After checking out all the main furniture stores in the local area, it became obvious that either it was time to check out second-hand furniture or it was going to be necessary to get a second job. Since working more hours didn't seem appealing, I decided to check out the different avenues of finding second-hand furniture to purchase.

Local newspapers have classified ads that list lots of second-hand furniture, but details about the furniture listed there are sketchy at best. After spending hours calling people advertising furniture in the paper, and even more time and gasoline going all over the county to see this furniture, I became discouraged about the process.

Although the people who I called gave me descriptions of the furniture they were selling, when I got to their homes to actually see the pieces, I found that the furniture did not meet my expectations. One person described a couch as being brown in color. Actually, it turned out to be a light tan with flowers. That definitely was not even close to what I was looking for.

Unfortunately, I wasted a lot of time and gas following up all leads I could find. Even the garage sales and yard sales didn't have anything decent in second-hand furniture. However, when I went to those garage and yard sales, I ended up buying things I didn't need, and spending money I had been saving for furniture.

Finally, I decided to check online for furniture bargains. Although I did find some sites that sold furniture at decent prices and showed pictures of the pieces that were available, the cost of shipping was extremely high. One advantage I discovered to buying new furniture online is that the furniture companies were willing to accept credit cards.

Finally, I found the solution to my dilemma of how to find second-hand furniture. While discussing the situation with a friend, he suggested that I check out a couple of sites that offer a classified section specifically for local people who want to buy, sell, trade, or even give away second-hand furniture. These sites offer this service free of charge.

What I found at these sites was amazing! Asking very little personal information, these sites allow you to sign up and use a login name of your choosing and make your own password. When you put an ad on the site, it will notify you at your email when your ad has been answered.

Not only did I find many pieces of second-hand furniture for sale in my general area, most of the ads also showed pictures of the furniture for sale and the area where the people lived who were selling the furniture. Most of the ads also showed a phone number, address, or email for contacting the sellers.

After finding almost-new furniture pieces at a very reasonable price, I was able to set up a convenient time and picked up the pieces with a borrowed truck. Shopping pre-owned furniture online has become an almost daily activity for me and several of my friends and family.

We have bought and sold several pieces of furniture. One of my family members has even advertised a garage sale and sold hundreds of dollars worth of items. What an awesome alternative method of furniture shopping! The only downside is that it is so enjoyable that is has become a little addictive.