Buying Used Office Furniture to Keep Cost Down

Opening a new business has the potential to be a very costly experience but there are ways, like buying used office furniture, that you can make it a much more budget friendly experience than the balance sheet at first shows. There are numerous expenses to take into consideration and they always add up faster than expected. Saving money on the office furnishing can go a long way towards helping you turn your first profit.

Lets take a close look at some of the benefits you can enjoy from buying used office furniture.

First and foremost is the cost of outfitting your entire office. You may want office cubicles or a leather chair and all of this will hit your bottom line pretty hard. It is important that you have a comfortable work environment that also emanates a professional attitude. This will go a long way towards developing a productive, efficient work force. This is based in the same idea of dressing for success. You are essentially dressing your office for success and you will be surprised at the results.

Consider that in the last 5 years thousands of businesses have gone under.  This is the sad state of our economy today but out of the ashes come opportunities.  This also means that there are warehouses full of slightly used high quality office furniture.  Do you think high dollar Wall Street firms skimped on office furniture?  I think not, but that furniture is most likely sitting in a warehouse somewhere waiting for another business to come pick it up and put it to good use.  Let us also consider that while there is no set price for used furniture it is often sold at very steep discounts because it is bought by the truck load from failing business.  At times a business on the way down will actually leave the building and a building manager will have to pay a salvage company to come take the furniture.  So, the furniture resale company is actually profiting twice off of the furniture even when they sell it at a very steep discount.

Also related to the financial savings we have entered an era in which it is trendy to be thrifty.  This means that by buying used office furniture you will actually earn the respect of your employees and clients by not spending excessively.  Thrifty is in and it can take you a long way towards winning new clients and developing a good reputation.  

The environmental impact of buying used office furniture is also much lower on a couple of different levels.

First, old furniture does not release the same amount of Volatile Organic Compounds, (VOCs) as new furniture.  This may not sound like a big deal but the truth is that VOCs are relatively new on the scene and just starting to be well understood and scientist are realizing that they are responsible for a very large number of health problems.  Making your office a healthy place for your employees is another great way to earn respect and create a great work environment. 

Another environmental impact of used office furniture is the simple recycling aspect of using old equipment.  Not only have you saved no biodegradable trash from the landfill you have also eliminated the need for the production of more furniture.  This means that you are reducing your overall carbon footprint by limiting the amount of factory expelled pollution that could have gone into production, not to mention transport pollution.

Used office furniture may not be your idea of a great way to start a business but when you start adding up the cost of conference room chairs, desks, computer tables, office partitions and the many other costs of opening an office it will quickly be apparent that you could save thousands of dollars that could be spent to attract top tier employees to your business instead.  

There are many outlets for used office furniture.  You can find some great deals on the internet but shipping is always a challenge.  If you are buying in bulk I would suggest hunting down a local furniture resale shop that specialized in used office furniture.  Most large or medium sized cities will have at least a couple of business that fit the bill.

Used office furniture is one of the may ways to boot strap your business.  Keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities that will allow your business to flourish and allow you to pay your employees the bonuses they deserve.