Has anyone really got any discounts on furniture?

oystercatcher

Our local independent furniture shop always gives 5% discount if you are paying 'cash' (as debit card or cheque not a credit card) but only if you ask.

Big chains won't have that flexibility as they are staffed by 'minions' not the guys in charge.

trailingspouse

Auctions, antique shops, ebay - so far we have bought

- a mahogany extending table that seats 8, with 8 matching chairs (including 2 carvers) for £500
- a sideboard for £50
- a dresser for £50
- a dressing table, chest of drawers, wardrobe and pair of bedside tables, all in walnut, for under £200.
- a chaise longue with matching chair for £200
- two desks at £150 each
- a large glass-fronted bookcase for £110

No MDF to be seen.

So-called 'brown' furniture is going for nothing at the moment. We have an Edwardian house, the old furniture is perfect for the look of the house, so we're making the most of it. By the time we move out, our furniture will be even older than it is now, and I would expect to sell it for at least as much as we paid for it. And because we've saved so much on the wooden furniture, we've been able to spend more on the beds, sofas etc, that we wouldn't want to get second-hand.

Sometimes I've bought stuff that later turns out to be surplus to requirements - I spent £8 (yes, £8!!) on a demi-lune hall table, gave it a good dust and tightened the wonky leg. Used it for a while then decided it wasn't really what we wanted, took it back to the auction where it sold for £16.00. It's now in a local antique shop priced at £45!

Futuristic

davidmcn wrote: »

They make more money from you if you take out the credit - and anyway offering you a discount for cash means they're then giving misleading figures (i.e. it's not "interest free credit" if in fact those taking out the credit are paying more than those buying with cash).

How do they make money? They offer 4 years interest free credit and I don't see any fees attached to it. I assume they also attach high prices as a result of this and probably thrive on people who can't afford it and are late on payments etc

Oh another way to get good furniture is gumtree/shpock app etc. people moving homes etc might not want some stuff so you get a good deal

foxy-stoat

Well done for getting your house. I wouldn't buy a new sofa from a shop, try ebay and do a local search.


Just bought a brand new Sofa Sofa for £280, RRP was over £600, Wife didn't like it so just bought a pair of nearly new Next sofas for £300, RRP was £1600.


No amount of haggling will beat buying a nice secondhand one, you need to do a little viewing before buying though.

dawyldthing

Click on ebays local deals as you might get some stuff locally. Also gumtree and hotukdeals throws up some good bargains - but I wouldnt gety our bed off ebay. I bought a 'seconds' one and got rid within a year. It was the most uncomfortable thing going. But got my most recent from Tesco when someone found some deals on Hotukdeals and it's still going strong

IAmWales

Futuristic wrote: »

How do they make money? They offer 4 years interest free credit and I don't see any fees attached to it. I assume they also attach high prices as a result of this and probably thrive on people who can't afford it and are late on payments etc

Oh another way to get good furniture is gumtree/shpock app etc. people moving homes etc might not want some stuff so you get a good deal

People don't pay up on time so end up paying a heap of interest.

Interest free credit is very profitable.

Another vote for eBay for furniture. I found the mattress I wanted in John Lewis and then bought the same one brand new on eBay for £400 less.

walwyn1978

Bigger chains do sometimes do discounts but only if spending a lot of money to begin with. We got a significant discount on the sale prices at Barker and Stonehouse, but we had bought a number of items so our total bill was large - haggling got that reduced but as they said due to the volume of sales they could 'look after us'. Like the OP, I've not always had success haggling on prices for single items in chain shops

ReadingTim

Well, if you don't ask, you don't get; but expect a discount for merely turning up and offering to buy something and you're likely to be disappointed.... You've got to haggle, not harangue.

Have a read of this - it might help

katejo

Have you tried Freecycle? As long as you have car/van transport to collect the furniture, it may work for you while you save to buy what you want. Alternatively the British Heart Foundation 2nd hand furniture shops. Be very cautious about any interest free credit deals. If you miss the last payment, even by a day or so, you get charged interest on the whole price, not just the outstanding balance.

foxy-stoat

Futuristic wrote: »

How do they make money? They offer 4 years interest free credit and I don't see any fees attached to it. I assume they also attach high prices as a result of this and probably thrive on people who can't afford it and are late on payments etc

Oh another way to get good furniture is gumtree/shpock app etc. people moving homes etc might not want some stuff so you get a good deal

I tried to buy a £1800 bed using their 4 year interest fee credit for £37.50 a month.....GREAT...an hour and a half later chose a bed, went through the credit application and declined.....went next door to Argos and found the same bed for £750, paid by credit card and done deal - I think I know how they make their money.