Consignment Furniture Shopping tips

There are always great pieces of furniture waiting to be owned at garage sales, estate sales and online through craigslist, ebay, and other websites. There's also a few consignment stores that have popped up around town with a great selection of furniture and home accessories worth checking out as well.
I spoke recently with my friend Kyle over at the Douglas Designers Consignment Gallery to get some of his advice for buying used.

 Here are some of his personal guidelines for buying consignment:

Douglas Designers Consignment Gallery

1. Buy from someone you trust. What is their knowledge of their business?  What type of standards do they have when it comes to accepting furniture for sale? What are the policies for returns or exchanges? When buying from an individual, ask them if they are okay giving you a refund should the piece not work.


2. Get some background info about the furniture in question, are you familiar with the brand?  How old is it?  What kind of home did the pieces come from... did the family have pets or smoke?  (this can be important especially if any of your family members have allergies or are sensitive to any odors.)

3. Know what your needs are. Is function most important to you? Or are style and function equally important?  Research Decorative Magazines to help identify your likes and own personal style.

Expect to pay a little more for a consigned piece of furniture versus buying from an individual.  You will pay more on average as the piece should not require any additional work or cleaning.  Expect a price range of 20-40% of original new retail.

Douglas Designers Consignment Gallery is focused on customer satisfaction and will work closely with you to make sure you get just the perfect piece for your living needs.  They are located near the corner of Douglas and Grove, across from East High school.  They are open Tuesday-Saturdays from 10-5:30.  They are also taking new consignment as well.  Call Kyle at 316-871-3700 for more details.


Check out Barefoot Skinny's experience when she visited the Douglas Designers Consignment Gallery recently, and follow Douglas Designers Consignment Gallery on Facebook.

Thanks Kyle for sharing your tips on consignment furniture shopping!

Watch for a story on my personal tips on furniture construction and how to look for quality when buying used furniture coming next week.