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Archive for the ‘Used Office Furniture’ Category

We’ve Got Food Banks – Why Not Furniture Banks?

Friday, October 14th, 2011

It’s always heartwarming to hear stories about how companies can leverage their own particular influence to make a difference. Office Movers CEO, John Kane, has figured out a way to keep the planet green while ensuring that nonprofit organizations have the equipment they need to furnish administrative offices. Kane diverts unwanted office furniture from the landfill to the company’s Maryland warehouse. Here, religious and educational organizations and charities have one weekend per month when they can select whatever they need for their offices from this “Kane Furniture Bank”. And it’s all free of charge.

There are actually many organizations across the U.S. that help match used office furniture donors with NPO recipients. But Kane’s approach is particularly efficient. He already has the warehouse space and logistics aspect worked out. Hopefully, this idea will catch on with more office moving and liquidation companies!

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Are You Paying Too Much For Office Furniture Storage?

Saturday, September 24th, 2011

The IRS is. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Treasury Department has reprimanded the Internal Revenue Service for stockpiling office furniture. The agency has been hoarding desks and chairs like they were last year’s tax returns. Approximately 20,000 pieces have been in storage for the last year and a half without being so much as glanced at. The agency actually stores over 80,000 items, but the Treasury is only upset about the stuff that’s been sitting around too long. They want the IRS to make a decision about what to keep and what to liquidate. Continuing to store all the items that aren’t likely ever to be used is estimated to cost the IRS more than $860,000 per year.

It’s probably not costing your company that much to store unused office furniture (why is it that the government always pays more than the going rate for services?) But you are losing money if furniture is taking up warehouse space off-site or actual office space on-site. We’d be happy to give you a free estimate on buying your gently used office furniture. That way, you can spend your operating budget on more important things. Give us a call at (760) 536-6374 today so we can clear out your closets!

Tags: used office furniture
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Death Of An Office Furniture Salesman?

Friday, September 23rd, 2011

Two west coast used office furniture stores closed this year (Office Exchange and Altman Office Furniture). With a total of 65 years in business between them, both companies had weathered ups and downs in the economy before. However, the current deep, prolonged recession dried up the customer base in Eugene, OR and left both businesses without options.

It’s Always a Balancing Act

The used office furniture business is tricky. Some turnover is good; but you have to have a balance between companies liquidating their old office furniture (either by choice or necessity) and new companies starting up that need those low cost, high quality items. When everyone around you is going out of business, a dealer can pick up plenty of stock but is left with no one to sell it to.

How Are Things on the Home Front?

In San Diego, we are very fortunate to be in an area of the country that still has a strong and thriving business base. Companies here are feeling the pinch of a troubled economic environment, but they still need office furniture. Our refurbished and used items are very popular – especially for startups and small to mid-sized businesses that have a tight budget. Here’s a big ‘thank’ you to our customers who are keeping our business in business even in tough times. We also send our best wishes to the former owners and employees of Altman Office Furniture and Office Exchange that they may find brighter days ahead.

Tags: used office furniture
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‘Bike New York’ Seeks Secondhand Office Furniture

Tuesday, June 7th, 2011

Secondhand office furniture isn’t just a popular choice for companies that need to save money. It’s also becoming a fashionable option for organizations that want to gain a reputation for making sustainable choices. That’s why non-profit Bike New York recently turned to EthoSource to furnish its NYC offices. The decision to use pre-owned office furniture was a no-brainer for an organization that promotes cycling for better personal and environmental health.

The NPO did say they had a few issues with other vendors not following through to meet requirements on Bike New York’s tight deadline. That’s one issue to consider if you want to furnish a high volume office space with refurbished office furniture. You need to make sure your dealer has access to sufficient supplies of liquidated furnishings to meet demand. The upside is that pre-owned furniture (that’s in good condition) can be touched up and made ready for use with a much shorter lead time than ordering new from a manufacturer. If that idea appeals to you, check out San Diego Cubicles Office Environment’s current inventory of used office furniture online. Or, call to see what our consultants can rustle up for you in a hurry.

Tags: secondhand office furniture, used office furniture
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Buy Used Office Furniture…And Equipment

Monday, March 7th, 2011

This blog focuses frequently on how and why to buy used office furniture. But that’s not the only way you can save money and conserve resources. Author sjennings at Arnold’s Office Furniture has written an insightful post on where to look for office equipment that’s in good condition. For example, refurbished, fully tested computers (with a 6 month warranty) are available from sites like DiscountPC.net. Some of the other places you can find used electronics may surprise you.

Sjennings also recommends purchasing pre-owned appliances for the break room – although this can be a little more challenging. Finding a toaster oven that (a) works and (b) is reasonably clean could be difficult. Plus, break room appliances aren’t that expensive to buy new anyway. Buying used office furniture is probably going to give you more bang for your buck than trying to track down a mini-fridge on Craig’s list.

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Second Hand Office Furniture - San Diego Charities Want Yours

Thursday, February 10th, 2011

Sometimes, it’s not really worth trying to arrange a sale when you’ve got only a few pieces of second hand office furniture. San Diego charities can take them off your hands – and give you a tax write off. The key to convenient donation is to choose a non-profit organization that will pick up your gently used items. Whatever type of community cause you like to support, you can find a charity that’s right for your business.

