A good second hand furniture store should be a shop where the second hand goods on offer are in good usable condition, well displayed and priced reasonably to ensure a fast turnover of stock. This is our aim at The Shed @ Cooroy here in the Noosa Hinterland on the Sunshine Coast.

We believe there’s nothing customers of second hand furniture stores like more than returning regularly and seeing that the stock has changed from their last visit. If it always looks the same, their visits will become less and less regular but if, as we strive to achieve at The Shed in the Noosa Hinterland it always looks fresh and vibrant, likely they will pop in every time they are passing on the off chance that special something they just can’t live without has just arrived.

It is very easy to run a second hand furniture store as a museum, where customers, or ‘visitors’ as they become, just wander round and admire your stock without ever actually buying anything. The usual reason for this is that the goods are just overpriced in the eyes of your customer. It’s no good thinking your antique or vintage stock is ‘worth’ this or that if your customers don’t agree. It doesn’t matter what price you’ve seen it on the internet for, that’s not necessarily what it’s worth in your shop at that time. You have to meet the local market with your pricing to make sure you maintain a good turnover.

The only way to do this is to buy quality second hand furniture and other vintage goods at a reasonable wholesale price which you can then pass on to our customers at a reasonable retail price. If we pay too much for items and then can’t then sell them on fairly quickly, we won’t last very long so we are always looking for value. Whether it’s through local auctions, garage sales, downsizers or deceased estate sales, we are always on the lookout for quality items at realistic prices.

We don’t buy or sell second hand electrical goods due to safety regulations around their resale and also because the price of new goods has dropped so much over the years. Unfortunately we live in a throwaway society and nothing electrical now it seems is built to last.

When we’re buying second hand furniture condition is everything. Anything broken or with parts missing can seriously devalue any item and repairs are not cheap so it might pay to check items carefully before you buy them as most second hand furniture is sold on an ‘as is, where is’ basis which means what you see is what you get.

For us, anything we buy doesn’t necessarily have to be antique, or indeed even very old as long as it is interesting and in reasonable condition. One question we always ask ourselves is ‘if I saw that in a shop, would I buy it?’

Second hand sofas, armchairs and other soft furnishings in particular are worth checking carefully. If fabric on any item is split, torn, or the pets have been sharpening their claws on it and the item needs recovering, it will almost definitely cost more to have it professionally re-upholstered than the item is worth.

If you have second hand furniture to sell in Cooroy, Noosa Hinterland or anywhere on the Sunshine Coast, give us a call at The Shed @ Cooroy on 0466 592740, send us some photographs by phone or email to andy@theshedcooroy.com.au or click here and visit our Stuff to Sell? page and fill in the form.

Buyers, visit us at The Shed, Opal Street, Cooroy plus keep an eye on our Facebook Page and Instagram to see what’s new. If it’s inspiration you’re after, click here to visit The Shed @ Cooroy Pinterest boards for loads of ideas on upcycling and repurposing those second hand furniture bargains.

One phrase we hear over and over again from our customers, whether they are buyers or sellers is that they are ‘downsizing’.

From buyers it is often along the lines of;

• ‘I’m downsizing but that little (fill in the blank) will be perfect for the bedroom’ or
• ‘I love that (fill in the blank) but….. I’m downsizing’ or even
• ‘I’m going to buy the (fill in the blank) – I shouldn’t really as I’m downsizing but I cant resist it’.

From sellers it is more likely to be;

• ‘The kids have left, they don’t want any of this stuff and we’re downsizing and moving to (fill in the blank)’ or
• ‘We’ve just moved up from (fill in the blank) and we had a 5 bedroom house there and we’ve only got 2 now and all our stuff won’t fit’

So as you can imagine, we LOVE downsizers!

They are probably our no.1 source of quality Antiques and Second Hand goods here in Cooroy and the Sunshine Coast and even though you might imagine they wouldn’t need to buy anything else, there is always that small, perfect thing they can fit in.

If any of the above scenarios fit your situation, if you’re a second hand buyer, we’d love to see you in The Shed,  we pride ourselves on trying to have something for all tastes. If you’re a seller, we’d love you to contact us and we’ll happily come and visit you anywhere on the Sunshine Coast if you have a number of antique or second hand items OR you can send us pictures by phone or email or bring either the photos or goods round to the Shed for us to look at – we’re very flexible!

We can’t promise we’ll buy everything but if it’s interesting, we’ll have a good go!

