Determine Value of Used Furniture

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When considering used furniture it is important to determine value, otherwise how will you recognize a bargain? What is the item made of, particle board, solid wood? Inspect for loose edges, bubbles, stains, stripped and missing connectors. Particle board self-assembled furniture is constructed from glue and sawdust with a man-made veneer that’s virtually impossible to repair. Solid wood that’s been painted and no longer attractive can be made beautiful again with some elbow grease, hardware supplies and a few basic tools.

Moving IKEA furniture is a chore that may require careful disassembly and reassembly. Be wary. Inspect carefully. Damage is virtually impossible to correct and renders the piece worthless. Time is money. If it’ll take a lot of time and money to move a wardrobe, an armoire, dresser or bed frame, calculate that as part of your cost. Practical considerations aside, people like IKEA furniture. It’s fairly serviceable, affordable and looks good. At the very least, if you buy used assembly furniture, get all the hardware, get the instructions, get any tools that came with the kit for assembly.

How much is a similar piece of furniture new? How much wear does the piece have? Is it damaged in any way? A wobbly used IKEA dresser has little potential for satisfaction. Like a worn-out hollow door, there’s not much you can do with it once it gets old, and assemble yourself particle board furniture is susceptible to loosening up, may have undetectable stripped bolts, chips and bubbles that show the other face of modern style, the throw away side. What’s the point? Pay less for used! Know how much it costs new.

How big is the item? Smaller is better. It’s easier to move, easier to maintain, fits into more places and makes a better investment.

Ultimately, the value of used furniture is determined by what you’re willing to pay for it. Know what it’s worth new, inspect carefully and assign a value based on what it’ll cost you to get it home, how long you plan to keep it and what you’ll be able to sell it for. With any luck you can sell the used furniture at a price close to what you pay for it when it’s time to move, if you buy it right.

Amtrak Freight for Moving

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Not too many people would think of Amtrak Shipping if they were moving to a new city. One of my previous customers called for a price to move boxed personal effects to Chicago. As much as I’d love the job, the gas alone is more than anyone would want to spend.

I googled my brain to remember Amtrak Freight out of South Station because I’ve picked up and dropped off cargo there in the past, typically in the range of twenty boxes or so. It’s an affordable mini-move option to ship household and personal items. Sell your furniture on craigslist, put your boxes on the train and save like a minimalist.

The freight terminal is behind South Station off Summer Street, next to the Post Office. Turn into the Post Office, turn right just before the Post Office, stay left of the parking garage entrance, just after the road turns left the Amtrak freight office is on your right off the walkway into South Station. They’ll come out with cargo carts to help.

Need a hand getting your boxes to Amtrak?

Craigslist Furniture Bargains

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A couple of quick things about buying furniture on craigslist. Number one, it’s a great idea because used furniture only fetches a fraction of retail. Take your time, ask lots of questions and know the pitfalls to find the bargains.

First of all, what are you looking for? Tables, dressers, chests, kitchen carts, bookcases… any number of items can show up on craigslist from motivated sellers who will take anything to have you come haul the stuff away. And there also nice dining sets, sofa sets, armoires and so on that fetch good prices but they’re still bargains compared to retail. You need to know what a similar item actually sells for new if you want to be sure you’re getting a bargain.

Before you make an appointment to look at a piece ask if it has damage. Why are they selling it? Did they buy it new? What floor are they on? How far is it to the elevator or  doorway? Are there courtyards? Will they help you move it out of the building? Do they have pets? Is the price flexible?

Once you know that  you’re interested in seeing the piece find out when they’re available. If you’re available immediately with cash that works in your favor, just don’t be too eager. When you make an appointment always verify just prior to ensure that the item is still available and that they’ll be there when you arrive.

When you arrive, inspect carefully. Look under, in around, test everything, assume nothing. You should already know if there will be challenges moving the piece out. You also need to know that the item will fit the accessways into your place if you decide to buy it.

Technically speaking, it’s illegal to sell mattresses in Massachusetts. If you’re considering a used bed it should be free or very cheap and you’ll be wise to consider a strategy for ensuring that you’re not importing bed bugs. You can see them with a flash light. They look like pepper flakes and they can be found anywhere, even in nice places.

The advantage of well chosen used furniture pieces is that they retain their value.

DIY Mini-Move Prep

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Lean Clean Moves

Preparation is the key to efficient, economical moving. Light loads are easy to manage. Moving is a major turn on the road of life, so take advantage, lighten up. Evaluate your possessions, eliminate the unnecessary and gain the benefits of going lean and mean.

Sorting is simple with SOS: Select, Organize, Stash.

a. SELECT a target area. Large or small, remove all items from the target area.

b. ORGANIZE the items. Sort like with like by activity. Where and how is the item used? Separate trash, junk, and items to sell or give-away. After sorting, containerize the item groups.

c. STASH the containers to assigned homes by activity.

With SOS you’ll have less to move and more ease in moving it. Bust clutter and dissolve stagnation.

Lighten the load, then consider your budget. Asking friends to help is the easiest way to do a fast, easy move. If you have a friend with access to a truck, van or large suv, you’re in luck. Or maybe you just need to rent one and your friends will help you load it. If you don’t want to bother your friends, give me a call. I’d love to help.

A cheap way to move long distance is to purge large items, box-up essentials and ship via Amtrak. Amtrak for long distance is totally brilliant.

Door to door moving pods may save you money but they’re not cheap so purge anything that you don’t need. Options in ascending order are rent a truck or van, use your friends as helpers, or hire helpers for a truck that you rent. Craigslist can help you find movers. Yelp is a good source for feedback.

On Demand Minimoves and Deliveries

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Express Delivery Van comes standard with one man for Point A to B efficiency using the karma rule, make people happy. A reasonably priced, awesome helper, is optional. Emphasis is on prompt scheduling with on-call availability.  Economy service is available for easy, local delivery of single items with curbside pickup and dropoff. The van, named Hoopty Deux, is clean and well-equipped.

Moving and Delivery Price Factors

Time, difficulty and distance are price factors. I can’t beat U-Haul’s lowball price but if convenience and an extra set of hands will help, I’m ready when you are. Mini-moves are based on flat or timed rates. With ten feet behind the seats and a rack on top for carrying mattresses most mini-moves are quick and easy. A typical mini-move is a bed, desk, bookcase, bags and boxes, books and luggage. Larger moves are possible with locations in close proximity.

Inside the van is a hard rubber covered floor, furniture pads, dolly, hand trucks, mattress sling, carrying straps, bungee cords, tie-downs and other equipment such as hand tools. Calls and emails arrive instantly via smartphone for prompt response. In addition to GPS I know Boston like the back of my hand. Pricing starts at only $30 for curbside pickup and dropoff of a single item locally.