• Home
• /
• World
• /
• Gulf

Death Bell Tolls for Used Furniture Market

SHARJAH - More sellers and no buyers may mean an end to the 25-year-old popular used furniture market in Sharjah.

Full of interesting junk and ageing paraphernalia, the shops are the first stop for people setting up a new home in the emirate. From beds to cupboards, to decoration pieces, lamps and carpets, a good bargain has always been available for those hunting for one.

Used furniture shops in Sharjah are doing average business with low profits .—KT photo by M. SajjadRun by shrewd businessmen, the market has benefited many, until now.

Lately, people have been selling off their ‘entire homes’ for rock-bottom prices. With job loss and economic uncertainty looming large over their heads, spending, even on second-hand furniture, does not seem a good
option for many.

“Business is average and profits are low,” says Mohammed, who like many others in the business goes by his first name. If lucky, the Pakistani might strike a good deal and earn a little more than the usual Dh200 per day for the Al Shakir Used Furniture Shop.

“Some days we may earn more, but on average the profits are fast dwindling and we may shut the shop we have been running for the past nine years.”

A brief call or a two-minute stop at the shop from a seller is enough to send the entire market scrambling to scoop up the available stuff. “We have to hunt for good stuff or else it may not sell as we hope,” he explains.

Buyers come from all profiles. From low-income groups to bargain hunters, the market normally sees crowds during evenings. “When people are off from work, they may drop in. However, we have many window-shoppers nowadays,” says Israr.

A seller may get up to Dh3000 for his entire house that includes new furniture and electronics. Hoping for more payment from these astute buyers should not be expected since the entire market works in unison and quotes the same rates.

A buyer, on the other hand may have to splurge more to furnish even the basics. A seven-seater sofa in good shape may cost anywhere between Dh1500-3000 while a two door cupboard can be got for Dh50-150 and a single bed without a mattress for between Dh100-150.

“We hardly make anything more than Dh200 on each piece,” explains Asrar Khan, who has seen all the ups and downs in the market over the
past 15 years.

The market had seen a similar dip in the years 2000-2005 when new and cheaper furniture form Malaysia and China flooded the shops, he explains. However, the prices of old furniture have gone up since then.

“The cost of the new and old was more or less the same then,” he says adding that people then preferred newer stuff to old.

The situation now is entirely different. “We stood the test of time and survived then. Now it seems difficult,” he said.

Shops selling new furniture in the same locality feel they may tide over the crisis. “We have started off pretty well and hope to do better in the future,” says Mohammed Atiq of
Kamran Furniture.

“Why should any one go for old stuff if new is available for almost the same price,” he adds.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com