Used does not always mean unusable, and that's certainly the case with used office furniture. You can likely furnish your entire office with quality used office furniture in good or even great condition, and save hundreds and even thousands of dollars by doing so. If you're just starting up in business and can't lay out the kind of money new furniture costs, an option is to buy used office furniture.

From office chairs to cubicles, you can find a wide assortment of used office furniture at well under normal prices. Whether you're going for as-is used office furniture or refurbished office furniture, you're certain to find what you're looking for at very reasonable prices. If you're in the market for used office equipment and are budgeting for the pricing and costs of used office furniture, consider the following:

1. Find large office furniture such as used office cubicles and workstations for much less than new.

2. Save on used office furniture such as chairs, filing cabinets and desks.

3. Compare prices of used office furniture vs. refurbished office furniture.

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Furnish large office space with used office furniture such as cubicles and conference tables

No matter how large your space is, you can find used office furniture vendors who offer used office furniture for sale that will fit your needs. From entire office suites to executive desks and conference tables, you'll find that bigger does not always mean more expensive.

I recommend: Visit OfficeMakers to select from a long list of executive, receptionist and general cubicles that have been painted, repaired and reassembled, and are priced from $700 to $3,000 ( which, in most cases, is a third or less of retail price). For a couple of hundred dollars up to less than $1,500, depending on size, buy used Steelcase workstations from Office Furniture Warehouse. Find small and large used conference tables for between $600 and $1,000 at Cubiclesales.com.

Buy refurbished office chairs, credenzas and other smaller pieces of used office furniture

Office furniture isn't all about large workstations and cubicle walls. Smaller offices may only need a few desks, chairs and filing cabinets. You can furnish your home office or small office space with just a few of these used items for a fraction of what you would spend to buy new office furniture.

I recommend: Spend less than $200 on multi-task chairs, guest chairs and stools at S. Stein & Company. Find a varied inventory of chairs and filing cabinets in the range of $150 to $500 at The Office Guild. Buy used filing cabinets from Arnolds Used Office Furniture, many at $200 or less, and save more with a volume discount offered to startup companies.

Price both used and refurbished office furniture to see what best fits your budget

When you're shopping for used office furniture, you can choose between used and refurbished office furniture. Some companies will offer used office furniture as is, while others specialize in removing old furniture from offices and refurbishing it for sale. Decide which best suits your budget when it comes time to buy used office furniture.

I recommend: Compare the difference in price of refurbished and used office cubicles, with used items as low as $900 and refurbished for approximately $1,400, at Adesmo Office Furnishings. Compare pricing on pre-owned and refurbished cubicles, priced from $300 to just over $1,000, at Total Office Online.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Factor in the cost of installation when it comes to the pricing and costs of used office furniture, particularly if you've purchased cubicles and workstations. Some companies that sell used office furniture also offer installation services.

Office furniture is expensive. And for that reason alone, many small businesses save big money by purchasing used office furniture at a fraction of the price. An entire industry specializes in used or refurbished office furniture. Says one dealer, "If you can't tell the difference, why pay the difference?" In some instances, you can save as much as 80 percent off the retail price of new office furniture.

Fortunately the design of office furniture changes little year to year. Items for sale are generally castoffs from companies that have downsized, gone out of business or traded up.

But just because they are unwanted doesn’t mean they are in bad shape. Indeed, the industry makes a distinction between used furniture that has been refurbished and used furniture that is sold "as is".

1. Refurbished items have been repainted and re-upholstered to "like new" condition.
2. "As is" items will show signs of wear, like nicked paint or scratches.

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Check the classifieds locally and online

Check local newspapers for news of area company closings or restructurings.

I recommend: Scan classified ads in your local newspaper, as well as on Craigslist and eBay. It may take a while to find all the pieces you want, but you will have more room to negotiate the price. This may be a viable option if you are not pressed for time.

Contact a used furniture dealer

Check used office furniture retailers. They will have a broad selection and if they don't have what you need, they will know where to find it.

I recommend: FurnitureFinders has a national dealer network that can also handle the logistics, shipping and installation of used furniture. SystemsNews.com has listings of pre-owned, refurbished and "as is" furniture. They also offer assistance on space planning and office relocations. 247 Workspace offers 100 percent financing on used pieces.

Trade in and trade up

Trade in your current office furniture for something that better fits your needs.

I recommend: TradeIn.com buys and sells high quality office furniture, including cubicles, desks, tables, chairs, call center furniture, home office furniture and more.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Remember you are buying the furniture for its utility, not its beauty. The lowest prices will be among the nicked, scratched and mismatched pieces.
• •  Shop around. Many of the used furniture dealers sell the same brand names, like Steelcase and Herman Miller, so prices may vary.
• •  If you need furniture for a home office, some commercial furniture dealers won't deliver to residences, so check before buying.
• •  Ask if there is a discount if you handle the pickup yourself. You could score an excellent bargain by offering to cart away the items yourself.

