Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Chairs!

As you all know by now, I have a very hard time paying retail for pretty much anything. Most everything in our home including furniture comes from thrifts, garage sales, Craigslist, the list goes on! We do occasionally pay retail for items after we've saved and planned for them though, and if I have a coupon!

Recently we bought a new sectional couch to replace our old couch that we'd had for 6+ years and had been well worn through. That couch we had seen at Costco, wanted it but couldn't pull the trigger and then happened to find the same exact couch on Craigslist because the people bought it and it didn't fit their space so we got it for $50 less than the Costco price plus no tax! We ended up selling the couch all these years later for $175 within hours of listing it, an excellent price for our WELL used couch! And that helped pay for the retail couch we purchased to replace it.

Anyways, the point I'm trying to make is that the nice thing about buying used is that the cost is so low if I get sick of something and need a change it's easy to re-sell and make space or find a new fun replacement! Recently that item seems to be chairs.

Last week while out on a family thrift night we came across a very nice wing back chair that had a price tag of $24.99. I wasn't too happy about it but my husband liked it and said we could re-sell it if we didn't like it in the room. It was a very well made chair with quality fabric and nice wood legs but there was a couple of small stains on it so we almost left it behind until we realized it was the 1/2 price color for the day so we picked it up for only $12.50. It took some interesting maneuvers but we got it in the back of our vehicle and brought it home!


Naomi liked it!
I knew right away after bringing it home that while I liked it, it wasn't our style at all. We were about to head out of town for the weekend but I threw up a couple of pics on craigslist for a high price of $75 just to see if anyone would bite over the weekend. I thought with the stains that the best we'd get would be $50. Well, I was wrong because Monday morning I got an email with an offer to pay full price if we'd deliver it to her in Seattle. My husband made the trip over and we made a nice profit on that flip!

Then today while I was out with my son at the same Value Village less than a week later I came across this:
Please ignore the consignment sale prep mess in the background!
Its a leather Luna chair and while we were out shopping at the pricey furniture store a few months back I remember sitting in this exact chair and thinking that it was so comfy but then looked at the price tag and got right up! These chairs retail for $450+ and they are super popular right now because they look mid century and all those collectors of mid century furniture just gotta have one. In fact, I had 3 different people try to buy the chair out from under me at the store before I even left!

I only paid $8 for this awesome, super comfortable, very trendy chair today and I think we are going to keep it a while, at least a couple of weeks and see if it fits in well with us. Best part is, I am pretty sure I can make $200+ on this little cutie if we decide we don't want it!

For those of you who don't ebay but want to get into reselling, craigslist and local Facebook groups are your best bet to get started! Start by selling items from around your home that you just don't want anymore or something you find super cheap that you know will sell. I always try to price things a little higher than my happy price because people on these sites are looking for great deals. Say you have 2 barstools that you want $20 for; try listing them up there for $30. You may get lucky and get a buyer for $30 or you may end up getting your "happy with" price! Always meet in a public place unless it's a large piece of furniture too; safety first folks!

9 comments:

  1. I see furniture all the time at yard sales for really cheap that I know I could flip it on Craigslist for much more but don't have the room to store. Plus I've never sold on Craigslist so I'm a little nervous to take the plunge. But your chair story is inspiring me to try. And I love the second chair. Great design.

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    1. I'm the same way, problem is we have a very small SUV and usually its packed full, I'd love to get into refinishing dressers and larger pieces but there's just no way without garage space or a truck! Good luck, I'd start with small stuff on Craigslist, any old coffee pots or things out in your garage, just to get your feet wet, its SO easy you'll be amazed!

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  2. Awesome flip on that chair!

    I live in such a small town that Craigslist and FB selling groups are a no go. I would love to be able to sell bigger items using them but there is no market.

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    1. Melissa you should start your own Facebook selling group in your area! Make the group, add your friends and tell them to add their friends, its funny how fast it catches on and spreads by just starting with friends of friends! I sell my clothes, kids clothes, small housewares and anything that you can find on Pintrest, that kind of stuff goes really well!

      For craigslist, if you have big ticket items, list them on the Portland area site, I helped my mom sell a trailer across WA state once, people look and will drive far if its something they really want! Or you can arrange to meet somewhere 1/2 way like Tigard or something :)

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  3. Our couch broke a few weeks ago. Seriously, it caved in. It didn't dawn on me until I read this that I really should check Craigslist for a replacement. Duh. Thanks... Will let you know if I have any luck.

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    1. Craigslist ALL the way! I have found awesome furniture for super cheap on there! Even stuff for free!

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  4. I keep trying to convince my husband to buy a truck so we can do this very thing! Great finds!!!

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    1. Ashley - I want a truck SO bad just for thrifting and garage sales! Theres no way that's happening anytime soon so I'm stuck with small chairs and the like... someday - dressers!

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  5. WOW I have a Luna chair. I got it as a gift from a very wealthy friend. My adult children really want it. So comfortable! Good job!
    Lisa

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