An anonymous reader, let’s call her “Fiona,” asks via our contact form, “I’m trying to find reliable information about buying secondhand teak furniture [online] and how concerned I should be about bedbugs, which precautions should I take (if any), etc. I’m specifically thinking of a teak coffee table (not too many places to hide, etc., but I know very little about bed bugs). Anyway, I’m not sure if you’re willing to do this, but I would love to hear your opinion on this. And if there are any steps you’d take in treating the furniture or whether it sounds like I should avoid buying it entirely. “Many thanks for your time with this…” Not being an expert myself, I asked some of the experts known to our Bedbugger forum users for their advice. I consulted with some of our experts and got the following helpful responses: David Cain, of Bed Bugs Ltd. suggests that, It is actually safer to check and buy a secondhand piece of furniture than it is to assume that the new store-bought stuff is ‘going to be bedbug free because it’s new’– we all know a few stories of how that false sense of security has panned out for a few.
Therefore once the table has been picked it needs to be checked before the transaction is complete. The easiest way to do this is as follows: Start off in a well-lit environment and supplement that light with a bright flashlight, the LED types with the “bluer” light are best, the “yellow/orange” bulbs should be avoided. Make sure you have access to example images to compare and contrast, use a magnifying loupe if needed or better still a microscope attachment for your phone. Inspect all the cracks and crevices looking for: If you find anything, take pictures, document and if needed confirm suspect marks with Bed Bug Blue* as it’s more accurate than visual confirmation alone. Teak stain will be more translucent than faecal and is less likely to have a physically detectable relief when a finger is run over it. Once you are happy it’s checked and clear then it’s time to start transporting to your own property. If the item is delivered to the home, check it before bringing it inside.
In most parts of the world it is illegal to sell/transact an infested item, and as such “it’s got bed bugs; here is the proof” is an acceptable reason to break the contract for the sale. Now here is the flip side of this. Aside from beds any item that does actually have bedbugs which is brought into the home will not usually remain as the nexus of the infestation for more than a few feeding cycles. Therefore there is a viable logic that says: Inspecting items that come into your home is not as critical as having your home correctly set up to detect and eradicate. After all this is a simple extension to the reality of a [detection] system protected hotel, the introduction method is less critical than the detection onsite. Another expert, Paul Bello of PJB Pest Management Consulting offers the following advice for Fiona and others contemplating a used furniture purchase: Paul suggests the following treatment options: Paul notes that “Whichever methodology you decide is best for you, you will be best served to be thorough and conservative in your approach such that you avoid ‘purchasing’ a bed bug problem due to used furniture.”
So the big takeaway here is: inspect secondhand furniture before it comes into the home, and treat if needed. And don’t assume new items are never a problem– inspect those too if possible. Many thanks to David and Paul for their helpful responses and to Fiona for asking this question! Some products and product types referenced above: *David references Bed Bug Blue, a test for bed bug feces. You can read more about Bed Bug Blue, and presumptive blood tests which may also be helpful, in our useful tools page. **Paul references heat chambers. Some PCOs have such chambers. You can read about various consumer-oriented products which heat items to kill bed bugs in the useful tools page– one of which, the Zappbugg Room, is actually large enough to contain larger pieces of used furniture such as a table.you can read our FAQ about killing bed bugs with steam or view dry vapor steamers in our useful tools page. ****Paul references pest strips, available in the US under the brand name Nuvan (outside NY and CT) or Hot Shot (in NY and CT and elsewhere).
You can read about DDVP pest strips in our useful tools page. Disclosure: Bedbugger runs affiliate ads for the products above (among others) and if you shop through the links in Useful Tools or the banner ads, it helps support the continued running of this site at no additional cost to you. More details in our disclosure policy. The best Academy Awards dresses of all time Harrison Ford has 'near-miss' with passenger plane Scarlett Johansson says monogamy isn't natural Whether you're trying to save money, concerned about the environmental impact of ‘fast’ fashion and new furniture, or simply because you prefer finding unique pieces that most people won’t have - any of these reasons are good enough to get hunting. Not everyone lives near op-shops, and, to be honest, not all of them are great! It can be a little frustrating trying to find a needle in a haystack. For this reason, having online options is really useful. Here’s a list of some great online stores that sell or give away clothes for adults and kids, and also furniture.
This has to be my favourite and probably one of the better known sites too. You can find so much on here from Vintage, handmade and new clothes, jewellery, furniture, toys, books, the list goes on! There are sellers from all over the world and you will most certainly find something quite special on here, I know I have many times. You can also sign up to be a seller yourself, but if you’re just wanting to sell off the clothes you don’t wear anymore, make sure they’re of great quality to match the competition of this marketplace. Think of Freecycle but with a few less restrictions and a whole lot easier to use - I've found Freecycle a little tricky. Ziilch is Australia-wide so technically if you lived in Sydney, but saw something in Melbourne that you wanted, you could ‘buy’ it, whereas Freecycle you are put into a group depending on where you live, and you can only give away and pick up from that area. All you need to do is sign up as a member, which is free - you can then search items that you're looking for, or 'sell' things yourself.
This is a predominantly kids site, but there’s an adult category. It’s a little sparse, but I’m guessing they're looking to grow that area of the site. There’s an option where you can see if Reloved would be interested in buying your pre-loved clothes - you can then get store credit or a percentage of the sale. When the 'Marketplace' part of the Asos website came out, I was very happy! It’s certainly where the cool kids go to dress. There’s a real mix of styles and the site definitely funks up the clothes! A good thing about the Marketplace is that it’s worldwide, so the choice is far greater than a lot of other site. They do also have small independent labels on this part of Asos, which are not preloved, so just be aware incase you are looking for only secondhand. Originally 'Round She Goes' is a fashion market that’s held twice a year in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide. It’s a market that’s brimming with preloved and vintage fashion and accessories.
The online shop has been a natural progression from the markets, and there’s a real community feel to it. Emma who is the founder has a complete passion for preloved, you can tell this is her life! It's quite lovely when you see that. This site is a bit more high end fashion, with some designer labels at really good prices! But it’s not all high fashion, there’s also the everyday pair of jeans too. You can also sign up and become a seller on this site too, so if you have some gems in your closet this might be the place! A UK based site that delivers internationally with a passion for all things vintage! Not everything on this site is preloved, some is Vintage inspired. There are some lovely pieces on this site, but it is quite a niche market, so it won’t be suited to everyone. I love this site and have ordered from them twice. It’s mainly a kids store, but there are a few womens' clothes on there too. The clothes are a great price and always in amazing condition.
When ours arrived, they were all packaged up in brown paper and ribbon, and smelled amazing - it’s these small touches that impress us as consumers, and what makes us goes back again. Obviously eBay has to be on this list, as it’s been around for a long time now, and you can get some pretty nice things on there. It has its place in the secondhand market, but more and more the new items are outweighing the preloved. You can however buy pretty much anything on there from clothes to cars, computers to Stamps! It’s a good place to sell, as sometimes you can get way more than what you expected - if you have the right bidders, but equally you can get nothing too! I debated on whether to put this on the list, but decided to as I buy so much from these pages! Most towns and suburbs have their own 'Buy Sell & Swap' groups on Facebook. You can get some real bargains from them too. I tend to get most of the kids' clothes from there, and a lot of their toys too. I’ve also bought clothes for myself and my husband.