Transitional Furniture
12Apr2004 Filed under: Product PlacementOne should never purchase Ikea products new. Ever. Here’s why buying used Ikea furniture off of Craigslist is vastly preferable:
1. You pay about what it’s worth.
Why pay $150 for a folding table and chairs when it’s clearly only worth $60? If that.
2. No assembly required.
Someone else had to deal with the Allen wrench. Amen.
3. No packaging!
Less boxenflugens and other craap.
I like the Ikea couch we bought last fall, but I would like it even more if we’d gotten it used.
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2 Responses to “Transitional Furniture”
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Hey there. I'm Ariel Meadow Stallings, a native Seattleite who's written my way up and down the Left Coast. Electrolicious is where I post daily randomata, but I also write for a living. My first book, Offbeat Bride, was published last year.
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cameron
April 13th, 2004 at 5:51 am
i’ve bought quite a bit of ikea stuff over the years, and although some of it’s been good, it’s all generally pretty cheaply made. THis is ok, but I’ve found that it doesn’t “move well” which is a problem if you’re buying used. This strategy should especially be avoided in cases where there is any particle board in the furniture.
my favorite places to find cheap furniture are estate auctions. You’re not as likely to find trendi-scandi designs but the quality/price ratio is usally pretty high.
Blake
April 13th, 2004 at 6:55 am
It’s even better to get Ikea hand-me-downs from friends.
Contrary to the “cheaply made” Ikea furniture, the simple three-drawer dresser my wife and I received from our friends has stood the test of time. Our friend Eli bought it shortly after graduating from college (almost 10 years now!) and drug it from apartment to apartment in Washington D.C. and Austin, TX. When his daughter was born, be painted it pink on pink. Ella soon learned how to climb the drawers when no one was looking to change the CD in her little stereo. About a year ago, they replaced the dresser with a new Ikea dresser, so we picked the old one up for our daughter and painted it green on yellow. Admittedly, it was a bit rickety, but it was easy to disassemble and reinforce with glue on the joints and a few extra screws. I think it’s pretty cute now, and it’s quite sturdy. I bet it has another 10 years in it at least.