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used office furniture

post #1 of 9
3/18/09 at 10:39am
Thread Starter 
I always hear about as these companies are going out of business and downsizing they auction/sell off all kinds of furniture and computers etc.. has any one ever done this before or does anyone have any idea how to find something like that?
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post #2 of 9
3/18/09 at 11:01am
Done it on numerous occasions. You can get some pretty good deals. I feel less frustrated when an employee dings one of our used and slightly pre-dinged pieces than when a pristine, new and costly piece is nicked.

Most big cities have places that deal almost exclusively in used office furniture. Make sure you haggle with them, as they generally bought entire lots at crazy discounts. You can find such a dealer in your Yellow Pages. Ask them if there are any auctions coming up, too, as they frequently host auctions for huge lots (because they don't have the space to warehouse all of the stuff); I have even bought huge supplies of copy paper, etc. for pennies on the dollar at these events.

Sometimes these events are listed in the big city newspaper classified. Small lots for sale by the business going under can be found there, too. The used office furniture dealers and going-out-of-business folks are some of the few still posting hard copy classifieds (instead of using solely Craig's List).

Finally, if you want to be aggressive, watch for bankruptcy filings (they are posted weekly in big city business journals or are available as a matter of public record--usually online). Call when you see the listing and offer to purchase some of their goods before the pros get to them.

Good luck!
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post #3 of 9
3/18/09 at 11:04am
Thread Starter 
cool thanks for the advice. I am just looking for a few small things, not for a whole office or anything, but I will check it all out!
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post #4 of 9
3/18/09 at 3:54pm
I see stuff on craigslist all the time.
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post #5 of 9
3/18/09 at 8:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Renault78law View Post
I see stuff on craigslist all the time.

I don't. Craigslist sucks ass in montreal. People have such ugly things.
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post #6 of 9
6/3/09 at 1:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Renault78law View Post
I see stuff on craigslist all the time.

+1

I see "going out of business, must sell everything" ads lately
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post #7 of 9
6/3/09 at 11:54pm
I've got my eyes on some vintage steelcase desks on craigslist mmmmmmm
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post #8 of 9
6/4/09 at 4:24pm
As far as computers go, the channels can vary. They can be liquidated like the furniture but a lot of them go through a corporate lease return program (or at least they used to).

I bought an ibm thinkpad in 05 (senior year of high school) from a local computer store that gets a lot of corporate lease returns. It was a pretty good deal, going for less than ebay prices and it still had the remainder of the IBM warranty (and a shop warranty on other stuff).
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post #9 of 9
6/4/09 at 4:48pm
we bought a bunch of knoll task chairs from a defunct pr company for $200 each, retailed for $600+. we lucked out, but like anything else, YMMV.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jgold47 View Post
I always hear about as these companies are going out of business and downsizing they auction/sell off all kinds of furniture and computers etc.. has any one ever done this before or does anyone have any idea how to find something like that?
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