A Buyers Guide to Budget Office Furniture

There are a number of things you need to be very wary of when buying budget office furniture.

 

Firstly, you need to consider the net price you are going to pay, not just the headline discount figure. Some retailers offer apparent discounts of up to to 60% off normal retail price, but you need to ask yourself whether the normal retail price is realistic. Other retailers offering discounts in the region of 20% may be using a more realistic retail price, so that the net cost of the desk from either retailer can end up very similar. On the subject of cost, you also need to be aware of the delivery and installation costs: some office furniture dealers offer free deliver and installation, while others charge quite a high amount for delivery alone, leaving you to assemble and install the furniture yourself.

Secondly, you should consider the level of service you expect from your office furniture dealer. Many classic dealers will offer a free design and planning service and will provide a full after sales service. Some purely on-line retailers do not offer these services at all or will only do so at additional cost.

 

Thirdly, you need to consider product longevity – will the product still be available in a year or two when you need to purchase additional desks for the office. Some cheap office furniture products may be 'end-of-range' or one-off bulk import products. This means that when you come to expand your office you may not find the same products available on the market and you will have to put up with a mixture of styles. A traditional office furniture dealer will almost certainly be able to advise you whether or not the product you intend to purchase will be available in the future.

 

Finally, as in most things, you get what you pay for when buying office furniture. The quality of the materials used and manufacturing methods can vary considerably between products. A cheap office furniture product such as a filing cabinet , chair or desk can be of an inferior quality and can cause problems in use, particular if subject to normal office use over time.

 

If, after considering all of the above points you still need to buy the cheapest office furniture you can find, there is no better place to start looking than the internet. The best advice is to get some idea of what you need and then take a look at what is available. Simply wandering around various office furniture websites may give you ideas on alternative ways of doing things or make you aware of products you didn't even know existed. When you are clear about what you need, search for the best price, taking into account net price, including delivery and installation. You should also take account of delivery times, payment terms and warranties given with the products.