Low(er) cost sofas/corner sofas from ebay, used and the like

Buffman

Buffman

Buffman

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I should (all things going to plan :o ) be buying my first non rented home in a month or two. I'd like to buy a corner sofa and realised that there are many independent suppliers on ebay and the like that are significantly cheaper (eg £3-500 mark rather than 800-1200 mark from DFS/sofology and the like).

Has anyone bought furniture from smaller independants off ebay? What was the quality/delivery/experience like?

Has anyone bought any used sofas from ebay/gumtree etc? (guess it's a bit of a mixed bag?)

And also, generally can a 3 seater corner sofa fit through most doors? (for delivering it)
 
I'd assume a corner sofa would come in two parts. That's how our lounger sofa comes. May be worth checking each sofa you are interested in.

Also tried checking gumtree for a decent used sofa? You may find a great deal, although you'll most likely have to pick it up yourself.
 
Our 2.8m x 2.8m (Sofology) corner sofa arrived a couple of weeks ago in 3 parts so shouldn't be issues delivering.

When I moved into a rented house 3 1/2 years ago, I went 'cheaper' with 2 seater sofas (one was from an independent and one was from Ikea I think). The independent got really uncomfortable after 1 year or so and the other is still ok (bought it December '14) but has now been replaced with the new Sofology one.

I assume it really depends on the supplier... one bad independent wouldn't necessarily mean they are all bad. The only real reason we went with a Sofology one in the end was because we wanted to actually try the sofa first given how much we were spending, and their sales staff didn't bother/pester us at all when we were looking around, unlike DFS, SCS and Furniture Village who followed us around like a hawk and tried to get us to buy everything in the shop and then some.
 
No. Seriously. Do not buy secondhand soft furnishings. You're simply asking for a moth or woodworm infestation. If you're in rented and strapped for cash then it's marginal but it's not worth the risk in a home you own.

My best advice in furnishing a home from scratch is to buy good quality and resist the temptation to fill it up. Buy a good sofa first and work out your decorative style from there.
 
covenantuk said:
No. Seriously. Do not buy secondhand soft furnishings. You're simply asking for a moth or woodworm infestation. If you're in rented and strapped for cash then it's marginal but it's not worth the risk in a home you own.

My best advice in furnishing a home from scratch is to buy good quality and resist the temptation to fill it up. Buy a good sofa first and work out your decorative style from there.
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Seriously? I've bought loads of second hand furniture and so have plenty of other people I know and I haven't heard of any moth or woodworm infestations! Second hand is actually a great way to get quirk and original pieces into your home you can pick up some great mid 20th century chairs from the likes of G-Plan and Parker Knoll very cheaply and a trip to the upholsterers will give you an individual piece of outstanding quality.

Clearly your not a fan of second hand furniture for some reason but don't make things up!
 
Don't dismiss buying 2nd hand as some people change their furniture regularly so worth looking into. Perhaps local auctioneers would be good place to start as generally they aren't going to accept something in bad condition.

If you have to go new then I would suggest you go without until you can afford something of good quality. My first sofa set we paid too much for (style over substance) and it broke after 2 years. We managed with it for another year or so and bought our current set which was custom made with 25 year warranty - cost us a small fortune but we know it is going to last us a lifetime and was only twice the price of the first set and we've had it nearly 10 years and still looks new.
 
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jellybeard999 said:
https://www.nabru.co.uk seems to get a good write up, but I've no experience of them myself.
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I am considering nabru, there's a few threads on here with positive reviews (I'm tempted to bump one).

As for second hand furniture I'm not a prude and would consider them! (I guess the only issue is choice, dimensions and delivery )

In terms of what im looking for in particular it would be long lasting quality, I can pay up to about £1k for the right type of sofa. My only concern with nabru is they may not last?
 
I considered nabru. Went to the showroom, was pretty impressed. The build quality seems perfectly fine, no issues with that. What stopped me buying were the arm rests - they are all angular and really rather uncomfortable. I want soft plush armrest i can lean on. Nabru just dont supply them.

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Nope!.
 
I don't have one but Ive seen generic corner sofas on Amazon/Ebay for around £400. Review wise they seem quite good, I was close to getting one to do me until I decorate the living room properly.

Id say go for it, the ones I liked on Amazon looked identical to the models I looked at in a local sofa store but prices were quite different. While not ideal, at the end of the day you can pay to send it back if you don't like it, might be £50 or something but not a huge risk.
 
I'm in the same boat as you OP.

I've been doing a lot of research and here are my thoughts:

Second hand is good for things like wooden tables (dining and living room), etc however I just wouldn't take the risk on a sofa or a mattress, etc unless I was buying from family. In fact I stupidly forgot to bid on a local dining table worth £500+ that went for £20 yesterday on ebay. I know I would have got it for less than £50 too. My coffee table is a good solid wood one being donated by family. However I would never buy a sofa off a stranger it's not it IMO. You don't know if kids have been jumping all over it. Someone has slept on it for considerable time, etc. If it was family/friends you trust then different matter but this is just my opinion on second hand sofas.

Nabru: yes they are cheap and for 4 very good reasons, designs are meh, fabrics are meh, chipboard and flatpacked. Good for a spare room / rental property or something but not a main living room.

All the main retailers get all their stock from 1 or 2 suppliers in the UK. They re all built to their own specific price points. You get what you pay for. I've ended up going for M & S because I know someone who works there (staff discount). At least that way I'm not getting ripped off IMO. I get quality furniture at a decent price. However M & S ain't cheap we are talking around £2K here for 2 armchairs and a 3 piece still even with discounts. However It should last 10+ years if looked after. So they will pay for themselves.
 
Nabru use fibreboard, not chipboard. There's nothing wrong with the construction, imo, probably better than most of the tat you get from scs for example.
 
Boxman2000 wow a 25 year guarantee,
relations who have had (reasonable) Ercol and Ekornes brands, it is the foam that goes after ~7 years and needs replacing at £50 or so a cushion ?

With respect to second hand a lot of good quality (apart from foam) leather Ekornes stuff on ebay/gumtree (only problem is item location)
 
I stand by my statement. Don't buy soft furnishings second hand. Tables etc are fine as you can check them easily and treat them properly if you find issues and still want them but with sofas, beds etc you're asking for trouble.
 
The Craig said:
Luckily I have a bed already! (that I would tend not to scrimp on)...

Any other good outlets in the West Midlands? I've read ( I think from a search on this forum) that here is good
http://www.westbridgefurniturestoke.co.uk/sofas

I've never really heard of people paranoid about woodworm infestations tho?? :o
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that is apparently one of the manufacturers that makes stuff for Next, John Lewis, M & S, etc.

see if you can find the same sofas on one of those sites so you know for sure. these places all use the same manufacturers but spec different requirements.

like for instance the pies made for M & S and ASDA come out the same factory however M & S spec a higher quality set of ingredients. So it's not a case of the exact same pie in both places but made by the same people to a different spec.

I take it by cutting out the middle man their sofas should be decent and cheap however again you get what you pay for their more expensive sofas are probably built to a higher spec. If they are local to you then I would go and speak to them for sure. However they aren't the only manufacturer they deal with they could be one of the cheaper ones or possibly in the middle or more expensive. You won't know until you see the same model on the brand name retailers site.
 
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