Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with usedfurniture

How to spot bedbugs?

onlyconnect — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 07:03:55 -0800

I am looking to save money by buying used furniture from Craigslist, but my sweetie is worried about buying used furniture with cloth because of potential for bedbug infestations. I have seen the previous threads about bedbugs, but have two different questions: (1) Is there a foolproof way to tell from inspecting the furniture before buying that it is/is not infested with the critters; (2) assuming not, is there a foolproof way to treat furniture before taking it home to make sure we don't bring the suckers home with us? FWIW, we're aware of the "telltale" rust-like small spots that can appear, but my understanding is that they are not necessarily there, i.e., there could be a bedbug infestation without the spots.

All help appreciated!

Is there any reason not to buy a used ergonomic chair?

Afroblanco — Wed, 17 May 2006 10:23:51 -0800

Is there any reason not to buy a used ergonomic chair? I have back issues owing to a life of computer programming and bad posture. I'm looking into buying one of the high-end ergo chairs. Although I can probably afford to buy one new, I noticed that I can save > $300 if I buy one used off ebay. Is this a bad idea? Do these chairs' components generally wear out over time?

Also, do you have any reccomendations for which chair to buy? I'm currently favoring at the Steelcase Leap and the Humanscale Liberty. The Aeron comes in third, although I haven't been too impressed with this option.

Be gone thou cursed used furniture!

Atreides — Wed, 03 May 2006 10:48:14 -0800

Used Furniture filter: I'm in a small college town and I need to get rid (very much want to sell) most of the furniture in my apartment. Beyond putting flyers up on the college campus, are there any other ways for me to get rid of my furnishings? The town in question is Fayetteville, Arkansas, and I've scoured the phone book for answers, only to come up with none. I have to have it sold and gone by April 14th, so I turn to the collective wisdom of the MeFi, how can I accomplish this? Thanks in advance for your help!

Hunting the elusive perfect sofa...

Rothko — Thu, 20 Oct 2005 15:54:33 -0800

Looking for an inexpensive, chic (used?) sofa in Philadelphia... When visiting Seattle, it seemed like stylish used furniture was available on every street corner. Uhuru is the only used furniture shop I know of in Philadelphia, and the selection seems wildly hit and miss. There are design stores on Walnut St and in Old City, but sadly my Powerball ticket didn't work out as planned, and Ikea is right out. Are there other stores that you might recommend for someone looking for a modern, non-"poofy", non-suburban-family, stylish sofa that may or may not be slightly used? Cheers!