Finding 'Cool' Austin Furniture...

[twange]

Originally Posted by abjimi

Craig's List has lots of great stuff. But you have to check it every 10 min. or you miss your chance...

Try selling on Craigslist By the second or third day, your items are totally buried 5 pages deep. Who goes farther than that? Oh well, ya' get what you pay for...

[pilotskid27]

Originally Posted by twange

Try selling on Craigslist By the second or third day, your items are totally buried 5 pages deep. Who goes farther than that? Oh well, ya' get what you pay for...

You are correct that things get burried quickly. Austin is the most prolific Craigslist community in Texas. (More listings than Houston or DFW on any given day!)

I like to use the search function. If I type in "sectional" or "desk" it will pull up all the listings with that word.....saves a lot of time sorting through pages and pages....like you said, who will actually do that?

I list things very regularly on craigslist. Over time, I have averaged that after fielding the deluge of email and phone calls (most offering me a significantly lower price than I have listed). only about 1 out of 20 - 25 people who commit to me that they will come buy the piece, actually show up.

Just something to keep in mind....

[pilotskid27]

Satanoid, nice job on covering a good cross-section of the Austin Retail Furniture Market. It appears you have put considerable time into your research. I wish everyone would shop that way.

However, I would submit that everyone has their own idea of "cool", and I'm afraid I would dissagree with your perception of "expensive" furniture. (Some of the places you listed as expensive, I would call middle of the road.) I totally respect that everyone has to be realistic to live within their means, but the most satisfying goal is to get the best value for the $$ spent.

I must preface this post with the admission that am a furniture dealer in Austin, so it will be challenging writing this without crossing the "avertising" line, but I will give it my best shot.

Yes, furniture is expensive....just like cars are expensive, and houses are expensive. The key to saving money in the long run is to buy something is high quality, and classic style so that you will love it for many years.

Which is the better bargain?

Say you want to find a cool, cheap car. A quick research of car dealerships will show that you can get entry-level Hyundai or Kia for $10,000. It may not have all the bells and whistles you would like to have on a car...cabin comfort, power, etc, but it is budget-friendly, looks cute, and gets the basic job done. But, how long are you going to love that car?

If you start having to put lots of money into maintenance, or the interior upholstery doesn't hold up, or you just get tired of doing without cruise control or a nice stereo system; and replace it with another car in a couple of years, how much will that $10,000 car REALLY cost you?

If, on the other hand, you wanted a solid, reliable car that had some creature comforts...say a Honda Accord. The MSRP on that car is about $20,000 to $30,000 depending on options. But, if the maintanance costs are lower, and you can drive it for 10 years or more...aren't you really saving money in the end?

It all depends on the quality of how it is built. For cars, it's pretty easy to find out...between all the automotive magazines, consumer reports, governmental safety ratings, a little research can give you the confidence to make a good decision.

Unfortunately, these information sources do not exist for furniture. So, you have to do a little research on what makes furntiure last (both style and quality). There are lots of articles and tips on-line and in shelter magazines
( I have written a few myself.)

So, after you do the research, you decide you really WANT the Honda Accord, but can't swing the cash flow for $20- $30K? Head over to a reputable used-car dealer....the price on a gently used Honda Accord is, $10,000. Hmmm....

Now, there are several Resale and Consignment shops in Austin for Furniture--you could find a treasure in any of them, but there are 3 that I would recommend for consistent quality, and two of those are truly "upscale" or "high-end". ( Several others use those terms in their advertising, but I really think their inventory falls short of that description.)

So, I encourage everyone who is in the market for furniture to do a yahoo or google search on " furniture consignment, Austin, and see what is out there.

Moderator cut: Good until here

[santcek]

I'm not from the area so I don't know how far you would have to go to check it out in Houston but there is a BoConcept (BoConcept.com) and I believe they will ship. They are a Danish company w. nice modern designs.

[apples1020]

Ooo I am so glad you shared all this fabulous information! THANK YOU!!!