Almost every unhappy outcome in this category was avoidable with one question asked thirty seconds earlier.
Ask for measurements
Height, width, depth, in centimetres, measured on camera. Then measure your own space before you bid. Photographs of furniture are unreliable about scale in both directions.
For anything that has to come through a door, ask the smallest dimension — and measure your doorway and your stairs.
Ask how it is getting to you
Courier, seller delivery, or collection. If it is collection, the arrangement is agreed before bidding and there is a date by which it must be collected — so know what you are agreeing to. How pickup works.
A heavy item you cannot collect is not a bargain.
Ask what it is made of
Solid wood, veneer, laminate, engineered board. It changes the value, how it can be repaired, and how it will survive being moved.
Then condition
- The top under raking light
- Edges and corners, for lifted veneer and chips
- Drawers and doors worked on camera
- Feet, underside and any wobble
- Woodworm, water marks, old repairs
What protection covers
Measurements that are materially wrong, undisclosed damage, veneer sold as solid, or a different item than shown: not as described, seven days from delivery.
An item that does not fit a room you did not measure is not covered, which is why the first section of this page is the measurements.
Questions people ask
Can I ask for a piece to be measured mid-show?
Yes, and a good seller expects it.
Is woodworm a dealbreaker?
Ask whether it is old and inactive or current, and ask for it shown.
What if it arrives damaged?
Photographs on arrival, raised within the window. How returns work.