What we look for when shopping secondhand FOR CLIENTS

Purchasing items secondhand definitely has its ups and downs. Sometimes you have to pay what I have deemed the “Facebook Marketplace Tax.” This is a term that ecompasses all the reasons you will have to pass on an item or, worst-case scenario, buy an item you just won’t be able ot use in your home. Maybe you didn’t notice that crack in the piece or the off-putting smell. Sometimes, items just aren’t as described in the listing or completely different than what was pictured in the ad. I have also been known to drive an hour away for an item only to pass due to quality. It’s all part of the Facebook Marketplace Tax! As a secondhand first team, we have to pay the Facebook Marketplace Tax sometimes, but we have perfected the art of buying secondhand and don’t have as many misses as we used to. We pass this expertise on to our clients.

But how do we know when to pass on an item for our client, or what’s even worth the drive? What does our team look for in a preloved item?

Specific brands- Looking for name brand items is an great way to find good quality furniture for a discounted price tag. This rule isn’t always true because vintage items don’t have modern brand names. But when we are looking for a couch you want to last a long time or a workhorse piece, looking for trusted brands that stand the test of time is a good way to guarantee a better quality item for less. At KKI, we scour Facebook Marketplace for the brands we know will be the best quality for our client and we only send them the options that we know will be high quality.

Details are everything- Does the piece have dovetailed joints? Does the piece have a patina that can’t be replicated? Is the piece wood or particle board? Are the feet special in some way? We look for items that will bring interest to your home and that are made well and will last. Oftentimes, vintage pieces will have details that more modern pieces just won’t have. This makes the piece more valuable to our clients, as it adds character to a space.

Ask all the questions ahead of time- Our team makes sure to ask the needed questions before we go to see a piece, and, ideally, before we even pitch a piece to our client. This is half the battle, and one we take seriously on behalf of our clients. Knowing the right questions to ask often saves us from the hassle of going to see an item that isn’t the right fit for the space. It’s also peace of mind for our client, knowing we are doing everything in our power to find the best pieces for them.

Sometimes our secondhand first approach inconvenient for our design team, but it’s our job, and we’re happy to do the legwork, handle the headaches, and pay that pesky Facebook Marketplace tax so our clients don’t have to.