Business owners are always looking for ways to save money. Whether you’re an office manager, company controller, or a business owner, you know that buying new office furniture can be extremely expensive. That’s why more and more people are turning to used office furniture to save money while furnishing their offices.

If money is no object, feel free to buy as much new office furniture as you need. But if you’re working within a strict budget, used office furniture may be the way to go. If you shop carefully, it’s possible to purchase used office furniture that will not only look good, but will also be accepted by employees and customers alike. Some of the benefits of purchasing used office furniture include:

• Saving money. If you shop around for the best prices and bargains, you can save more than 50 percent over the cost of buying new office furniture. Most used office furniture pieces have only been used for a few years (or less) and have minimal wear and tear. Once the bubble wrap is taken off and the price tag is removed, most people cannot tell the difference between a new desk and a used desk.
• Saving time. If you’ve ever ordered new office furniture, you know that sometimes it can take up to six weeks to be delivered. Compare that to most used office furniture outlets that can have a truck at your front door in 48 hours or less.
• Reducing environmental impact. When a used wooden office desk is sent to the landfill, it takes years to break down. By buying used office furniture, you will get a much better deal and help save the planet at the same time.
• Getting  more for your money. When you buy new office furniture, the resale value can depreciate to 25 percent or less of the original purchase price over five years. But when you buy used office furniture, the resale value can remain as high as 75 percent of what you paid for it.

So, how do you find the best bargains in used office furniture? Begin your search by looking in your own backyard. In other words, your local community is a good place to start. Check the Yellow Pages for used office furniture listings.

You can also contact your local chamber of commerce for referrals and check with other business owners in the community to see where they have been buying used office furniture. And don’t forget to look in the classified ads of your local newspapers. Often you will find several ads for used office furniture, and they just may have what you are looking for.

Many business owners are using the Internet to buy and sell their office equipment. Online auction sites such as eBay are now filled with listings of used office furniture of all shapes, sizes, conditions, and prices. Of course, when buying heavy furniture online, you may end up paying more in shipping charges than you would if you purchased it locally, so be sure to factor in those costs as well.

When buying used office furniture, keep in mind that you might not be able to find the color or design you had in mind. The key point to remember is it’s just like buying a used car: you must accept the color, condition, and size, and hopefully the money you will save will be worth your time and effort.

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Outfitting your office with chairs that are both comfortable and affordable can require quite a bit of research and legwork. In the end, though, the task shouldn’t prove too difficult. Take into consideration the advice below and the office will be sitting pretty (and comfortably) in no time at all.

While price is a major deciding factor in choosing the right chair, you should resist the urge to make it your first criteria. Comfort should be your top priority. The average office worker spends seven to eight hours a day, five days a week, sitting and working at a computer. This type of near-constant sitting has led to a sharp increase in neck and back pain among many people in today’s workforce. In selecting office chairs (for yourself or an entire office), you’re profoundly affecting the quality of the day-to-day work routine — and this is why you should focus on buying an ergonomic chair.

Ergonomic chairs are designed to prevent desk workers and computer users from developing repetitive strain injuries (RSIs). An ergonomic chair will have an adjustable back (one that can easily switch to low, mid-level, and high back positions), seat, and armrests, as well as the swivel feature, to allow the person to fine-tune alignment and support for arms, legs, neck, and back.

All ergonomic chairs are not the same — it’s important to test different chairs to see which model works best for a particular body and the office setup. Head to an office superstore like OfficeMax or Staples and try out the different chairs on the showroom floor. Be sure to pull each one up to a desk that has an adjustable keyboard tray to see how the chair might work with a computer setup.

Now it’s time to talk price. A good ergonomic chair can be quite expensive — for instance, the renowned Herman Miller Aeron chair can sell for close to one thousand dollars. But thanks to the wonders of the Internet (particularly, e-commerce sites such as Amazon and eBay), you can find both new and used ergonomic chairs at some amazing prices.

After testing chairs in the stores, jot down the name and model number of a particular chair that’s comfy and suits your needs. If the price of the chair in the store is astronomical, you can search for sales online. In addition to the previously mentioned sites, you can also conduct searches through Google or Yahoo! Use search terms like “ergonomic chairs,” “used ergonomic chair,” or “ergonomic chair sales” to find appropriate results.

