Can You Afford Cheap Office Furniture?
Before you buy any cheap office furniture, you better be sure you know what the seller means by "cheap". Don't assume that all "cheap" means is "inexpensive" or even "discount". Sometimes "cheap" means "on its last legs." If your clients will come into your office often, then you are going to have to take into account what your office furniture and personnel look like. You want both to look efficient, reassuring and professional.
Keeping Up Appearances
Guess what an office full of mismatched, second-rate, scuffed and cracked furniture says to a first time client? Subconsciously, they will not be impressed. Although it might be sad to say that our subconscious is prejudiced, in some ways it is. We like all the offices of professionals we have to deal with to be neat, organized and coordinated.
If you have a home office or an office that does not do much contact with the public, then this is something you don't have to worry about. You don't have to be sure your chair matches your desk. You don't even have to be sure that your chair fits UNDER you desk. But you still need to be sure the chair and the desk will not fall apart the first time they collide.
Quality Cheap
If you are a do-it-yourself kind of person, then an easy and fun way to get cheap office furniture is to by it unassembled, or in "flat packs." You will also have to provide pick up from the store to the office, but not always. Some mail order and large discount office supply chains give free shipping if you buy a certain amount. In this way you can be assured of new, yet cheap, office furniture. Just keep all the parts left over.
Another way to find quality but cheap office furniture is to keep up with Sheriff sales or government seizure auctions. When the police arrest someone or has to do a foreclosure, they often find a lot of neat stuff hanging about that used to be the possessions of the former owner. There are many of these government auctions held online.
Inspect When Possible
In most cases, you will not be able to inspect the cheap office furniture before purchase. However, if you can get to auctions in person or to discount office supply stores in person, by all means do so. In this way, you get to see exactly what's for sale and often get to try it out. Some cheap office furniture is deeply discounted because it is chipped, scratched or was the store's demonstration model.
