Condition Guide To Buying Discounted, Ex Display Sofas, Suites and Home Accessories

Welcome to our Condition Guide! If you're unsure about the meaning of any of our product's "condition description," don't worry - help is at hand.  We're dedicated to helping you make informed decisions, so please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns. In the following section, we provide detailed information about the various condition types for our sofas, suites, and other discounted furniture. Read on to learn more and make the best choice for your needs.

Brand new

This shouldn’t really need explaining, but we do like to be thorough! Our brand new furniture is just that, a piece of furniture or upholstery that is in pristine, perfect, new condition with no flaws, faults or cosmetic issues. Brand new furniture may be supplied directly from stock held by us at our showroom, or delivered by one of our trusted suppliers.

Brand new, overstock Furniture described as overstock is typically supplied in the original packaging, although the packaging may be dusty, dirty or scuffed. Overstock simply means that the original high street retailer, supplier or manufacturer ended up with a surplus of this product in stock, which they then cleared for a discounted price. We save money by buying stock that’s already been made to someone else’s specifications, and that allows us to offer you a substantial discount even though the product is still in brand new condition.

Ex-display Sofas, Furniture and Accessories

Ex-display simply describes a product that has been used as a display model. For ex-display sofas, this usually means a sofa that has been kept on the floor of a furniture retailer’s showroom, but it may also indicate a sofa that has been displayed at trade shows, factory showrooms or just our own showroom floor. Ex-display sofas will have been sat on by customers or trade buyers, but generally will not have seen much use. It is typical for larger stores to replace their display models every three to six months, so an ex-display sofa is unlikely to have been on the showroom floor for much longer than this. In order to make sure our customers are aware of exactly what they are buying we always accompany the phrase “ex-display” with a more thorough description of the condition of the furniture.
Ex-display, in excellent condition – Ex display sofas and furniture described as being in excellent condition do not show any signs of wear beyond “someone sat on this a few times”. Typically indistinguishable from brand new sofas, only the most detailed examination may reveal any indications that the sofa has been sat on. If the sofa is in overall excellent condition but with a minor cosmetic defect such as slight creasing to the nap of the fabric this will be detailed in the condition description.
Ex-display, in very good condition – Anything described as “very good” condition will show some minor signs of having been on display. Any cosmetic issues will be described thoroughly in the condition description, typically accompanied by additional photos.
Ex-display, in good overall condition – Stock described as “good” condition may have a more noticeable or serious cosmetic flaw, something that we feel warrants a significantly reduced price.

Prototype Lamps, Lighting, Furniture and Sofas

In addition to our ex display sofas we often stock sofas, chairs and lighting that are prototypes. Part of the design process for building a new sofa model involves rigorous testing, and this involves the building of a prototype so that the manufacturers can see how their new design will work. Prototypes can be very different to the eventual production version and are often completely unique. For sofas, there are many reasons why a prototype model may not make it to the final production stage. The most common one is that the cost of production is too high, making the final product too expensive for retailers to want to stock it. I must admit these are certainly our favourite types of prototype sofa! Other times you may find that the measurements are a little “odd”, for example sofas with extremely deep seats. While it’s not economically viable for a large chain retailer to stock a sofa that will only be suitable for 1% of the population, as long as the correct measurements are provided we know that sofas like these will eventually find the right home! Other prototypes may have odd design choices that make them difficult to fit through doorways, or oversized for most rooms. Where we notice anything odd about a prototype, like extremely deep seats, we will always make sure to describe it so that you can decide whether the sofa will be suitable for you.

As well as prototype sofas, our showroom stocks a huge selection of prototype and sample lighting ranging from the wonderful to the very, very weird. We do sometimes wonder what the manufacturer was thinking when they decided that someone needed a desk light that could be recharged via USB, or a floor lamp that requires two people to lift it! But for every “what on earth” moment, there’s a corresponding lightbulb moment when somebody comes in store to find something unique that’s exactly what they need or want. If you’re looking for something unusual, different or completely unique, prototypes are definitely the way to go.

Sample Sofas and Photographic Models

Sample pieces are frequently unique, just like the prototype sofas. Unlike the prototypes they will have passed various practicality tests and are generally of normal proportions. They’re usually produced to impress buyers at major British high street stores, and are often built to a much higher standard that the eventual production model. It is incredibly common for retailers to respond with “Love the design, but the price is too high” when presented with an attractive sample sofa. Where the cost of producing the sample is much higher than what retailers are prepared to pay, development may cease and the design may be scrapped, leaving the sample piece as a completely unique one-off.

Photographic Models - If you’ve been looking at sofas online you’ve already seen dozens if not hundreds of photographic models! These are the sofas that you see displayed on the big chain stores websites, manufacturer’s websites and catalogue pages. Photographic model sofas are simply built for the purposes of marketing the new sofas. Smaller manufacturers may use the same sofa as their photographic model initially and then bring it to trade shows, however we will usually describe those pieces as “ex-display”. Other than having been shipped from the manufacturer to the photography studio (and then on to us) photographic samples generally have not seen any use. Traditionally, photographic models were produced in all of the main fabric types available but in more recent years photos are often taken of a model in a very plain, neutral coloured fabric and then later edited to have the fabric pattern digitally layered over the top.

Slight Second, Factory Second Sofas

Anything described as a slight second or factory second is not in perfect condition. It has a fault, which is noticeable in some way. Wherever possible any faults will have been professionally repaired, but the repair may be visible. Sometimes the fault may be something that isn't repairable, like a product having the wrong type of back cushion fitted. This will always be reflected in a heavily discounted, reduced price. If you can live with the problem, buying a factory second sofa can save you an amazing amount of money, making it a great choice for someone who needs a comfortable sofa and isn't bothered about the specifics.

Failed Delivery Sofas and Large Furniture

We’ve all heard the horror stories – sofas left wedged in doorways, or abandoned in the garden in the rain. Reputable companies will take sofas back to their warehouse if they don’t fit or have suffered some minor damage during the delivery process, and that’s where the majority of our “failed delivery” sofas come from. Sofas described as being the result of a failed delivery will often have some manner of repair or cosmetic damage, but we will always describe this in the condition description.

How We Describe the Condition of Our Furniture

We want you to be absolutely delighted with your purchase, not only with the great price but also with the condition of your new furniture when it arrives. We take great care in describing the condition of all our items as accurately as possible, including detailed written descriptions and additional photos when necessary. Rest assured, the majority of our stock is in pristine or brand new condition, with no flaws. But if you have any questions or concerns about the condition of any of our furniture or accessories, don't hesitate to reach out - we're always here to help!