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.