Vintage is all the trend these days in clothing and it is growing in furniture as well. For those people that have older houses, getting furniture to match can be essential. It can also be nice to have a few vintage pieces because they can last longer due to being better made and they have more character. However, buying furniture can be an expensive business and so you will need to be clever if you want to get it at a bargain price.
There are some places that you can find bargains, but you will have to be prepared to keep looking and wait until the right thing comes along.
Local Classifieds
It can be a good idea to start your search in the local area. This will potentially save you a lot of money with regards to moving fees. You may find that you can find adverts in your local papers, that you may be able to buy things from. You may also want to advertise that you are looking for certain pieces. If you wait for long enough, you may find that there are some people wanting to get rid of furniture at cheap prices or maybe even for nearly nothing at all. Also make it known among family and friends that you are looking and they might let you know if they spot anything suitable as well.
Charity Shops
Charity shops can be a good place for finding bargains. They may not be really cheap, but they are not as expensive as going to antique shops or markets. You may even find that something comes in, that does not look that good, but once cleaned up could have lots of potential. Some shops specialise in furniture and it can be worth travelling to those. They may have quite a fast turnover as well and so that could mean it is worth asking them to call you if they get anything suitable for you in. Some may be willing to help you.
Auction websites
You may feel that auction websites could be an expensive place to buy furniture, but as this is not always the case. If you are clever then you can sometimes find some great bargains. Firstly, if the seller wants the buyer to pick up the item, then they will limit their potential market to people living close to the seller. This means that there may not be much competition, so there price may not go up that high. It is also worth looking for spelling mistakes. Check out the item categories rather than searching for keywords and you may spot some items with very few bids because they were not found. It is also worth trying the opposite mistake where they may be listed in the incorrect category but have the correct description. Try looking for things that have local collection only that are far away from where you live too. You may be able to get a good enough price to make it worth the fuel to go and collect it.
About Author
Lisa is a freelancer interior designer and has worked on many corporate, business and residential projects. Schewels of Virginia is one of the project Lisa has worked for.