What to do Office Furniture?

I have over 250 pieces of quality office furniture that I won at auction. I have contacted office furniture and regular furniture stores. Everyone wants to buy it but no one has the resources to move it. The furniture is high quality cherry wood. I don't know what to do with it.

I have over 250 pieces of quality office furniture that I won at auction. I have contacted office furniture and regular furniture stores. Everyone wants to buy it but no one has the resources to move it. The furniture is high quality cherry wood. I don't know what to do with it.

If you have them in your possession and have moved them from where you got them, then YOU have a way to move them and could sell them to the people above "Everyone..." and you should still do OK on them from a profit standpoint.

You COULD charge them some percentage for doing the moving  for them ON TOP OF the purchase price.

If the items are still stored where you bought them, you could still move them (or hire someone to move them) to your buyer(s).

Anytime someone says "I'm ready to buy." I make the extra effort to get that to happen. If these people TRULY want to buy you should be able to work something out with one of them. You could always sell smaller portions to multiple buyers.

It is still stored at the place I won it from. It takes at least 4 people to lift one desk. I have at least 80. Delivering to individuals is not an option. This is real cherry and mahogany wood. Fully assembled. 

It is still stored at the place I won it from. It takes at least 4 people to lift one desk. I have at least 80. Delivering to individuals is not an option. This is real cherry and mahogany wood. Fully assembled.  

Well, I wasn't thinking of selling to individuals (not in any bulk anyway) but rather selling 10 desks or so to company "A", maybe 5 to company "B" etc.

You don't mention what you might want to sell them for, or what you bought them for. If you bought them cheap enough you should be able to build in some delivery expense.  If the company(s) buying them are getting them for themselves, they won't be as concerned as a reseller would be.

Personally, if I had seen that bulk of furniture I would have run for the hills...and it wouldn't have been the first time.

I'll look up a thread on a fellow who bought a lot of office furn in Florida and will post the link here for you to read.

http://storageauctionforums.com/index.php?topic=834.0

P.P.P.P.P.P.

You don't mention what you might want to sell them for, or what you bought them for. If you bought them cheap enough you should be able to build in some delivery expense.  If the company(s) buying them are getting them for themselves, they won't be as concerned as a reseller would be.

Like MM I have no idea what your expenditures have been or profit margin is.  You might bite the bullet and go to a temp agency. Most will allow you to hire through them with an 8 hour day prepaid as general labor, no business license required. Maybe the local place that the work a day people hang out on the corner soliciting work is OK too. Explain that its HEAVY lifting. Rent a flat bed truck with a lift gate that has minimum 4'x7.5' gate. Buy furniture dollies and get to moving your product.
If you're willing to bust your butt then you should only need one helper. I think that 4 people moving this quantity of and weight of furniture is better but then you're paying for more man hours during windshield time.(There are ways for you to move this stuff by yourself but you need the popper equipment and know how.)

Scheduling your drop offs is another concern when spending this kind of money for delivery but is way cheaper than hiring a moving company.

Another option if look in your local want ad paper for ads stating that handy man Joe has his own moving truck and will help you move. Hire him.

Once again P.P.P.P.P.P. never buy something just for the value, if you don't have a plan of attack you'll end up losing period.

Once again P.P.P.P.P.P. never buy something just for the value, if you don't have a plan of attack you'll end up losing period.

Rafe had good points including the 5P principle. An internet search will pop up this:

"Your marketing plan should address the 5 P's of Marketing: People, Price, Product, Promotion, and Place"+

But 30 or more years ago 5P meant: Proper Planning Prevents P...poor Perfomance.

Either way you look at it the 5P approach has a lot to recommend it.

I like the top 5 Ps MM but I did mean the 6 that I put, I just highlighted the 'p' in P...-poor too.

LaWaughn I was just thinking about some ways I might sell off high quantities of cherry-wood desks and realized that I have a friend in the custom cabinet business that might like a couple for more high end jobs. Maybe try calling some custom counter top shops or cabinet  businesses. They would have the means to pick them up too. Realize though that they are buying for the stock wood and not the table so prices would be lower but a nice way to get rid of your remaining stock once you sell all you can at the best price you can sell at.

  Heavy Cherry Wood ? I would of run too MM , I did win a 10 X 30 locker full of office furniture but only had a wood conference 12 ft. table that I ended up cutting up .
 Most of he file cabinets and the nice metal desk with  wood top's  I ended up scrapping as I couldn't move anything on Craig's List thanks to a local mortgage company going out of business and posting on the same week I posted there 3 floors of office furniture for FREE  , just bring a truck or trailer on Sat .            

good advice all around. Let us know how you get rid of them!

I am going to add on something about the temp agency route, jsut so you know in advanced, you will be charged no less than 4 hours for each person you hire from there (even if they only work for an hour), this adds up quite fast. Best thing to do is advertise on CL for temp work, or hire some of your buddies.

Thanks everyone for your advice. Thanks Movieman for the link it was helpful.  I contacted some office liquidator companies. One had some interest. I will also contact some custom cabinet companies. I'll let you guys know how it works out. 

  Good Luck   
  I would put it on Craig's in lots of 5 or more with free delivery , when You get those calling about        1 or 2 desk , charge them a delivery fee and rent a big U-Haul truck with a bunch of pads and dolly's , and grab ( 4 ) Four guys from OUTSIDE the local day labor place , once You find one good worker , He will connect You with 3 of His Hard Working Buddies  .                                 
  After the first couple of deliveries , buy your own dolly's and pads ( I got 28 4 wheel dolly's and             2 appliance dolly's in a locker last year so I am good    )                                                                      When the sales start to dry up , Then Call the Liquidators , because they will offer You way below wholesale , and what they are worth .
   I made a connection with a hard working  Honest Brazilian  for help with My larger tent rentals.                                           Plus , I think I have the local community locked up as they will rent a tent from Me (for  1/2 price )  take it down from My customer , use it for a party or two ?   ,  and return it to wherever I want it after the weekend ,  if I ask them to set it up somewhere , No Problem Friend  . 
  Pads and dolly's are cheap at Harbor Freight
      http://www.harborfreight.com/material-handling/dollies.html
      http://www.harborfreight.com/40-inch-x-72-inch-movers-blanket-47262.html

LaWaughn,

I hope I am wrong but I just wanted to bring this to your attention. I would hate to have you sell them something their not getting. The last thing you need is to get a buyers attorney on your case.

I have some contacts in the furniture business in my day job and I am somewhat familiar with the construction. I would highly recommend that you look this furniture over VERY GOOD. Unless you have purchased from a manufacture that went out of business and you were able to see some raw goods, you could possible have MDF with a veneer on it. Look very carefully for end grain on the wood. The drawer fronts may be real wood. The side panels of the drawer pedestals should have end grain. Also, the inside of the peds should be wood grain and the underside of the top should have matching glue up lines as the top. 

If I am out of line, I apologize.

Wayne

If you have time, I would just place an ad on Craigslist. List them at a really good price and you might sell several of them every day. You could even offer a special discount if they buy more than one.