All Is Not as It Seems

However, these numbers aren’t holding up that well under closer scrutiny. It’s possible that much of the costs associated with reusing the older furniture could be eliminated if the agency had a better plan in place for managing the reuse of resources. It’s true that tracking and managing office furniture in a large-scale reuse program is not without administrative costs. But it’s the kind of thing you get better at the more you do it. Over the long term, there’s no doubt that the Canadian government could create a successful program to reuse and recycle its office furniture efficiently. In one way, they are trying to do this already by sending the older furniture to other offices that have an immediate need for the equipment.

What Steps Can You Take To Reduce Reuse Costs?

Are you planning an office move or renovation? Are you concerned that reusing your existing office furniture might cost too much? Here are a few ways you could help minimize expenses:

Hire a professional office furniture company to break down your high quality workstations. This helps you in 3 ways. First, it ensures you have a complete inventory of all the components you have on hand. Second, it ensures that nothing gets broken in the transportation process. Third, it means you can store the office furniture in a much smaller space, limiting storage rental costs.

If your existing office furniture really won’t mesh with your new office space, consider making a deal. You could sell your used office furniture to a refurbishing company (like ours) and buy a different set of workstations that meets your current needs better. Who knows, you might even find a suite of name brand refurbished workstations that are just as good as (if not better than) what you had before – for a fraction of the cost. That way, you are sending your old office furniture to a new home and going greener by reusing someone else’s furniture.

If You Are Selling

On the up side, you could demand a high price if you find just the right buyer at just the right time or if your used furniture is a brand that’s in demand. You can also offload used furniture on a fixed schedule in situation where you need to get it off your hands ASAP to make room for new furnishings. However:

• You may have little control over the final price you get for the furniture
• You will probably have to pay a fee to the auctioneer
• The buyer may not show up in a timely fashion to remove the used furniture (costing you additional storage fees)

If You Are Buying

On the up side, you could get a great price if the seller is desperate and they need to get rid of the furniture quickly. They may even throw in transportation if you negotiate right. However:

• You probably won’t have a chance to inspect each piece before you buy
• The seller’s descriptions and photos may not be that accurate (you could end up needing to repair or replace many pieces)
• You may have to mix and match workstations if the auctioned lot doesn’t have all the items you need
• There’s no customer service or follow up included

On both sides of the equation, dealing with an office furniture refurbishing company can be easier, faster, and more cost effective than taking your chances with an auction.

Fresh furniture designs are often rolled out in springtime (starting as early as February). Many dealers are looking to empty their showrooms of older models to make room for new pieces. Check for a sweetheart of a deal between now and Valentine’s.

Many new businesses get kicked off in January. Dealers may capitalize on this fact by offering special sales on items that are great for home offices and small office locations.

Of course, any time of year is a great time to get rock bottom prices on used office furniture. We’ve always got plenty of items on hand for your startup business venture.

There are actually many organizations across the U.S. that help match used office furniture donors with NPO recipients. But Kane’s approach is particularly efficient. He already has the warehouse space and logistics aspect worked out. Hopefully, this idea will catch on with more office moving and liquidation companies!

It’s probably not costing your company that much to store unused office furniture (why is it that the government always pays more than the going rate for services?) But you are losing money if furniture is taking up warehouse space off-site or actual office space on-site. We’d be happy to give you a free estimate on buying your gently used office furniture. That way, you can spend your operating budget on more important things. Give us a call at (760) 536-6374 today so we can clear out your closets!

It’s Always a Balancing Act

The used office furniture business is tricky. Some turnover is good; but you have to have a balance between companies liquidating their old office furniture (either by choice or necessity) and new companies starting up that need those low cost, high quality items. When everyone around you is going out of business, a dealer can pick up plenty of stock but is left with no one to sell it to.

How Are Things on the Home Front?

In San Diego, we are very fortunate to be in an area of the country that still has a strong and thriving business base. Companies here are feeling the pinch of a troubled economic environment, but they still need office furniture. Our refurbished and used items are very popular – especially for startups and small to mid-sized businesses that have a tight budget. Here’s a big ‘thank’ you to our customers who are keeping our business in business even in tough times. We also send our best wishes to the former owners and employees of Altman Office Furniture and Office Exchange that they may find brighter days ahead.

The NPO did say they had a few issues with other vendors not following through to meet requirements on Bike New York’s tight deadline. That’s one issue to consider if you want to furnish a high volume office space with refurbished office furniture. You need to make sure your dealer has access to sufficient supplies of liquidated furnishings to meet demand. The upside is that pre-owned furniture (that’s in good condition) can be touched up and made ready for use with a much shorter lead time than ordering new from a manufacturer. If that idea appeals to you, check out San Diego Cubicles Office Environment’s current inventory of used office furniture online. Or, call to see what our consultants can rustle up for you in a hurry.

Sjennings also recommends purchasing pre-owned appliances for the break room – although this can be a little more challenging. Finding a toaster oven that (a) works and (b) is reasonably clean could be difficult. Plus, break room appliances aren’t that expensive to buy new anyway. Buying used office furniture is probably going to give you more bang for your buck than trying to track down a mini-fridge on Craig’s list.

Author Lillian Webster at eHow has compiled a list of well known NPOs in the local area that may be willing to send a truck to your office building. Click through to read about the services that are made possible by companies like Goodwill, Jewish Family Service, the San Diego Rescue Mission, and more. Call ahead with a list of the items you wish to donate since not every organization takes all kinds of office furniture. For example, the JFS will accept office chairs but not metal filing cabinets.

Are you looking for innovative ways to breathe new life into your used office furniture? In San Diego there’s already a thriving skateboard community. Some citizens are actually lobbying to have a park built just for skateboarders. This would be the perfect location to go chair surfing or desk boarding. Just make sure you have your chiropractor on retainer and an ambulance waiting at the bottom of the hill!