| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
oldsofas
264 Posts |
 Posted - 27 Jan 2007 : 17:46:41
|
Ruth and I once spent £250 on a beautiful 7' Chesterfield with three turned front legs. That seemed like a lot of money for something that needed reupholstering, and it still holds the record for the most we've spent on a sofa of any description. Granted it was a few years ago, but those days are long gone. The, barely 6', chesterfield below advertised as in need of re-covering - ahem! just sold on Ebay for £420! What's going on?
|
|
|
laura
United Kingdom
24 Posts |
Posted - 27 Jan 2007 : 21:15:51
|
Well yes! I was fretting about whether I'd been ''had'', with my chairs, but I've decided that old chairs are now all the rage. If you look in decorating mags, the pages are 'stuffed' (haha) with them!!
I do wonder whether there will be many 'do-er-uppers' left for us, in years to come?
That's when a furniture making book will be required, please !!! |
 |
|
|
oldsofas
264 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jan 2007 : 08:33:33
|
This 6'6" 1920's-30's (judging by the rexine and blocky turned legs) for restoration example sold for £240.
 |
|
|
|
oldsofas
264 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jan 2007 : 09:10:45
|
The last time I saw one of these Ercol beauties Ruth and I were taking it to a tip. Yours for £515, or, if you don't want to trust the vagaries of auction you can buy one now for £1,050.
So what is going on here? Obviously, whatever I think, these sofas are worth what people are prepared to pay for them. I can just about understand the Ercol appeal - It's 60's, iconic, in good condition and useable (and on a personal note it's the exact same sofa that Ruth had when we first started seeing each other) - but they're not rare so why pay 5 times what you should easily be able to get one for? The chesterfield for re-covering looks OK and is in a clean house so you could be forgiven for thinking that a few metres of fabric and a little effort would make it worth having - but £420? - that means that at least one other person thought it was worth £400+! The rexine chesterfield for £240 is inexplicable. It's unuseable and you'd be hard pressed to do a 'replace the webbing, add some wadding/foam and an new cover' job on it. And even if you did it has obviously been stored in a barn and is full of creepy crawlies so noone is going to bodge it up for use in their own home so it must have been bought to do up and sell for a profit. Which begs the question; how much will it be up for the next time it's offered for sale? |
|
|
|
wilroda
United Kingdom
10 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jan 2007 : 21:32:39
|
Interesting stuff! I agree that alot of stuff on ebay is grossly overpriced. I was " watching" a chair on ebay that eventually sold for £120 No 330079167744. However it seems that the sale " fell through" as it has now been relisted...will be interesting to see what it makes this time round! Maybe this happens more often than we think...
At the other end of the scale is my chair on " newbie help please" that I found at the local tip!! In my area they do some recycling and it is always worth a visit. I paid a massive £3 for it and am dead chuffed. |
|
|
|
Lorre
USA
107 Posts |
 Posted - 29 Jan 2007 : 07:30:49
|
| On this side of the pond, it is near impossible to find any furniture at a reasonable price to restore; and still turn a profit. I have gone to auctions, but the buyer's premium is an additional 20% percent above the hammer price, so it is difficult to make that kind of investment on spec. There seems to be a bit of recycling here, especially with antique furniture restored with a twist -- bold colours are being used, unusual fabric combinations -- all of which I like. Some pieces are even painted in bright colours. It makes blending different styles of furniture easier and more interesing, I imagine. Or ecclectic, as they say! |
|
|
|
paula
United Kingdom
34 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jan 2007 : 22:51:31
|
In the Surrey/Sussex borders there are a few auction houses, and all seem to have a regular supply of chairs and sofas. The chair in the picture was secured for £36 including the buyers fee - I know it's not the best example of this style but I was chuffed to bits when I got the confirmation!
I do this upholstery lark for fun - it's a great stress reliever and I always like to have a few things on the go - OK so the same few things have been on the go for 3 years, but who's counting! The chair was purchased with the intent to strip and re-do for our own use - wouldn't mind getting one to match ...
But, like so many posts before if it were to be a commercial exercise what is a reasonable price?! Not expecting any answers to that one - but considering the fabric came from the US in a very convaluted manner, it will probably take me a year to complete and I'm a hobby upholsterer - are there people out there with more money than sense? I think so!
 |
|
|
|
oldsofas
264 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jan 2007 : 07:52:35
|
| Rightly chuffed to bits - that's an excellent buy for less than £40. |
|
|
|
jean
France
198 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jan 2007 : 10:11:46
|
| It's a stunner! Well done! Yes, I'm jealous! |
|
|
|
Veronica
United Kingdom
34 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jan 2007 : 12:30:12
|
My husband has just gone into state of panic in case I go to any more auctions & fill our garage with more projects !
Have just completed my third one of eight dining chairs so I NEED more !
He wants a two seater sports car instead of our estate ,so that I can't fit them in .
It is addictive , but they are all just begging for somebody to love them !
Happy searching . |
|
|
|
jean
France
198 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jan 2007 : 16:35:51
|
| Just make sure the two seater needs the seats reupholstering - then he'll positively encourage you! |
|
|
|
paula
United Kingdom
34 Posts |
Posted - 30 Jan 2007 : 18:58:54
|
| David, Ruth, Jean, Veronica - thanks for the vote of confidence!!! I'll let you know when I eventually start on it! |
|
|
|
Lorre
USA
107 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2007 : 14:35:04
|
| Paula . . . there are always people with more money than sense. I even know a few! :) But I am a big believer that if you do what you love, you will always be richer for it. There is no amount of money that could ever equate the feeling of satisfaction for a job done well. |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
Money/Sense.
