This post was written by Daniel Mrdjenovich. Follow him on Twitter or Google Plus.The month of June proved quite exciting for the Priceonomics team. Over the course of three weeks our team doubled in size as we welcomed James, Daniel and Forrest. Although we couldn’t be happier with the growth, it meant that we now have a shortage of office chairs. This might have proven a non-issue at any large corporation, but as a startup we don’t exactly stockpile dozens of chairs in the hopes of one day entertaining visitors.In order to make sure that everyone had a productive first day, Michael researched the prices of new Herman Miller Aeron Chairs. As awesome as the interns might prove to be, Priceonomics was surely not going to pay $800+ per chair. Based on Priceonomics data, Michael determined used Size B Aeron chairs were valued at $450 on used markets. Fortunately, all of our new hires today sit comfortably on office chairs. Throughout the course of the process, Michael learned quite a bit about the craigslist market for office chairs.
We hope this post offers tips buyers and sellers tips on how to assess the value of Aeron chairs.Don't Be Satisfied with "Excellent Condition"Even at the used price of $450 per Aeron chair, that's still a lot of money. We wanted to be sure they were of good quality, here's our five-step inspection checklist:1. Sizing: Turns out, Herman Miller actually offers three different sizes for Aeron chairs: A, B, and C. Here’s a breakdown of the appropriate size based on height and weight from the Aeron Chair Blog:Michael found that in most listings sellers don’t mention size. Since Aeron chairs look similar regardless of size, you can figure out a chair’s size by placing your hand under the back’s flap. You should feel one, two, or three bumps corresponding to sizes A, B, or C.2. Mesh Quality: Unlike other office chairs, the Aeron chair relies on mesh rather than cushion for support. Damaged, torn, or frayed mesh will likely require an expensive replacement in the near future.3. Working Levers: Let’s be honest, as ergonomic as this chair might seem, it’s useless if you can’t adjust it.4.
Armrest Damage: Aeron chairs are designed to fit underneath your desk. Unfortunately, many armrest are often scuffed or dislodged by rubbing up against the underside of the desk. If you don’t mind ugly armrests, you could still buy one of these and ask for a discount.5. Proper Lumbar Support: Unless you plan to suffer through nine hours of agony each day, inspect the lumbar support quality. Since it only costs around $60 for these replacement parts, damaged lumbar support could prove a bargaining tactic with the seller.When people refer to Craiglist as a “broken system”, they’re usually frustrated at the fact they can’t always buy or sell exactly what they want. Although you might not always land the item you wanted at your desired price, Michael discovered you can take some steps to ensure you find something as close as possible. In our case, we wanted a black Aeron Size B chair for under $450 delivered to our offices. Here's how we made it happen:1. Alerts: Timing is key in a market like Craigslist.
If an item in high demand appears on Craigslist at a good price, it probably won’t last long. In order to remedy this, Michael developed a quick hack using Craigslist RSS and Google Reader. Visit your local Craigslist site and enter a search similar to what’s shown below:Once you’re satisfied with your search, scroll and click the RSS button located at the bottom right of the page. You should see something like this:Copy the URL of the new page. Open Google Reader and subscribe to this URL. Boom, your own personalized Craigslist feed!2. Short and Direct Intros: Chances are that most sellers will quickly scan through your first email so it’s probably best not to load it with unnecessary information. Our messages read something like this:“Hey there, we are a company located in “X neighborhood” in need of office chairs. Are you willing to deliver? Short and to the point. In a market full of scams, it’s best to leave your name and number to prove you’re a real person.3. Delivery Request: Since we all live in the city, none of us had a car to transport our coveted new office chairs.
Michael found that in some cases sellers were more than willing to deliver to our offices to finalize the sale. In other cases, the seller could be coaxed into delivery by offering another $25. If you need something delivered, it doesn’t hurt to ask.4. Payment Process: Make sure to agree upon a final price (plus delivery or minus defects) and payment type. Although we intended to pay with a company check, most sellers would only accept cash. Would’ve been a bit awkward if we hadn’t fleshed out these details ahead of time.While this post won’t single handedly solve the Craigslist dilemma, we hope it provides some useful perspective for large and expensive items such as the Aeron chair. Throughout the process, Michael learned to make the used market work. At first, he restricted his search to listings below $375, well below the fair price indicated by our data. Within a few days only a few listings appeared and it seemed as if the new hires were destined to work from the floor. Once Michael moved his price range closer to the used market price, multiple options quickly popped up.
Oh yeah, Priceonomics is hiring engineers! Get the latest from Priceonomics on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.I'm starting to feel like I'm a big shill for Herman Miller's Sayl chair, but I think it's really great, and significantly less expensive than the Aeron. If you're not down to buy a used Aeron, get a new Sayl. A lot of companies are very good, and about as good as Herman Miller: if you google them up, you will find lots of suitable alternatives (also consider local shopping or e-shopping). For instance, there seems to be a lot of positive feedbacks online about the Alera Elusion series of chairs, which is substantially less than the Aeron.Herman Miller makes other fine chairs too, which are priced less than the Aeron - the Sayl, for instance, is half the price of an Aeron.Chances are you’re familiar with the Herman Miller Aeron chair. It’s the most iconic and popular ergonomic office chair on the market today. Aeron’s durability and dependability, as well as its price point and demand, have created a thriving resale market.
