Why Smart Businesses Are Turning to Pre-Owned Furniture to Cut Costs Without Cutting Corners

Smart businesses all over the UK are choosing pre-owned furniture to keep costs down without compromising on quality. Curious? You should be!

Throwing cash at office furniture these days just doesn’t make sense for most companies. Growing overheads and shrinking margins mean the prices vendors want for brand-new desks, chairs and filing cabinets are hard to justify.

…but buying pre-owned doesn’t mean buying cheap or low-quality furniture.

It means making savvy choices that save your business money. Let’s take a closer look at how and why…

Table of Contents

1. Furnishing Offices From Scratch Is Expensive
2. 4 Reasons Buying Pre-Owned Makes Financial Sense
3. Filing Cabinets For Offices Are The Perfect Place To Start Saving
4. Buying Pre-Owned Is Better For The Planet
5. Pre-Purchase Checks All Buyers Should Make
6. Summary
7. FAQs

Furnishing Offices From Scratch Is Expensive

The costs mount up quickly when you need to buy office furniture.

Desk chairs, reception desks, storage cabinets, meeting room tables: there will always be more additions to the list than immediate subtractions. Before you know it, furnishing just one office can cost you thousands — maybe tens of thousands — of pounds.

…and that’s where buying second-hand office furniture can really transform things for your business when it comes to filing cabinets for offices.

Low-cal companies and startups, in particular, can save anywhere from 30% to 70% when opting for pre-owned office furniture. That’s potentially enormous. Enough of a saving that could be used to beautify other areas of your budget. Maybe even upgrade your tech or hire that new team member.

4 Reasons Buying Pre-Owned Makes Financial Sense

There are four primary reasons upgrading to second-hand office furniture is such a smart move.

Pre-owned furniture provides lower upfront costs obviously, but there’s plenty more to consider.

Furniture loses value as soon as it’s installed in your office. Pre-owned furniture has already taken that initial depreciation, so its resale value will hold much stronger over time. Expect used office furniture to retain around 75% resale value against as little as 25% for new pieces five years on.

That can be a game-changer for companies that upgrade or relocate on a regular basis.

Another subtle benefit? Pre-owned furniture is typically ready to deliver straight away. No waiting on industry-leading times of 8–12 weeks like you do with big brand furniture. If your business moves or expands rapidly, having furniture available instantly is a real perk.

…and finally, it doesn’t hurt that your budget will be much more flexible when you opt to furnish pre-owned.

Cash that would otherwise be tied up in furniture can now go towards growing your business. Technology upgrades, marketing, R&D….the list goes on. When you reduce the cost of your overheads, your business just goes further.

Filing Cabinets For Offices Are The Perfect Place To Start

Look for filing cabinets for offices whenever you’re researching pre-owned office furniture.

Why? Well, simply put. A filing cabinet only does one thing: store your important documents safely and securely. It’s not looking to impress guests like your front desk. Doesn’t need to be the comfiest chair in the office. All it needs to do is get the job done.

That means supplier-quality used filing cabinets for offices should be in excellent condition. Desks tend to go through more wear and tear than filing cabinets. Desks get moved, bumped into and sat on by mistake. Storage cabinets just hold stations quietly in the corner.

The point is: second-hand cabinets from reliable suppliers are rarely anything other than fantastic value.

Easy to clean. Instantly recognisable quality brands like Haworth, Steelcase and Herman Miller. Suitable for immediate reuse with zero modifications required.

Oh, and the same rings true for just about every other piece of furniture you can think of. Desks, storage units, bookcases, pedestals: if it’s something that gets used in a professional capacity day-in-day-out then chances are its pre-owned alternative will be just as good as the day it left the manufacturer. Crazy, right?

Buying Pre-Owned Is Better For The Planet

If there was ever a hidden benefit to this whole thing, it’s the environmental impact.

Here’s the picture:

The average UK business contributes to an estimated 1.2 million desks and 1.8 million office chairs being discarded every year. The overwhelming majority end up sitting in a landfill somewhere.

Planet-wide that equates to over 3 million tonnes of office furniture dumped every year.

…but here’s the crazy part…

Only 17% of that furniture is ever recycled. Everything else? Spoiled. Gone. Thousands of years’ worth of chemical waste sitting in a pile and slowly leeching out toxins.

…and that’s furniture that could have been pre-owned! Lives recirculated before being discarded. Less demand for new production. Savings on carbon emissions. Fewer natural resources being used and wasted.

If your business cares about its green credentials, there’s never been a better time to start furnishing ethically.

Pre-Purchase Checks All Buyers Should Make

Used doesn’t always mean businesses are as diligent in their acquisition as they could be.

Spotting corner-cutting merchants is easy. Take note of these traits and you’ll buy from the good guys every time

• Are they an established supplier or brand-new with no reviews or reputation?
• How is the furniture graded for condition? Are you able to understand and anticipate wear before it arrives?
• Is there any warranty offered? Reputable suppliers should provide some guarantee of satisfaction.
• Do they have depth of stock? You don’t want to order 10 filing cabinets only for 7 to arrive.
• What brands do they specialize in? Certain manufacturers hold up far better in the second-hand marketplace than others.

Being meticulous about your own buying process will pay dividends. Fewer headaches and another instance of your money going further!

Summary

Purchasing pre-owned office furniture is nothing to be ashamed of these days. Businesses that need to furnish efficiently without sacrificing quality are recognising the sheer scale of savings on offer.

Forget old stereotypes of scratched up desks and hideous logos. Modern pre-owned office furniture provides impressive cost savings, greater budget flexibility, better resale value and a smaller eco-footprint. Spend a little time scouring the second-hand market and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what you find.

…and your budget will love you for it.

FAQs

1. Is pre-owned furniture good quality?

Pre-owned office furniture from reputable suppliers is typically excellent quality. Commercial-grade furniture just needs a new home!

2. Can I buy used filing cabinets for offices?

Absolutely! Filing cabinets are one of the most commonly available items of pre-owned office furniture around.