As you plan or prepare for a business move, a key issue you’ll need to address is what to do with the used office furniture that isn’t making the journey to your new address. After all, some items may be worn down or broken, while others may not align with your new décor.
Generally speaking, there are three things you can do with your surplus used office furniture. You can decommission and donate it to a local charity, you can recycle it, or you can try to sell it in the used furniture marketplace.
If you decide to sell your used office furniture – or at least want to know if it’s a viable option – then you’ll need to discover how much it’s worth. To that end, here are the 4 key factors that will ultimately determine the value of your furniture.
4 Factors That Determine What Your Used Office Furniture is Worth
- Quality
The quality and condition of your used office furniture will, more than anything else, determine its value in the used furniture marketplace. To put this differently and a bit more directly: if your furniture is low quality or in need of significant repair or refurbishment, then don’t expect to get a high price. In fact, you may not find a buyer at all.
- Uniqueness
Almost as important as quality and condition, if your used office furniture is unique – in a good and impressive way, not in a “wow, I can’t believe they used to make furniture like that!” way – then you’ll likely be able to command a slight premium. Keep in mind though that, just as with cars and homes, uniqueness can be a bad thing as well, since it may mean a smaller pool of potential buyers.
- Size
Custom-sized furniture, such as those built to accommodate specific workstations or fit the dimensions of a specific room, will likely fetch a lower price and be overall more difficult to sell. Also, very large items – even if they aren’t customized – may present transport and set-up problems, which may also lower the price and diminish demand.
- Style
Similar to the discussion on uniqueness, used office furniture that is heavily styled (e.g. “Americana”) may not generate as much interest – and therefore, as high a price – as more generic, conventional furniture.
Nevertheless, there are some exceptions where heavy styling is an advantage. For example, there’s currently a strong demand for retro office furniture (which ironically was probably purchased when it was “futuristic”!).
The Bottom Line
Wading into the used furniture market might be a good move – but then again, it might be time consuming and far less financially beneficial than you expect or hope. Your best option is to connect with an experienced office moving company that can help you evaluate and, if it makes sense to do so, attempt to sell your used office furniture locally or nationwide.
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