In this article, we’ll provide tips and advice on how to go about deciding whether a new or used Aeron chair is right for you. We’ll also provide other important information like how to distinguish a reseller from an authorized retailer. The Herman Miller Aeron chair is a high-quality piece of furniture that is built to last. One of the biggest reasons people often look for used Aeron chairs is because of the price. With a used Aeron chair you have the potential to save hundreds of dollars. However, no matter how well built a product is, eventually things can and do break. It’s important to weigh a number of factors when deciding whether you want to purchase a used Aeron verse a new one, the biggest one being the chairs age. When you purchase a new Aeron chair, it comes directly from the manufacturer and has never been owned or used. However, when you purchase a used or refurbished Aeron you get no guarantee of how old that chair actually is, nor how well or poorly it was taken care of by its previous owner.
It’s not uncommon to see 8 to 12+-year-old chairs (even as high as 20 years) on the resale market. That increases the likelihood that something will go wrong with the chair and that your recently purchased Aeron will require a repair or warranty claim. TIP: How To Determine The Age Of An Aeron Chair? If you want to know how old your chair is, look at the bottom of the chair. Underneath the seat of a new authentic Aeron chair, there is a sticker that will list the manufactured date as well as other specific information needed to warranty your chair. On used chairs, that sticker is sometimes removed to hide the chairs age. TIP: What’s The Difference Between Used and Refurbished? Sometimes sellers refer to used chairs to as refurbished. A refurbished chair is still a used chair. It just means that it has undergone inspection and that anything broken has been fixed or replaced and the appearance of the chair has been cleaned up. When purchasing an Aeron chair.
Make sure you’re buying from a reputable seller. Retailers that carry the “Authorized” or “Official” Herman Miller Retailer title have been vetted by Herman Miller and approved to sell new factory-direct Aeron chairs. If a business is not an authorized retailer, then it is a reseller. This means the product is either used or a reproduction and not manufactured by Herman Miller. Some authorized retailers do sell used Aeron chairs through their outlet or clearance stores. While these chairs do not have a Herman Miller warranty, as an official reseller they do use new original parts direct from the manufacturer to refurbish their chairs. These chairs are referred to as Certified Pre-Owned Aeron Chairs. Certified pre-owned chairs go through a 29-point inspection and refurbish process. This ensures higher quality used chairs then unauthorized resellers might offers. CAUTION: If you’re considering a seller that isn’t authorized or official, be mindful that it won’t come directly from Herman Miller and isn’t guaranteed to be genuine or use all genuine Herman Miller parts.
Unauthorized resellers might even avoid listing the fact that their chairs are used. So you might think you’re getting a new Aeron chair when in fact you’re getting a used chair. TIP: How To Know If Your Seller is Authorized aka Official? Look for the Authorized or Official “Herman Miller Retailer” badge. You can also look at Herman Miller’s website where they list their authorized retailers. When considering a used Classic Aeron chair versus a new chair consider the kind of warranty backing it. Not all warranties are created equal. Buying new from an authorized retailer guarantees you have a full manufacturer backed 12-year warranty. If your Aeron needs repair at any time in the next 12 years any authorized repair center will ship and service the chair at no cost to you. When you purchase a used Aeron chair a reseller may offer their own warranty from 0 to 12 years. Warranties vary from reseller to reseller but none are recognized by the manufacturer and servicing is dependent upon the reseller honoring it.
Because a used Aeron chair’s warranty is serviced by the reseller it’s a good idea to make sure you trust the reseller. A used Aeron is already an older chair which makes the chance of a part breaking more likely. We recommend reviewing reseller warranties in detail and see if you can find reviews from other customers that had their chairs repaired and warranties honored. Price depends largely on your choice of configuration options. A good office chair should be considered a long-term investment — like a home appliance or a car. Aeron is guaranteed to last 12-years but often people keep them much longer. While used Aeron chairs can be more affordable you also assume more risk in that purchase. Often retailers and resellers will list the lowest configuration price. This is often a configuration without arms or many of the ergonomic adjustments most of us want on the chair. Just be mindful when trying to price shop that you’re matching the right configurations and pricing together.
Some unauthorized resellers will mix and match old chair parts to assemble a full Aeron. They’ll even spray paint the frame to hide wear and tear. We call these Frankenstein chairs. The safest way to avoid them is buying a new chair from an authorized (aka official) retailer. However, if a used chair is still your best option, make sure you shop around for the best reseller. We recommend you consider going with Certified Pre-Owned Aeron Chairs from an authorized retailer to ensure you’re getting a chair with genuine parts that have been reviewed by certified technicians. Regardless of whether a new or used Herman Miller Aeron or Classic Aeron is right for you, investing in a supportive ergonomic office chair is a great decision with lifelong health benefits. Office Designs has been an Authorized Herman Miller Retailer for over 20 years and is a trusted source for premium office seating and office furniture. With over 150,000 Aeron chairs sold we are the largest online retailer and an Authorized Herman Miller Warranty Service Center.