With a bad economy forcing many businesses to close their doors and existing or start-up businesses to trim their budgets, the used office furniture industry is booming. A used office furniture industry overview shows that more and more used office furniture vendors are cropping up, and sales of used or refurbished office furniture nearly match new office furniture sales.

Whether you're in the market to buy or sell used office furniture, the used office furniture industry is important to you. Offering everything from used office cubicles to refurbished office chairs, the used office furniture industry can save you up to 80 percent off the price of new office furniture. Many companies can also help you liquidate your office furniture if you're going out of business. Here's how to get a good overview of the used office furniture industry:

1. Find top players in the used office furniture industry offering the most for the least.

2. Locate companies specializing in buying used office furniture.

3. Learn about who and what is educating furniture makers and buyers about the benefits of used office furniture.

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Run with the top dogs in the used office furniture industry

As more and more companies specializing in used office equipment open their doors, you'll find that there are some offering more services and inventory than others. Some of the top used office furniture vendors will not only offer furniture, they will also repair and refurbish the items before resale, and will also perform installation.

I recommend: Davena Office Environments not only has a complete inventory of used and refurbished office furniture, from used cubicles and workstations to filing cabinets and chairs, they will help you design your office and install the equipment as well. Business Furnishings will use their nationwide connections to find the specific used office furniture you're looking for if they don't have it in stock. They can also help you design your office, and will deliver used furniture and remove your existing furniture.

Sell used office furniture if you need to liquidate

The used office furniture industry isn't just for those who are in the market to furnish their business. If tough economical times are forcing you to close down your business, contact a company that buys used office furniture for future resale. Not only will this save you the headache of having to remove and discard of the furniture yourself, it will also put a few needed dollars in your pocket.

I recommend: Office Furniture Warehouse offers top dollar for your used office furniture, and has the ability to remove any type of office equipment, no matter how large. Get full market value for your office furniture when you sell to SWC Office Furniture Outlet, which gives nationwide free estimates and a management team to oversee your liquidation.

See how the used office furniture industry benefits manufacturers, buyers, sellers and refurbishers

The used office furniture industry has the support of trade groups, government organizations and manufacturers, all of whom seek to educate buyers and sellers on the benefits of recycling used office furniture. For instance, refurbishing used office furniture not only benefits both those who are looking to liquidate their office furniture and those in the market to buy used office furniture, it's also an environmental benefit.

I recommend: Visit GreenBiz.com to read about furniture makers' formation of the Office Furniture Recyclers Forum of the Business Products Industry Association, and to download a 12-page brochure describing the environmental and business benefits of used office furniture. Learn how the Remanufacturing Industries Council supports and encourages used office furniture refurbishers by providing technological support and promoting their services to help them meet changes and challenges in the industry.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Consider the used office furniture industry if you're looking for a fast turnaround. While it can take weeks to get new office furniture delivered, many used office furniture vendors have all items in stock and deliver and install in a fraction of the time it would take to get new office furniture.

When planning a business start-up, expanding an existing business, or simply upgrading office furniture, buying used office furniture can help you save thousands of dollars without sacrificing quality or condition. When starting the search, it is important to understand used office furniture key terms. There are many different resources for finding used office furniture, and knowing your business needs and common key terms will get you what you need.

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Sold as-is

Used office furniture sold as-is means that it has not been altered or repaired in any way. In many cases, furniture sold as-is ships directly from a seller to a buyer without ever being in the dealer's possession.

I recommend: Read more about buying used office furniture as-is and what that means at OfficeFurniture2Go.com.

Refurbished office furniture

Refurbished office furniture is used office furniture that has been cleaned, repaired, repainted, refinished or recovered, and may be referred to as a 'like new' product.

I recommend: Find out everything about refurbished furniture and see examples at Refurbished Office Furniture.

Remanufactured office furniture

Remanufactured office furniture is used furniture that has been restored to its original condition and possibly fully repaired with replacement parts. Typically, it is not much cheaper than new office furniture.

I recommend: Learn about the benefits of buying remanufactured office furniture from Kentwood Office Furniture.

Case goods

In the office furniture world, case goods refer to wooden office furniture that is used for storage. Case goods include items like shelving, bookcases, cabinets and stand-alone office desks.

I recommend: Look through the inventory at Ruland's Used Office Furniture for a selection of used case goods.

Cubicles

A cubicle is a compartmentalized workstation that is made private by walls, usually three, and often includes a desk and filing cabinet. They can be installed in groups of several cubicles.

I recommend: Find in-depth information about cubicles from Tech Target.

Used office chairs

Office chairs can refer to any chair in an office from executive chairs and desk chairs to side chairs and lounge chairs. When buying used chairs, it is important to look for quality as they have a direct effect on employee well-being and productivity.

I recommend: See examples of different kinds of office chair styles that can be purchased used from places like CubeKing.