Discount Furniture-How to buy Furniture for Less

Say "discount furniture" and what comes to mind to most people is the cheap, warehouse stores that sell mass-produced imports with ugly fabrics and low quality merchandise.  You know, the type of stores that have red and green letters painted on the store front, screaming "SALE" "EVERYTHING MUST GO" etc.

But discount furniture can mean different things to different people.  To some people it means "cheap furniture".  To others, it means buying furniture at a discount, that is, paying less for an item.  Let's face it, it is much harder to make money than to spend it, so why not try to save money whenever you can?

This article will focus on the later category--how to buy nice, high end furniture at a discount.  It includes definition of discount sources for furniture, tips on saving money when  buying furniture, as well as what to watch for when buying discount furniture.

TYPE OF DISCOUNT FURNITURE STORES
Discount furniture can be purchased in several ways.  Generally there are three types of stores that sell furniture at a discount:

1) Warehouse Stores.  Because the rent is much less, warehouse stores can pass on the saving to you.  Most warehouse stores are bare-boned operations with limited displays, but there are a few that operate just like regular stores with an interior design staff and nice merchandising.  They are generally located in the suburbs and industrial areas.

2) Second-hand source such as consignment stores or consolidators.  These stores get their furniture from an estate (although it is not always the case) or clearance, overstock items from other stores.  They earn money from making a commission from the sales (usually the split is 50/50 between the seller and the owner).  The thing to keep in mind is that someone's trash is, well, trash.  You will have to do a lot of digging and come back frequently to check for new items.  The longer an item is on the floor, the more it will get further discounted.

3) On-line furniture stores.  These stores are regular retail stores with a web presence and supplement their revenue with sales on the Internet.  Wholesale Designer Furniture is an example of such stores.  The on-line stores will order the items for you and ship it directly to your home using a white glove service.
While most on-line discount stores can offer significant savings, the drawback is that the waiting time can be quite long if it is custom furniture, and because they are usually long-distant, problems can take longer to resolve.  Typically, there is not a lot of handholding in the buying process.  You'll be responsible for finding what you want, knowing the manufacturer, the part numbers, and once the order is placed, that's it.  No return is ever possible unless it is a manufacturer defect.

HOW TO BUY FURNITURE AT A DISCOUNT

Stores usually applies their discount in terms of "off MSRP", this stands for MANUFACTURER SUGGEST RETAIL PRICE.  Generally, if you can get it at 40-50% off MSRP, it is a good discount.  If you use a designer who buys through the trade, they generally get 40% off the MSRP.  It will not be a good deal if you have to pay him/her a mark up on top of it, because then you will pay the full MSRP--and nobody need to pay MSRP (think of it as a car, you would never pay a car at MSRP, would you?

Sometimes the best way to get discount is to ask for it.  HOW you ask is very important, because that would make a difference.  Ask nicely and you will get more.  Keep in mind that stores need to make money too--otherwise they won't be able to stay in business.  Don't grind and be fair. 
 

THINGS TO WATCH FOR WHEN BUYING DISCOUNT FURNITURE