What is the difference between new office furniture and refurbished office furniture? Instinctually you would think new office furniture has better quality and a longer lifespan. You might also think that with refurbished office furniture there is a noticeable difference in appearance compared to new. Truth be told, the difference between new and refurbished office furniture is not so much in the appearance, but in the price tag and environmental impact of each.
Let’s break down the differences between new and refurbished office furniture into three categories; price, quality and environmental impact.
Quality
It is easy to think that new office furniture is significantly better quality than refurbished. Contrary to this belief, refurbished office furniture is actually similar in quality compared to new. Herman Miller Ethospace, the systems furniture refurbished by Ethsource, utilizes a strong steel frame making it perfect for redeployment. Tiles can be reupholstered with an infinite number of new and as-is fabrics, and new worksurfaces can be added to create the perfect look. The end result is a cubicle that is like new. Which leads me to my next point…
Price
Our customers like that they can save between 30-70% on their office furniture when they compare it against new. Or if they take the budget that they were going to spend and apply it to pre-owned and refurbished office furniture, they are able to receive a much higher quality product than they would have for the same price as new. The same scenario holds true for refurbished office chairs. By reupholstering the chair with a new fabric, you create a chair that looks practically brand new again, for 50% less than purchasing the chair new.
Environmental Impact
In terms of environmental impact, there is no comparison between new and refurbished office furniture. By refurbishing used office furniture, EthoSource is preventing the disposal of someone’s used office furniture into landfills. We are also preventing the use of raw materials necessary to create a new piece of office furniture. By utilizing our refurbished office furniture businesses can do their share for the environment and save money at the same time.
In conclusion, the comparison of refurbished and new office furniture is not much of a comparison at all, except for the appearance. The amount of money that can be saved, the quality of the product, and environmental impact of refurbished office furniture help it reign supreme in the comparison, new versus refurbished office furniture. But don’t take it from me…
“We feel we have received a much better quality product by purchasing refurbished workstations from you than we ever could have received for the same money with a new product. We absolutely cannot tell that the product is not new as all work surfaces are in fact new materials. We would certainly do it again, especially after hearing from our brethren in the Palm Beach office complaining about their new workstations falling apart already.”
Steven M. Gomez, CB Richard Ellis, Miami, FL