Shopping for Used Office Furniture in Tampa: Things to Consider
It’s important to understand when you’re shopping for used office furniture in Tampa Bay that “price” isn’t always the motivating factor for the purchase. There are certainly other things to consider — the style of the furniture, the colors and certainly the quality and condition. When buying used office cubicles or chairs for your Tampa area office, getting furniture in good condition is super important
Buying used saves money
Getting a good condition, 3 year old Aeron Desk Chair from Herman Miller at 60% off the original retail price can be exhilarating. That can be a savings of a few hundred dollars on a desk chair that you might end up sitting in for the next 5 years.
And when it comes to outfitting an entire St. Pete call center with used cubicles or a downtown Tampa law firm with office desks for the newly hired employees, the savings can easily be in the thousands of dollars range. Thousands of dollars in saving is attractive to almost any company!
Need 10 workstations for your office? You can get nice used Haworth cubicles at tremendously low prices.
A local Tampa startup? Used furniture is a great way to save money that can be better used on other parts of your growing business.
Need 50 new office chairs? You might be able to find 50 matching chairs at $60 per chair instead of $200 per chair — that’s a savings of $7,000!
Getting the Best Value
- Does the furniture serve all your needs?
- Will it function correctly?
- Is it practical?
- Does it match your style and tastes?
So it becomes a question of Price vs. Value. You’ll have to question how long you’ll want to use the furniture.
Spending $500 on a used workstation that will last 8 years means an investment of roughly $62/year…
A comfortable, adjustable office chair for the boss that costs $200 and lasts 4 years is an investment of $50/year…or less than $o.15 a day/year.
The furniture you buy must serve all your needs and be functional
Proper planning is important. Setting a budget upfront is one good approach. But beyond that, you’ll want to plan out your needs.
Will desks and cubicles fit within the office space or other rooms? Is there enough room on the desks or cubicles to fit computers and paperwork?
Do you need filing cabinets? How much filing do you do?
Do office chairs need rolling wheels?
You get the point. It’s important to ensure that the furniture “works” for your business.
How practical is it?
Do you really need the latest styles or hottest brands of furniture? Will a less well known brand serve the same purpose — and look just as good — as a top branded piece?
Are they chairs you’re considering really that comfortable? Remember, you’ll be sitting in them a good bit over the course of each day. Comfort can play a HUGE roll in how much our clients enjoy their chairs.
Believe us. We see chairs replaced within a short period of time because someone chose style over comfort.
Do your cubicles require “closed in” spaces — or would your business and your employees operate better if there were less walls to inhibit communicate and team building? Cubicles can be formatted in a variety of ways. It’s always best to do some space planning — either on your own or with our furniture placement experts — prior to buying your office furniture.
Does it reflect your company or office image in the way you want?
Ok. Here is where styling, colors, fabrics and other visual factors come in to play.
Does your office space need to reflect a luxury feel — for investment bankers, CPAs and corporate law firms for example?
Or is image a secondary thought and “function” is most important.
In the end, there is a lot to think about!
But that’s why Office Furniture 911 is here. We want to help guide you through the office furniture buying process and make sure you choose furniture that 1) fits your budget and meets your price expectations, and 2) is effective and appropriate for the type of business and business needs you have.
Let’s talk today! Call 813-443-4493.