When you’re shopping online, be sure to thoroughly inspect the provided photograph of the chair to be sure it’s the one you want, and also read about its features and functions. If you’re buying used, check out comments from other shoppers about the seller, and be sure they are fair and dependable (on Amazon, for instance, shoppers can see negative and positive ratings on frequent sellers). If you buy online, keep in mind that you’ll also have to pay for shipping.

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If your company is preparing a move to a new address, or if you’ve been tasked with redesigning your office’s current layout, keep in mind the issues listed below.

The nuts and bolts

Deciding how you’ll set up the individual employee workstations depends first on whether or not you’ll have them working in a cubicle farm. If you’re going the cubicle route, many of your considerations regarding space will already be taken care of. Most cubicle plans allocate a comfortable amount of space for employees, their work, and personal belongings.

• Desks. If you’ll be employing a non-traditional, cubicle-less layout, the first thing you need to do is measure the circumference of the office space, then measure the length and width of each workstation you plan to erect in the space. Obviously, the number of workstations you’re able to set up will depend on the size of the space. Once you’ve got it figured out, determine how many workstations can comfortably fit in the space. For instance, make sure employees have enough room when pushing away from their workstations in their chairs without backing into a filing cabinet.
• Storage. If there’s a lack of storage space in your office for items like paper and writing supplies, copiers, fax machines, and water coolers, be sure such items are arranged on the main office floor in an orderly, space-conscious way, preferably against a wall or in a well-organized cluster. Definitely be sure they’re not blocking an emergency exit, doorway, or path through the office. Also make sure heavy items (say, boxes of paper for the copier, or a replacement jug of water for the cooler) are placed in storage areas that provide easy access for both tall and short people. Aim to place filing cabinets in areas that aren’t too close to walkways, and if filing cabinets must be placed in a walkway, make sure that the cabinet drawers can open fully.

• Wires. Make absolutely certain that all wires and electrical cords are properly stored out of the way of footpaths where employees might trip over them. Place wires and electrical cords in streamlined organizers or caddies.

Employee comfort

• Temperature. If a heating or cooling vent is above a workstation or cluster of workstations, make sure the office thermostat is set at a comfortable temperature. If possible, position the slats in the vent so that the heat or air is distributed upward — this allows the heat or air to fan out evenly through the office. Cold office temperatures have been proven to worsen the onset of computer-use-related afflictions like repetitive strain injury (RSI).
• Noise levels. If you have an employee that spends a lot of time on the telephone, place that employee in a quiet part of the office. This goes for anyone who needs a lot of quiet to get the job done; obviously you don’t want him or her sitting near team-oriented departments that require frequent face-to-face interaction.
• Lights. Adequate lighting is integral in creating a suitable workplace for employees. In addition to the fluorescent lights that are probably installed in your office’s ceiling, make sure that each employee has a lamp at their workstation.

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My company has finally found affordable office space. Now we’ve got to furnish it. Should we just buy desks and chairs or go for cubicles?

At first, it might seem less expensive to just to buy a dozen cheap desks and chairs. (Some start-ups even use doors instead of desks!) In the long run, however, you’d be wise to invest in what is called “modular systems furniture,” otherwise known as cubes. Modular furniture costs a little bit more up front, but it will save you in the end.

Because systems furniture is modular, it’s space efficient. For example, the overall desk surface of a cubicle is typically the same as a regular desk, but it’s laid out in two narrow, usable pieces instead of one wide piece. Modular furniture also saves space by capitalizing on vertical space as well as horizontal space — it builds up, instead of out, which provides a lot more storage space per desk.

Another advantage of modular furniture is movable cubicle walls. If your company is adding new employees every month, it is quickly going to experience a space crunch. Desks can be pushed together to accommodate new employees, but most employees don’t appreciate working in that kind of environment. With modular furniture, you can tighten cubicle walls to squeeze in some extra help without totally sacrificing privacy.

Whether you start with a few mismatched desks or a few cubicles, budget for some decent desk chairs. A computer will work fine propped up on a plywood desk anchored by sawhorses; but your employees may break down and stop functioning if you force them to sit in cheap chairs for hours on end.

Article Courtesy of www.allbusiness.com