Author Lillian Webster at eHow has compiled a list of well known NPOs in the local area that may be willing to send a truck to your office building. Click through to read about the services that are made possible by companies like Goodwill, Jewish Family Service, the San Diego Rescue Mission, and more. Call ahead with a list of the items you wish to donate since not every organization takes all kinds of office furniture. For example, the JFS will accept office chairs but not metal filing cabinets.

Tags: Office Furniture
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New Potential For Used Office Furniture In San Diego

Tuesday, November 16th, 2010

Have you heard of Furniture Freestyle? This is a brand new phenomenon from the “Land Down Under”. X-treme sports enthusiasts Maverick Gunner and Rory Williams are taking the danger of action sports to a whole new level by cannibalizing used office furniture such as chairs and desks to create a whole new spin on shredding. You can see a short documentary on the evolution of Furniture Freestyle on YouTube. Be warned – the footage shows many gruesome scenes of our young heroes wiping out time and time again in their quest to master the most complex moves. This includes an unfortunate incident involving flip flops (or “thongs” in Aussie speak).

Are you looking for innovative ways to breathe new life into your used office furniture? In San Diego there’s already a thriving skateboard community. Some citizens are actually lobbying to have a park built just for skateboarders. This would be the perfect location to go chair surfing or desk boarding. Just make sure you have your chiropractor on retainer and an ambulance waiting at the bottom of the hill!

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Cricket Wireless In San Diego: Used Office Furniture Donor

Wednesday, November 10th, 2010

There are lots of ways local businesses can give to worthy causes in San Diego. Used office furniture is always a welcome gift for non-profits that want to cut their administrative overhead. Cricket Wireless took a proactive approach to seeking out recipients this year and selected a number of charitable organizations to receive their old office furniture. The company recently relocated to a new, energy efficient building and decided to outfit the space with eco-friendly furniture to boost their sustainability initiative. Of course, to be really “green” they also had to do something with their unwanted items that didn’t involve a trip to the landfill.

The San Diego Food Bank received furniture donations of items such as shelving valued at over $100,000. They will be using these pieces at the food bank itself. Habitat for Humanity is taking a different approach to getting the most out of the used furniture they received from Cricket. Those office pieces ended up in the ReStore shop for sale to the public. Proceeds from ReStore sales are used to purchase building materials and fund the construction of more homes for low-income families. You can hear more from both of these recipient organizations on the June 14^th clip from KUSI Channel 51 at the Habitat for Humanity website.

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Are Office Furniture Prices Going Down?

Tuesday, November 9th, 2010

In the office furniture industry, even the biggest players can’t ignore the economy if they want to show shareholders solid performance. Knoll is currently #1 on the federal government’s list of office furniture suppliers with 2009 sales in the 121 million dollar range. However, even with this market advantage their second quarter revenue for 2010 saw a 4.9% dip. This decline impacted almost every part of their product line. According to industry blogger John Schwartz, Knoll has attempted to counter this trend by offering significant discounts on their usual office furniture prices.

Dealers benefit from these lower prices by being able to afford more inventory. Ideally, a portion of the cost savings are passed on to customers in the form of lower retail prices. Still, the cost of new office furniture is a lot for some business consumers to stomach when their own earnings are down. So, the used and refurbished office furniture markets are still a prime alternative for businesses that want truly steep discounts of 50-75% less than the cost of new items.

Tags: office furniture prices
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Make Preowned Office Furniture Ready For A New Home

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

Are you planning to give your preowned office furniture to a local organization? A little extra effort will make your gift even more special. Here are several things you can do to prepare your desks, chairs, and cubicles for donation. You can have your cleaning crew take care of this or ask each worker to pitch in and clean his/her old workstation. Employees who are getting brand new furniture should be happy to spend a little time getting their used office furniture ready for donation to a good cause.

Wipe It Down

Dampen a cloth with a mild liquid detergent and water to gently wash non-absorbent surfaces on your office furniture. Clean chair arms and other frequently touched areas with wipes that contain a biocide such as Lysol or Clorox to kill germs. Use rubbing alcohol to remove marker and highlighter smudges on laminate and metal surfaces. Use furniture polish to brighten up any exposed wood. Spot treat stains on cubicle panels following the manufacturer’s advice. Remember to ventilate the workspace adequately during these cleanup activities so fumes dissipate quickly.

Vacuum It Out

Use a vacuum with a crack and crevice cleaning attachment to remove crumbs and debris from the creases of your padded office chairs. Use an upholstery attachment to gently remove dust and dirt from fabric cubicle panels. Remember to vacuum out desk drawers too – they often harbor cracker crumbs and other tasty snacks for insect pests. Giving preowned furniture to a charity isn’t all that nice if you are sending them a potential roach problem too.

Get Rid of Goo

Employees just can’t seem to resist taping stuff to metal desks and credenzas over the years. Remnants and residue of “invisible” tape and stickers attract grime and make surfaces look tacky. Take a look at this list of 30 ways to remove sticky goo to find a method that will work on your used office furniture. A razor blade may knick the metal, so only use a dull straight edge to scrape off tape. Powder coated surfaces are resistant to solvents, so using paint thinner or Windex to remove adhesives is usually safe.

Fix It Up

Is there any item of furniture that is broken? Check chairs for loose components and desk drawers for problems opening/closing. Fix what you can. Mark the rest as in need of repair so the next owners know what new parts they need to buy to get everything in working condition. Preowned office furniture doesn’t have to be perfect, but it should be usable and certainly not dangerous!

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