En route to the suburbs of downtown Santa Barbara in a generous friend’s truck, my roommate and I were thrilled to be bringing a new(-ish) pink couch home to our empty apartment. After messaging with the seller about measurements, negotiating the price down by $30, and confirming a pickup time, we thought the search for something to replace our camping chair and step stool setup was finally over.
Until, that is, we were three minutes from the seller’s house and received a Facebook message saying that the couch was sold and had already been picked up. Devastated (did I mention the couch was pink?), we were back at square one, searching through the picked-over search results for “couch” on Facebook Marketplace. Visiting my friends’ apartments, I wondered how everyone seemed to have so quickly furnished their new homes in Isla Vista, while my roommate and I were weeks into fall quarter and still using a cooler as a coffee table.
Fast forward a few weeks to me sitting on a huge L-shaped couch I scored for only $100. As a seasoned secondhand furniture shopper, I now have a few tips on where to purchase used furniture in IV in your first off-campus home!
Start by asking around!
A family friend might be moving, a cousin looking for extra cash, or maybe your parents are redecorating. Asking everyone you (and your roommates) know within driving distance of UCSB if they have unwanted furniture is by far the easiest way to quickly survey your options for filling your space. Even just an old rug in need of a new home can make all the difference when trying to source (and budget) everything you need before settling into the new school year. I would know, since that’s what we sat on until Week 3!
Your new place’s old tenants
If none of your family or friends can set you up with furniture for a small price or even for free, the tenants moving out of your new apartment or house might be able to! Whether they’re seniors graduating from UCSB or are just looking to sell some old items before moving into a new place of their own, these residents probably already have some pieces that already fit perfectly in your space. As a major bonus, you won’t have to move those items at all, which might be even harder than actually tracking down furniture. I’m still not sure how mine made it up two flights of stairs!
Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp
These two major online resale platforms are probably both the most useful and the trickiest resources. IV doesn’t even span two square miles, so when the majority of UCSB’s undergraduate population is on the hunt for a table from a convenient pickup spot, there’s guaranteed to be some competition. Thinking back on our deal on the pink couch that fell through (yes, I’m still bitter), there are bound to be competing offers for coveted items. Negotiating prices can be a challenge because you want to get the best deal you can, but you also just want to make sure you don’t miss out on the deal completely. I found my couch on OfferUp, and after learning the hard way, no deal is really guaranteed until it’s packed into your truck and on the road. But initiating multiple (and apparently extensive) confirmations with the seller (price, pickup time, letting them know you are indeed three minutes away) is a must!
Thrifting
Sometimes photos posted on a listing for furniture can be pretty misleading. Stained cushions get turned over, and table scratches get covered with strategically placed vases. Finding pieces in person provides much more peace of mind, ensuring that the item you see in front of you is indeed the one ending up in your living room. But, you’ll likely end up searching far and wide until luck brings you the ones that are meant to be in your home.
The Streets of IV
If you are truly desperate (been there!), you might find yourself pausing on the sidewalk, considering carrying home an abandoned chair on your way home. Make sure to think twice, though, before introducing it to your other pieces of furniture. Pests are commonly hiding in used furniture and can hop over to longstanding pieces in your home. Plus, the general hygiene of randomly strewn furniture is probably questionable. But then again, it is free, so if cleaning and quarantining your new (but old) table is worth the savings, it’s up for grabs!
While keeping these methods in mind, make sure to time your search thoughtfully, considering that furniture listings will be at their peak during spring months as seniors move out. The hunt for furniture can be daunting, but with the right strategies, your new Isla Vista apartment can be fully furnished by Week 0!