Early in the pandemic, when gyms were closed and sports were canceled, our three boys were trapped at home with too much teenage energy and no place to vent it. In desperation, I scoured local websites looking for used weight-lifting equipment. I got gouged on the price, of course, because everyone was doing the same but at least I managed to assemble a serviceable gym in our basement.
Problem solved! Sure, the basement was filled with testosterone fumes but at least we didn’t have three boys rampaging through the house trying to bench-press the furniture or the appliances.
My experience was a harbinger of what was in store for all of us in this covid-battered economy. Inflation is higher than it has been for decades. Supply-chain woes and production delays have emptied shelves from the big-box stores to supermarkets. Prices are soaring for everything from used cars to chicken wings.
Few industries have been hit as hard as home furnishings. Demand for furniture has soared amid an ongoing real estate boom. But disappointed homebuyers are facing months-long delays in getting furniture for their homes.
All that – and millennials’ eagerness to buy vintage – has sparked an unexpected boom in used furniture. Long a bargain, used furniture is suddenly in high vogue. Some unscrupulous websites are taking advantage of buyers’ desperation, pushing prices into the stratosphere. In some cases, prices for certain sought-after pieces of furniture are higher than when they were new.
FCG is steering clear of price-gouging practices. We’re sticking to the guiding principles of our business: to provide value to our buyers and great service to our sellers.
Admittedly, even our prices have crept up as demand has soared. Still, you’ll find our prices on pre-owned furnishings lower than new furniture. And, very significantly, you can take home your newly-purchased sofa or dining set immediately. The benefits of shopping at FCG have never been greater.
So here’s an idea. If you, like many others, are waiting for your new furniture to make its way across the Atlantic or Pacific from a factory in Europe or Asia, consider a shopping trip to FCG. Seriously, no one should have to watch the Super Bowl from a bean bag chair.
FCG has hundreds of pieces that will solve the no-furniture problem. And, even better, when your new sofa or bedroom set does arrive, FCG probably will be able to resell what you bought as a stopgap. Now that’s smart shopping.JA