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What about second hand couches? I'm not sure how it all goes in the US, but here in Holland, we can get tons of free couches that look fine, do people sell ever

What about second hand couches? I'm not sure how it all goes in the US, but here in Holland, we can get tons of free couches that look fine, do people sell everything they want to get rid of over there? - http://www.marktplaats.nl/z/huis-en-inrichting/banken-bankstellen/bank.html?query=bank&categoryId=505&sortBy=price&sortOrder=increasing http://www.marktplaats.nl/z/huis-en-inrichting/banken-bankst... Stuff like this disgusts me. How is it even legal to charge so much interest?!

s1300045 12y ago
To provide some background, one needs to understand the United States is vast geographically. Driving for 2 hours over 100 miles (160 kms) is considered normal to a lot of people. That creates a huge gap among the poor and the middle class in terms of resources. I live in Chicago, and it is very, very easy to get a user couch in great condition for under $100 because the supply is plenty. People here can afford to get rid of their barely used furniture for whatever reason they like. On the other hand, people living in the poor, rural areas have no access to this supply of cheap quality used goods. And they don't have the means to leave. I would suppose opening up a business that transfer used goods from the rich area to poor area and capitalize on the margin would be a great idea in a lot of ways.
- bluedino 12y ago
  If you can drive over to Aaron's to get a couch, you can drive to someone's on craigslist to buy one (or have them bring it to you for an extra $20)
- monksy 12y ago
  > live in Chicago I imagine if you were patient enough you'd find a really good couch on Craigslist free section.
ryan-c 12y ago
I paid $100 for my current couch second hand five years ago. Usable free couches in cities tend to be picked up by people who then sell them on craigslist. When I was in my early 20s, I lived in a town that was maybe 30% college students. Apartment complexes would bring out huge dumpsters for "moving day". Much of the stuff that was thrown away was fine, just too much hassle to move. My friends and I would go around in a truck and dumpster dive. We got furniture this way, as well as a TV and a blender that I still have (after through cleaning) many years later. There was a lot of nice stuff that we didn't take we saw over the years - a fossball table and an electric organ stick out in my memory.
mikeash 12y ago
It's not legal to charge so much interest, but they get around that law because they're "charging rent" which eventually converts to ownership, not making a "loan".

s1300045 12y ago

To provide some background, one needs to understand the United States is vast geographically. Driving for 2 hours over 100 miles (160 kms) is considered normal to a lot of people. That creates a huge gap among the poor and the middle class in terms of resources. I live in Chicago, and it is very, very easy to get a user couch in great condition for under $100 because the supply is plenty. People here can afford to get rid of their barely used furniture for whatever reason they like. On the other hand, people living in the poor, rural areas have no access to this supply of cheap quality used goods. And they don't have the means to leave. I would suppose opening up a business that transfer used goods from the rich area to poor area and capitalize on the margin would be a great idea in a lot of ways.

bluedino 12y ago
If you can drive over to Aaron's to get a couch, you can drive to someone's on craigslist to buy one (or have them bring it to you for an extra $20)
monksy 12y ago
> live in Chicago I imagine if you were patient enough you'd find a really good couch on Craigslist free section.

ryan-c 12y ago

I paid $100 for my current couch second hand five years ago. Usable free couches in cities tend to be picked up by people who then sell them on craigslist. When I was in my early 20s, I lived in a town that was maybe 30% college students. Apartment complexes would bring out huge dumpsters for "moving day". Much of the stuff that was thrown away was fine, just too much hassle to move. My friends and I would go around in a truck and dumpster dive. We got furniture this way, as well as a TV and a blender that I still have (after through cleaning) many years later. There was a lot of nice stuff that we didn't take we saw over the years - a fossball table and an electric organ stick out in my memory.

mikeash 12y ago

It's not legal to charge so much interest, but they get around that law because they're "charging rent" which eventually converts to ownership, not making a "loan".