Pre-Owned Office Furniture – Save Money and Save the Environment
Save the environment while you save money for your business. Pre-owned or used office furniture is affordable and it is green.
In Los Angeles County and many other places in the US used business and office furniture and equipment are in abundant supply. The unfortunate downturn in the current economy has contributed to one of the largest gluts in quality used office furniture and products. This condition makes it an excellent time for you to find top-notch recycled office furniture at extremely affordable prices.
The wide availability of pre-owned business furniture and equipment in Southern California and other places around the country means wholesalers and retailers of pre-owned or used office products and services need to sell at low, low prices to move their inventory.
Two more factors are creating a buyer’s market in recycled business furniture and equipment. Those factors are online or virtual stores and the rising tide of imports.
First, the prices of used furniture are affected by internet retailers and wholesalers. In the past a wholesaler or retailer had to have 30,000 to 80,000 square feet for showroom and warehouse space as well as sales and warehouse personnel which amounted to huge overhead costs. Today, with the development of the world-wide-web and just-in-time (JIT) inventory technologies almost anyone with a little initiative and curiosity can open a virtual store over the internet. With an online store, a gung-ho entrepreneur can get by with 2,000 to 10,000 square feet max cutting his outflow significantly and giving him/her an advantage over the older business model and competition.
Second, the onslaught of imported business related furniture and supplies is also putting downward pressures on prices for used office furniture and equipment.
Buying used or pre-owned business and office furniture is technically recycling and therefore counts as green. By purchasing used business equipment or products, you help your community save huge amounts of landfill space. Furthermore you help slow down the need to use up the country’s natural resources. Recently the Fluor-Daniels Corporation chose to purchase pre-owned cubicle workstations from A.B.E. Office Furniture in the Los Angeles area. Fluor had A.B.E. install the systems stations in offices all over the United States including St. Louis, Houston, on the East Coast and the famous glass building in Irvine, California. In doing so the Fluor executives saved huge amounts of operating cash and rescued an estimated 500,000 square feet of landfill space. Finally, another way to buy green for your business and office is to look for companies that refurbish or remanufacture old workstations using recycled materials. Most fabrics and even some work surfaces used in Today’s cubicles or systems stations are made from recycled plastics.
Purchasing green, used and pre-owned office furniture is a win-win proposition for your company and society.
Buying Recycled Office Furniture
Buying used furniture has become very popular among small and medium business houses, mainly because of the lesser cost that is involved. Apart from the cost advantage, environmental issues are also involved. Million of tons of discarded office furniture are being dumped as waste, which are getting accumulated as land fills. Most of such discarded materials are not biodegradable, and cause environmental hazards. It is therefore advantageous not only to the purchaser but also to the society, in the wider perspective.
No wonder, recycled office furniture currently accounts for approximately 8.82% of the total commercial office furniture industry. Recycled furniture cost 30 to 50 per cent less than the new furniture. ‘Recycled’ is a term used for old furniture reconditioned to look as new and modern. It does not mean that the quality is compromised.
The recycled furniture dealers, recycle all types of furnishings like cubicles, task seating, filing cabinets, mail room furniture, reception chairs etc. Reconditioned, refurbished and reused furniture are available in the market, in response to the great demand.
Reconditioned or re-manufactured furniture are those which are restored to its original condition. They are as good as new ones. Those which are cleaned, repaired and repainted with changed upholstery are called refurbished furniture. The reused furnished are in ‘as is’ condition and very often changed hands directly between the seller and buyer without any modifications.
In the furniture market, there are various demands from customers, depending on the availability and affordability. For those who need large quantities of matching furniture, it is better to go to manufacturers directly to purchase new or made to order pieces. They will not settle for less than perfect and ready to pay higher prices.
For those who can be flexible about the designs, colour and style with low budget, recycled furniture is the ideal option.
In every one of the above dealings, it is very important that you have to strike a bargain as far as prices are concerned. The quality of the furniture you are planning to buy should be made sure. In every case, it is better to deal with experienced and well known dealers who will provide you with warranty.
In totality, going for office furniture , used, refurbished or reconditioned are very much advantageous since the deal helps you to save money, time and efforts. Remember that the resale value of new furniture depreciate to 25 per cent in five years, while the same will appreciate to 75 per cent in the case of recycled furniture.