We love hearing your stories & seeing pictures of antique and secondhand treasures you have bought from us here at The Shed @ Cooroy and all the inspiring up-cycling & re-purposing you get up to with your purchases. Thank you for sharing with us.

On the flip side we are also often asked for ideas for uses of antique and secondhand things you just have to have but  are not sure quite what to do with yet.

So to keep those creative juices flowing we’ve made some Pinterest boards which we will continue to add to as we find more exciting ideas & uses for everyday & some not so everyday antique and secondhand objects that may pass through our shed doors to yours.

From bird cages to barrels, milk cans to wheelbarrows, garden pots, furniture, shutters & more, there should be plenty to inspire & we’ve often got these antique and secondhand items available for you to add your own personal touch to, be it a simple paint job or something a bit more involved. We’re always happy to point you in the direction of local tradies & crafts people if you need a helping hand with a project too.

So hop on over  & follow us on Pinterest for inspiration & please do carry on sending us your pictures of your re purposed or just looking lovely in their new home, treasures from The Shed @ Cooroy, we always love to see your creativity and in turn pass on your fab ideas to others – you can email them to us andy@theshedcooroy.com.au or send via Facebook messenger.

Happy Pinning!

The Shed @ Cooroy has its 1^st Birthday this month at its Opal Street premises behind the BP Servo and has built quite a reputation up and down the Coast for its random eclectic stock of second hand furniture, rugs, mirrors, artworks, decorator items and garden ware which are sourced locally from markets, deceased estates and downsizing homeowners.

The Shed is not your traditional Antique or second hand store but more a blend of both vintage and relatively new goods. Some have already been upcycled but there are always items for you to paint or add your own special touches to and unusually, a great outdoor area with garden items from pots to statues as well as benches and outdoor settings.

Andy says that originally, they took over the premises to use as an office for their IT business to get him ‘out of the house’ and the plan was to use the rest of the space to indulge his hobby of buying and selling interesting wares. However, the popularity of The Shed has meant it has turned into a full-time venture with wife Nova joining him on picking trips and being responsible for the ‘look’ of the store. “I would say she’s the brains and I’m the brawn, but she can actually outlift me when we’re moving furniture around” joked Andy.

Social media has been a big part of The Shed’s success so far. They regularly post new items on many of the local Buy, Swap and Sell pages which has created a loyal following and Andy says many of the more unusual newly acquired second hand items sell over the phone within minutes of them being posted to customers as far afield as Mackay, the Gold Coast and  just last week we had a call from a FIFO worker on a rig in the Timor Sea who had seen a barrel pop up on our Facebook Page that he ‘had to have’ – so you have to get in quick if you don’t want to miss out. “Nothing haunts us like the things we didn’t buy” laughed Lou, The Shed’s newest recruit.

Another key ingredient of their success has also been their pricing strategy. As Nova puts it “This is our hobby as well as our job, we love going out buying so we have to make sure we can sell what we buy – that’s why we keep the prices realistic and the turnover high. It’s very easy to turn a second hand store into a museum by charging too much – that’s not us”

Check Out the latest edition of the Cooroy Rag Here.

The Shed at Cooroy is Open between 9-5 Mon-Fri and 9-1 Sat. at 4/2 Opal Street, Cooroy, QLD 4563

If you are downsizing or have items to sell, you can also contact Andy by email andy@theshedcooroy.com.au

At The Shed @ Cooroy Second Hand, Collectables, Decorator items, Antique, Vintage and Retro wares are the order of every day.

From second hand furniture, rugs, mirrors, artworks and decorator items for inside….

to pots, benches and statues for the garden outside.

When we go out buying our motto is:

”It doesn’t have to be old, but it MUST BE INTERESTING”

We also believe it’s very easy to turn a second hand store into a museum by charging too much – that’s not us.

We love what what we do making this is our hobby as well as our job. We enjoy going out buying so we have to make sure we can sell what we buy – that’s why we keep the prices realistic and the turnover high.

Drop in today while you’re in Noosa Hinterland to see what second hand goodies, antiques and collectibles we’ve got – there’s every chance it won’t all be the same tomorrow!

Don’t forget  to Like &  Follow our Facebook Page as we post a lot of our new second hand and vintage finds on there 2 or 3 times a week   & while we don’t  do holds or laybys we do take card payments over the phone so you won’t miss out!