SarahBell Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 . Hope Charity Direct I think its called (or some variation of that). Have been in there. Not the best range of tat I've ever seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porca misèria Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 When I moved to unfurnished and had to acquire a lot of stuff at once, I used a mixture of local stuff (word of mouth, newsagents windows, etc) and Argos on the web. The latter was surprisingly good: I'd use it again over Ikea any day, and they were very efficient about delivery. One or two other online retailers I tried to use had problems and left me thinking "never again". I was without a fridge/freezer until I canceled my order with Comet and placed one with Argos (who fortunately delivered the morning after my afternoon order). Good thing it wasn't summer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin Allegro Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 If you have time and minimal DIY skills, you can make most old rubbish furniture look good. Eg, take a 1970s chipboard/formica wardrobe of the type that goes for nothing on freecycle. Paint it with melamine paint in a nice matt shade of cream or french grey and add some antique knobs and beading (it helps if you can mitre the edges which I'm not too good at). Loose bits that are out of sight can easily be mended with brackets or even white gaffer tape works ok on drawer backs etc. Old soft furnishings can be recovered. Old solid wood furniture, especially the kind of dark brown 1930s-1950s stuff that old ladies have, can be repainted or stripped and revarnished in a lighter shade, knackered flat surfaces like table tops can be improved with fablon or flooring material etc etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northwestsmith2 Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 if you have a van, ebay is good value Ebay, I sold a solid oak bed and a dining table for about £200 which is much less than I paid. Ebay is good for one thing and that is furniture at way below cost, or you could buy the same items from a dealer for 100% markup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Ebay, I sold a solid oak bed and a dining table for about £200 which is much less than I paid. Ebay is good for one thing and that is furniture at way below cost, or you could buy the same items from a dealer for 100% markup. ...to take advantage of good secondhand furniture you require: a van, space, time, inclination and know-how. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FedupTeddiBear Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Freegle can be good but it takes collecting a few bits of crap before you learn to know what to look for. Try joining a nearby freegle that is in a more expensive area or look at the postcode / village where the item is being offered - the stuff from more middle class parts of town will generally be better quality. Obviously you can't choose colours, style, etc but you can post "wanted" ads - you would be surprised at how successful those can be. Ebay is good too if you want to be a bit more choosy but still want a bargain but full of shill bidders and low quality "shops" these days. Try boot fairs, too. Some places have indoor markets that go all year. E.g. Went visiting a friend in Lincs recently - visited a huge one at Hemswell, including antiques warehouses - some good bargains. There are probably more of these about in other areas too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darkman Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 You're right about collecting from good areas only. I visited a customers house recently and spotted a Marshall amplifier sitting outside. I asked if they were throwing it out and if I could have it. They were and I could. Imagine that, a working Marshall amp just thrown out..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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