I’ve bought the following off eBay in the last 2 years to kit out our new house for a pittance. It all looks fantastic and has either been refinished or painted (not with that nasty chalk paint which is beyond crap but proper wood paint or spray paint to get a high quality finish). Some things I have changed the style of a bit to suit the room but most are bought to fit the style of the room.
All were solid oak (which can look new with a quick sand and some oil/wax) or high quality old pine.
First price is probable cost, last price is what I paid.
£600 Solid oak sideboard for £70
£800 dresser for £80
£1500 solid handmade teak dining table for £105
1950’s dressing table, tall boy and 2x drawer sets all for £210. I could sell them on again for £800 easily
£1300 triple wardrobe and £300 bedside table, repainted with new handles etc, cost me £80
Edwardian fireplace for £5
£600 ikea sofa only a few months old for £50
£800 wardrobe and £400 drawers for £100 both
£400 Abbess desk for £20, had to glue it back together and sand/wax it
How do I find these things? I have looked at EVERY SINGLE item of furniture listed on eBay within 25 miles of my house for the last 3 years. 99.9% is either not our style or overpriced or naff but occasionally I’ll find something we like and I’ll go and see it and offer money direct.
I do have a big estate car with a roof rack and am prepared to haul all sorts home which helps but a man in a van can do stuff for a few quid for you. I could have hired a van for a day for each one and still saved the thousands I did.
And the best thing is that I’ve got stuff you can’t really buy in shops right now.
Ebay is great but you do have to be patient, wade through lots of crap, but you’ll find something eventually. Just decide what you want with a bit of flexibility and keep searching every day.
When people visit our house they ask where we got stuff and they simply don’t believe I paid what I did. Most try to buy stuff but don’t have my patience!