3 weird ways to choose a second hand office chair that actually work.

Whether we are talking about a law firm located in The City or a startup from Camden, quality office setup, especially office chairs, is the core of success. The way people feel at their London offices and how comfortable and safe they are during the day in many ways determines how productive and enthusiastic they will be about reaching the company`s goals.

Buying second hand office chairs in London is a relatively new trend for the capital`s business community. However, it has already become mainstream in modern workplace interior design.

Everybody understands that you should be prudent in choosing used office chairs. Many people tend to get carried away with attractive price tags and miss some essential functional details and possible flaws in the items they buy.

There are lots of buying guides and tips for choosing the best second hand office chairs. However, in this article, we decided to collect the most unusual advice which actually happen to work.

The smell test.

It may sound weird, but the smell of used office chairs can tell you more about their history and current condition than the close visual examination.

First of all, even the most attractive and comfortable office chair can turn your life at work into an ultimate nightmare if it smells. Odours have a very strong psychological effect, call for memories and associations that may distract or even cause severe migraines. The smell does not have to be nasty, but if you are sensitive to it, it is better to avoid this particularly used office chair despite its attractive design and price.

Smells may also detect some damage and even predict possible malfunctions your used office chair may reveal in the future. Some petroleum-based materials such as plastic and synthetic rubber or faux leather tend to oxidise with time and start to deteriorate. In the process, they start cracking, change their colour, and become sticky to touch and smell. There are short-term solutions that can cover up the process, but unfortunately, it is irreversible and may cause you a lot of trouble in the future.

Feel free to smell each piece of used office furniture carefully before purchase. Not only it will prevent some strange odour in your Midtown law firm office, but it can tell a lot about the real condition of the piece you are about to buy.

Go for the metal.

While modern office furniture is mostly associated with plastic, fabric and other versatile and low-maintenance materials, it is always best to look for mostly metal constructions if you wish to get the most out of your used office chairs.

First of all, metal mechanisms will always be more durable, and therefore there is a bigger chance that your second-hand office chair will serve you for many years after the purchase.

The more metal parts the office chair has, the more expensive it would be as new. In other words, a used office chair with metal mechanisms and the frame is most likely to be a great bargain as it probably comes from a high-end brand.

Last but not least, it is very easy to restore and breathe new life into metal parts. When plastic details may need a full replacement, metal will look as good as new after some polishing. 

Consider buying from hotels.

The recent Pandemic has become an ultimate catastrophe for the hospitality industry. It has forced thousands of hotels, guesthouses and other similar businesses out of the market. Many of them never managed to go back on track and flooded the London market of second-hand furniture with various items, including used office chairs.

The best part about those chairs is that most of them have hardly been used since, statistically, people rarely work in their hotel rooms even if they come to London for business trips. At the same time, some hotels mainly target the business community and therefore equip their rooms with high-end pieces. Today`s teleworking and remote communication trend leads to the fact that most of those quality office chairs end up in the second hand market. It is a great opportunity to buy a hardly-used Herman Miller office chair for almost half price.

Buying used office chairs, you sometimes have to be creative to avoid the temptation of spending all your budget on a seemingly great bargain. The tips that we have mentioned here may seem pretty unconventional, but they will turn the process of building your London office setup into an exciting and rewarding experience that will help your business thrive and get the most out of new opportunities.