For the Bermex, a discount of 30+10 means you're paying the right price. Maybe you'll get another $10-$20 off, maybe not. If the dealer were to take off even another 5%, at that point it would actually cut his/her profit by almost 13%, so don't expect it. These brands don't have factory price controls. With our suppliers, factory discounts rarely happen except for floor samples, and even then its very little. And discounts on special orders almost never happen. Ironically these things were very common 10 years ago when the business was stronger. In fact, we've taken the policy to AVOID buying floor samples when the factory offers a discount. Consistently our best sellers are product we paid full price for. And consistently the product that doesn't sell is the product we "got a deal" on. Usually the deals are for things the factory couldn't sell either. If the rest of the country didn't like it, why would our customers? We will discount floor samples, usually there is wear, and it helps us to make room for new product and keep our floor fresh. ------- but back to your original inquiry -------- You wouldn't be looking at this kind of furniture if you couldn't afford it, so more important than whether or not you get a discount is how the store responds to your request. You should be treated with respect, regardless of what the answer is. Otherwise walk out. If they can't respect you before taking your money, they probably won't treat you properly after taking your money. And that's really what counts here. With furniture, things don't always go right, and its up to the store to make it right. If you have a problem with a car and take it in for service, the dealer is reimbursed for the servicing. If you have a problem with furniture, the dealer has to eat some and sometimes all of the costs. You don't want a hassle, and the customers who fight over the last penny won't get serviced the same. In fact, the customers who negotiate the hardest are the ones that stick in our minds the most. We remember, and when these people return to buy more furniture, we feel like we're entering into a game of cat and mouse. People like this are more concerned with the discount than the final price, and we see it coming a mile away. A decent dealer will be tickled if you politely ask for a better price. Because at least he's having a conversation about doing some business. And that's the whole point of having a store, to sell something. Good luck, and enjoy your purchase!

wow- I have to say you found some people who don't know much about used furniture buying. the set you sold those people IS A NIGHTMARE to move or put in a lot of standard rooms. I know of people trying to sell the same type sets who just can't get rid of them. They break up the set and dressers go for 50.00 to 75.00, mirror 25.00. And I've known of people selling the bed and the two towers alongside the bed 200-300 hundred top's. It's not Ethan Allen or any other high end furniture that's for sure. It's heavy and so bulky that with the way people move so often these days and tight staircases and lack of muscle to help carry such heavy pieces of very outdated furniture people just don't want or need the broken back at any price. So consider yourself a lucky seller.

Wow, this has turned out to be a fascinating read! I am the OP and thank everyone for posting about their experiences and ideas and philosophies of furniture acquisition. :-) Sorry I disappeared for several days but work gets a bit hectic at times, and I'm just now resurfacing. So, using the amazing powers of the internet, plus speaking to some friends and family members who have decorated in a taste and style that I like, I came up with a preliminary budget. After interviewing several people, we picked one, and so far we are very happy with her. She has been very communicative - looked at the photos of the things we said we liked, and the room photos (from magazines) that project the "feel" we want, and she has been suggesting appropriate lines and pieces. And yes, I did want to discuss budget with her, so we would be on the same page. I do NOT want to even look at a $7000 coffee table - the one we currently have has a constant parade of tiny fingerprints on it and bits of goo, and I just can't imagine worrying about a piece like that, which is SOOO perfect in size for kids to put their coloring books and sippy cups on. It would be terrible to be a child in a house and not be able to use the coffee table because your parents spent a ridiculous amount on it and don't want it to be used! She actually did say that she was appreciative of the budget guidelines during the interview. After we hired her, she suggested I look at the websites of a few companies (that I'd never heard of) and I've seen some pieces that look nice, so we will plan some shopping trips together to a design bldg (I think she said Lexington near 34th St, need to check my notes) when work slows down, and maybe the same day or another one, we'll go to the Decorator's bldg near Bloomies (on 3rd Ave) as well. For you NYers or frequent visitors to NYC out there, you might already know these places and it would be interesting to hear your thoughts on "can't miss" showrooms... Even if a place is astronomically priced, I don't mind walking in and looking around as you can glean some inspiration from it. The one place I told her I'd been to several times already during our reno is the A&D bldg, b/c there were a lot of kitchen/tile/plumbing type stuff there, and just a few furniture places which I'm already familiar with, so no need to visit that one together. She did not give me the impression that she will waste our time (yes, we are paying by the hour, with a small commission on the furniture) - she seems very organized and efficient. I do think this is fair, b/c her hourly rate is quite reasonable, and in total, the hours this will take are not huge. She also lives in NYC, and honestly, to make enough to live here, I do think the commission to the decorator is necessary, so we have no problems paying that.

A lot of the knockoffs are made in China and not very well constructed. I believe the joint on the Barcelona chair is patented so it can't be duplicated exactly. I don't find Barcelona chairs particularly comfortable, but the knock-offs are deadly imo. FYI I paid, including auction price, premium and sales tax slightly under $2000.00 for the pair and this was in an unreserved auction with a bit of competitive bidding but I came out under high estimate. These were considered a good deal, if you can believe it. A pair of Womb chairs in the fabric I would likely choose would probably be close to $8000 new, and I can come in Way under that doing it this way, plus spread it out over a couple years.