookshelf or a dining chair they are not going to let you take something that is going to be broken or damaged beyond use. And they might even be kind enough to drop it off for you in exchange for a coffee and biscuit.
Next, your options are online local places. You are talking your Gumtree, Freecycle, Facebook Marketplace and buy, sell, trade groups. Now when it comes to this images are EVERYTHING you are going to want to see as many images as possible before even considering turning up to somewhere you don’t know as you do not want to waste your time. Try and start as close by as possible and work your way out and make sure you set your budget/price range when filtering as going down this route is incredibly time-consuming. Be prepared to spend a lot of days and nights searching for the right item as there will be a lot of people trying to rip each other off and mislead people with dodgy and blurry images.
Top tips when shopping for Second-hand Furniture
When it comes to searching for furniture on these kinds of sites the best tactics is to be super specific with your search. You like the idea of an IKEA bedside table or a 1950s lamp the more specific you can be in your search terms the greater chance you are going to have in finding the item you want at the price that is best.
Checking for marks! You can never look over a product thoroughly enough. If it is electrical ask for it to be plugged in and check that it works fully! There is nothing worst than getting a lovely chair home sitting down and finding a tear on the inside of the arm under the seat cushion because getting your money back depending on the place you got it is going to be a lot of hard work especially if it was from Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace.
Measure your room… three times and then measure it again. Write that size down in a notebook you always carry with you or on a notes app on your phone. Then when you get to view the item in question do not be worried about measuring it. What is the point in buying something that is not going to fit where you have the space for it? If the person selling it are not going to let you measure up the item then take your business elsewhere as when you are measuring it you will be up close and will probably be noticing something someone doesn’t want you to see or they are trying to pull a fast one on you by not measuring accurately.
To help do this why not use apps like IKEAs PLACE app it uses AR technology to help plan and arrange your room making sure everything is going to fit where it is. Obviously, this only works with IKEA furniture so another alternative is to use room planning apps like MagicPlan This is a crazy-powerful professional floor planning app that has a fully functional free tier plan that allows you to put everything in its place with exact measurements. It also uses AR technology to measure your room and items you already have and place them in the floorplan so no need to even go buy a tape measure down at your local DIY store or borrow one.
Overview…
Second-hand furniture is maybe one of the best ways you can save some serious cash on something that is going to last you the best part of 5-10 years (as long as you aren’t using it as a trampoline that is). Weighing up your options when it comes to this is a long process and should not be taken lightly at all. Remember most of the time when it comes to second-hand furniture you are going to have to find a way to get it back by your self and if you don’t have your own car/van it’s going to be an extra expense when it comes to hiring one so make sure you budget for that too. Maybe ask a kind relative or friend who has transport for help is also another option for you if you can. But once you find a way of getting your new furniture home there is one last thing you HAVE TO DO… grab a cuppa, sit down and relax cause you just made an amazing investment. You deserve it and now you get to enjoy it without breaking the bank.