The views expressed in this Opinion article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a woman who operates on a budget. So, when I moved to Vancouver from Toronto, I scoured Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist for cheap, used furniture.
90% of my furniture was already purchased online before I even touched down at YVR. All that was left to do was pick it up.
I rented a car for a total of three days, and in those three days, I intended on getting my entire move over with. As you can imagine, it was a very calm, serene experience. (That last sentence is a very big, funny joke.)
I made plenty of blunders in this process but, using the digital market, I managed to furnish my apartment for just over $1,000 — that includes my bedroom and living room/office/dining area. Here's how I did it.
The bedroom
I bought my mattress new, but my IKEA bedframe was the first thing I secured via Marketplace.
I searched the specific IKEA product name (MALM) in Vancouver's Facebook Marketplace and the Hallelujah chorus sang. The bed, which included four storage compartments, was listed at $175. I talked the guy down to $150 and he even delivered it for free.
It's always good to politely ask for a cheaper price, and if they say no, whatever. If they say yes, yahoo!
Then, I saw a wicker set listed at $290, which included two bedside tables and a chest of drawers. This seemed like a good deal to me, but now that I'm more familiar with the FB Marketplace landscape in Vancouver, I know I could've gotten a better deal. Nevertheless, she also threw in shipping and I was a happy clam.
Speaking of which, I bought some shell shelves and a lamp from a second-hand Instagram account for $40, bringing my bedroom total to $480. Not bad.
Two shell-shaped shelves.Courtesy of Sierra Riley
The living room
My greatest folly was opting for a Structube couch. It was cheap and it does the job, but I now see so many incredible lounge sets on FB Marketplace and have buyer's remorse.
The reason I got the sofa shipped in from Structube was that I was afraid that my rental car wouldn't be able to fit something so large. Looking to swerve some moving-day stress, I took the easy route and also bought a Structube TV stand.
Why didn't I just book a UHAUL? Because I am afraid of driving on Vancouver's teeny tiny streets in such an indelicate piece of machinery. I had a hard enough time driving the mini-van.
On Facebook Marketplace, I scored an ancient LG TV for a clean $25. This TV was hilariously dysfunctional and it's since been replaced. It basically took 10 minutes to boot up, and when my mom was in town to visit me, she insisted on buying one that worked. Thanks, Mom!
Apartment with couch, coffee table, desk, chair, shelf and TV stand.Courtesy of Sierra Riley
I resold the TV for the same price on — you guessed it — Facebook Marketplace.
Someone across the street was selling a coffee table for $10 in a moving sale that I spotted on FB as well. I just gave it a little scrub down when I got home. (This table magically never seems to be clean, but I do my best.)
I also got a funky rolly chair and footrest for $30 and $10, respectively, bringing the Facebook Marketplace total for this room to $75.
The dining area and office
It's a one-bedroom apartment in Vancouver, so you can imagine that the spaces kind of meld together — my desk is in very close proximity to the "dining area" (a generous term for the little table I have in a corner).
I found an adorable rattan table-and-chair set on Craigslist. It was $250 altogether. I don't know what it is about rattan, but it makes people do wild things with their money — myself obviously included.
Definitely not the best deal, but it had a cute little slot for storage, and I'm nothing if not a sucker for secret storage compartments.
My desk was $50 and the listing pictures did not indicate its true condition. When I went to pick it up, it was covered in holes and scratches, but I only had the car for a couple of hours more before I had to return it and I didn't have time for critical thinking.
I took the desk. I still dislike it. But I bought a prettier handle for the drawer and that made me feel a bit better.
Desk and swivel chair.Courtesy of Sierra Riley
The leather swivel chair was a bit pricey ($200), but I wanted something both aesthetic and ergonomic. Apparently, this is very hard to come by.
Plus, for the entryway, I bought a $40 hanging wicker basket/mirror that I probably could've gotten for less, bringing the total of this area to $540.
My greatest blunder: a lamp
I could tell you a very long-winded tale about how I got scammed by a guy selling a $50 lamp, but I'll skip to the moral of the story: you shouldn't e-transfer someone until you see the thing. It doesn't matter if the person begs you or tells you they'll throw in a free housewarming gift. It doesn't matter if the person tells you they're running behind because they're delivering the lamp by scooter.
This person will likely scam you.
A brass floor lamp.Courtesy of Sierra Riley
I was scammed by Greg, who left me a broken lamp that only works occasionally (plug in electronics before you buy them!) and no free housewarming gift as promised. When I complained via DM, he said "boohoo grow up" and blocked me.
That's probably the biggest flaw in the FB Marketplace system: you can't report someone after they block you.
What's the damage
In total, I spent $1,109.
Overall, buying second-hand is a great way to cut down costs and also your carbon footprint. But if you want buyer's protection, this isn't the place for such luxuries.
Because I was desperate to furnish my apartment ASAP, I ended up overpaying in a few instances. If you have patience, you can slowly curate an apartment for way less money than I did. A lot of the time, Facebook users will even list furniture for free because they just want to get rid of it.
My final parting advice is to see the item before buying it, plug the thing in, and only buy from people who you think could hang.