It sounds so easy. You need a desk, just go online or stop at your local dealer and pick one up Right? Wrong, there are a few questions you need to answer first in order to find the right deal. This process can be quite daunting especially when you are purchasing multiple offices or cubicles. This article will help you make the right choices while getting the best deal on you office furniture purchase. You can save thousands of dollars just by being a well ejected buyer.
The office furniture industry is a 4 billion dollar industry in the US alone. Factor in the import market that has been taking over the industry for the past ten years and you have one of largest manufacturing industries in the world. Now that you know how large the business is, you can just imagine how many choices there are in every category of office furniture. We are going to start by narrowing down those choices. In this article we will pretend that we are in the market for a desk.
Hear are a few questions you will need to answer in order to narrow down you choices.
1. What size is the space you are looking to fill? This is very important. You need to make sure your desk will fit in your office while allowing you enough room for your chair and guest seating if desired. If you can provide your furniture dealer with a layout including dimensions of your space, you will be viewed as an ejected buyer and will likely end up with a better deal from the start.
2. What color or finish do you prefer? Office furniture comes in just about every color or finish you can imagine. Make sure you have a good idea of the the finishes you might consider. You don't want to end up with purple desk in a green room, or maybe you do. We will not judge you.
3. What type of workspace and storage do you need? You will need to evaluate how much space you or your employees will need. Desks and cubicles come in several different size work tops as well as underneath and overhead storage. Keep in mind the more storage and the larger the workspace the more money you will be spending. It is very important to make sure you have enough space and storage but, you don't want to pay for wasted space.
4. Last but not least. New or Used? Obviously you will be saving by purchasing used but, you may not always find exactly what you are looking. When purchasing used office furniture you must be willing to compromise on your wants. If you feel that you can not compromise then new is the way to go. Most office furniture dealers will offer you a choice of new or used. It is usually best to work with a furniture dealer who provides both options.
Okay so we have narrowed down your needs, we are ready to purchase. Where do you start? Well if you are reading this article then you are obviously a computer savvy buyer and the internet will be your best shot. You can start by using your favorite search engine to find office furniture in your area or simply open your local yellow pages to office furniture. It is always good to start local but, do not limit yourself to the dealers in your area. Many great deals can be found on the internet and even though you will have additional shipping cost your savings may outweigh those costs.
For internet searches start by using simple keywords, for example if you live in Phoenix Arizona search Office Furniture Phoenix.
For our tutorial let's stick with the idea of purchasing a single desk. Now that you have searched Office Furniture Phoenix start clicking through some of your local websites. You may wan to check out some of the sponsored ads since they are usually targeted for specific areas. For our tutorial I will click on our website http://www.swofficefurniture.com Once you are in take a good look around. Make sure this dealer offers a variety of choices. Most local furniture dealers websites are not set up to purchase online but, you can get a good idea of the type of company they are and what they offer by there web content. If you feel you have found a company that may have what you are looking for it is time to contact them.
Once you have contacted your office furniture dealer do not be afraid to ask lots of questions. What manufactures are you a direct dealer for? Do you stock your furniture or is it brought in from an out of town source? How often does your company do large liquidations? What are your delivery charges? Do you provide CAD or professional floor plan services? Can you provide multiple new and or used options to me? A good office furniture dealer will not have a problem answering all of these questions and will be happy to provide you with all of the info you are looking for. Be sure to contact at least 3 furniture dealers before settling with one or two to work with. And always try to get apples to apples price comparisons from all.
Getting the Best Deal
Now that you have contacted several office furniture dealers and you feel comfortable with one or more it is time to get the best deal available. When purchasing used furniture keep in mind that the furniture dealers with large amounts of used inventory will typically offer you the best discounts. Ask your dealer if they have any current liquidations going on or coming up in the future. You can always get great deals when you purchase the furniture before it is removed from the job site. You can save as much as ½ of what you would spend on already in stock items. This holds true especially for larger purchases. An office furniture dealer would much rather discount the furniture and sell it before they have the added labor costs of removing, bringing back to the warehouse and adding it to their inventory.
If you are unable to find what you are looking for in a current liquidation job, don't panic. There are plenty of great deals to be had on in stock inventory. If you find something that works for you in your office furniture dealers stock ask them a few questions about it such as. How many to you have in stock? This is important. If the dealer has a large amount of this particular item they will probably offer you a good deal from the start in order to move some of the inventory out the door. You can also get a great deal on items that are down to one or two in stock. Most office furniture dealers are used to selling multiple like items and would love the chance to get rid of their single stock items. You may also wan to ask them what else they have that is comparable to this item perhaps in a better price range. This is a good way of starting out your negotiation on the desk you really want. Don't be afraid to haggle.
Most office furniture is sold with a markup of 50%-100% something even more. State the price that you would like to pay but, be reasonable. If a desk is priced at $500.00 you are not going to get it for $100.00. There is not reason why you shouldn't be able to get that same desk for $350.00 or less. If the dealer is staying firm on the price you can always use the “I need to check around a little more” tactic. The office furniture business is so competitive these days you can almost always expect them to come back to you with a lower offer. Keep in mind that some dealers are being 100% truthful and are offering prices that are pock bottom to begin with. You can usually find this out by doing a simple apples to apples comparison with a few other dealers. If the dealer prices are in fact well below the competitors you may have already found your best deal but, be sure to ask them if they can do any better on the price. Even the lowest prices can usually be a little bit lower.
When purchasing new office furniture you want to be sure the company you are working with is a direct dealer of the furniture line you are purchasing. Most dealers will tell you they can get you just about any line of furniture but, chances are if they do not have catalogs and literature direct from the manufacturer they are purchasing the furniture from another dealer or buying group and you will be a paying a double markup. Always ask if there are any closeout items similar to the item you are looking for. When purchasing new, closeout or scratch and dent items can save you huge amounts of money. Before you finalize your purchase be sure to ask if the item comes assembled or disassembled otherwise referred to as KD for knocked down. If you are having the furniture delivered and installed a KD item could cost you more than an assembled item once you figure in the installation costs.
Summary
There are many great deals on office furniture just waiting to be had. The key to making a good deal is comparison knowledge of your needs and the ability to haggle like a used car salesman. If you start out your conversation with a furniture dealer already knowing what you need and what will fir in your space they will look at you as an ejected buyer. Once you have shown them that you know what you are talking about they will be more likely to lower there prices and give you the best deal.
