Sure, we love selling our beautiful teak shower benches. But there’s something about finding treasure, discovering amazing used furniture in an unlikely place that we just love. It can not only be fun to go hunting, but it also can save you money, prevent something from rotting away in a landfill, and gives a little money back to someone in your town.

Keep reading to learn a few tips for buying the right used furniture.

• Sure, you can search consignment shops and the internet for interesting pieces. But consider contacting hotels, since they often sell furniture for deeply reduced prices when they’re preparing to remodel. Furniture retailers also rent pieces to filmmakers or corporations, then turn around and sell them for a steal.
• Suppose you see a chair or couch that has potential, but it has a patchwork of rips or some unattractive stains? Easy, by re-upholstering, you can not only make an old piece look new, but you can customize it to fit your unique style.
• One of the most annoying situations you can encounter is finding the perfect piece, getting it home, and discovering it doesn’t fit where you need it to. Before going out, take a few minutes and measure the dimensions of your space. Bring a tape measure with you to make sure what you find will do the trick.
• Above all, know your limits. There’s no point in buying a used piece if you can’t afford to fix it up or you don’t have the skill. Sometimes a repair is easy, like filling in a scratch on a desk with a scratch pen. But if parts are missing or the price isn’t right, let it go. Another great piece will eventually come along.