small business idea

pdhmobile

hi guys just wanted to put a poll out there;

would you pay someone to assemble your flat pack furniture for you?
examples are, wardrobes, beds, draws, kitchen units?

thanks guys in advance for you input

WhiteHorse

No, but evidently some people do. Every local paper seems to have someone offering this.

spadoosh

Again a no, but again some people do.

If your interested in doing this, it could be worth doing some business cards and see how much interest you get, only volunteering your spare time to do it at the moment untill you can find out if its more sustainable.

Mistral001

Just because actors and comedians always say that they can never put falt pack furniture together, it does not mean that the rest of the population take this attitude.

I do not mind doing it and in fact quite like doing it as it is like solving a puzzle. I heard on a the Radio 4 "Bottom line" business programme a few weeks ago a guest on the show saying that in fact many men like doing it as is links into their hunter gathering instinct of providing for their family and like presenting to their wife a finished wardrobe bed etc.

There might be a market for it, but I should think it is very limited.

PS. Since perhaps most of the cost for single items would be the travel to the house, perhaps if you could get some commerial work say where apartment deveolpers who rent wanted to furnish their aparments with say Ikea, then you could perhaps be able to quote prices that would make it worth someone's while to hire you.

pitkin2020

I hate doing it but I wouldn't pay someone to do it. Many people offer this kind of service along side other handyman type services.

To be honest though you tend to buy flat pack furniture because its usually cheaper than solid already assembled furniture so unless the cost of having flat pack assembled was very cheap you wouldn't make a saving by buying flat pack.

If your considering it as a business on its own I would say not to bother as its a one trick pony, alongside other services it can be a good add on.

daveys_2

As other's have said this is not an original concept. However what would be a unique selling point would be to offer yourself to go round IKEA/Flat pack R Us/wherever with your client's OH.

After traipsing round that horrible maze, fought getting the flat pack(s) on the trolly that won't ever stay still, got through the check-outs and loaded the gear OH and kids into your van, which will be big enough (unlike your clients car's) to accomodate all this.

Deliver all this to my home where I'll be happily waiting to do the easy part...assembling it all

pitkin2020

daveys wrote: »

As other's have said this is not an original concept. However what would be a unique selling point would be to offer yourself to go round IKEA/Flat pack R Us/wherever with your client's OH.

After traipsing round that horrible maze, fought getting the flat pack(s) on the trolly that won't ever stay still, got through the check-outs and loaded the gear OH and kids into your van, which will be big enough (unlike your clients car's) to accomodate all this.

Deliver all this to my home where I'll be happily waiting to do the easy part...assembling it all

I was going to add that a local guy used to do this, you would order what you wanted from Ikea and he would go and pick it up and would if you wanted assemble it. The problem is you can't just do one order at a time, it needs to be several to fill the van really as the costs for a single job would outweigh the cost of buying flatpack. If you took orders and made runs once a week/fortnight/month you could make it work, but again I think you would struggle to do this alone you would need to offer other services.

eeeeeee

pdh ... it might be worth putting flyers on peoples cars in ikea/bnq car parks ... get some cheap small flyers or even good sized complimentary slips (seen loads on ebay cheap )

lincroft1710

Have self assembled loads of flatpack over the years, so certainly wouldn't employ anyone else to do it.

heretolearn_2

I wouldn't but my OH would, he pulls a face like a puppy waiting to be kicked any time I try to get him to help me do anything involving practical skills. He's totally useless at this stuff and he'd pay for it for sure. Pensioners/disabled people who are not able to do it as well?

badmumof1

no way thats the best part putting it together