Answering Questions from Our Email Bag

W.B. from Newville asks,
Does it make sense to buy furniture from a second hand store?
Thanks for the question, W.B..... beautiful little town you live in. Well, it is chic to be cheap today, so I do understand folks wanting to go that route. What I recommend, however, is to visit the heirloom quality consignment shops, and look for something that was made very well (like an 18th century style diningroom set from 40 years ago). A top brand like Baker, Heritage, Drexel, or Henredon. That's where you really get value. To buy a used (relatively new) piece of popular price furniture doesn't make sense to me because prices on brand new goods have come down so much in recent years that you can buy new for little more than the resale shop is asking. And then you don't have to worry about bedbug infestations or the like. If you positively must buy used because your budget is very tight, I am told that Craigslist is a good source to visit on line. That would appeal to me because then I can at least check out what kind of home the furniture is coming from when I go to look at it. In summary, visit conventional stores like N.B. Liebman's Value Center area in Mechanicsburg and those stores selling lower quality goods as well, and see what new couches, end tables, etc. cost before you shop the second hand store. That way you will know if you are really saving money. Remember, some of those dealers are out to rip you off if you are not an educated consumer.


Margeaux62 from York asks,
Is 30% off and then 30% off of that price a good deal?
Well, Margeaux62, it sure sounds like a great deal! But, first of all, 30 plus 30 doesn't equal 60% off as it sounds like it should . It's really only 50% when you do the math... Gotcha, didn't they? And always remember - any discount off a heavily inflated comparative price is not a deal at all! Stores that routinely advertise 50% off have found that consumers are not responding like they used to do. And so they are raising the bar by offering 30% off and then another 30% off of that amount to fool you once again.


SuzieQ from Harrisburg asks,
How can a mattress store offer 50% off every mattress in the store and still stay in business?
Well, SuzieQ, I think you know the answer - they can't! But if you mark everything up 400% and then cut it in half, you can stay in business by fooling all of your customers in just this fashion. So proceed with caution - there are deceptive advertisers out there waiting to trap every unwary consumer. Shop at N.B. Liebman if you want honest pricing and real savings. Some mattress stores also have terrible reputations for customer service as well. Just google XYZ store customer complaints, and see what I mean.


Your questions are always welcome!
Until next time,
Charles Liebman, President, N.B. Liebman Furniture, www.nbliebman.com