I got a free office chair!

Nathaniel Christopher 1 Comment

I recently got a free office chair from Craigslist. Merry Christmas, Nathaniel!

“Free office chair,” read the advert. “Comfortable, but has hole in cushion as you can see in the photo. Need to free up some space so, come and get it!”

Khan relaxing on my free Verco chair!
Khan relaxing on my free Verco chair!

The guy who posted the ad, a pleasant man with an English accent, needed to get rid of the chair to make space for his new baby. So, I told him I’d be happy to take it and Housemate kindly drove me to his place Downtown.

Usually I would never scour the free section of Craigslist – it makes me feel like some over-zealous cheapskate who re-uses toilet paper and steals bed sheets from the dumpster behind the morgue.

But I was flat broke and needed an office chair as soon as possible.

I got this chair to replace one that unexpectedly broke the night before. I bought that chair, a seemingly nice leather office chair, off of Craigslist back in August for $70. It was comfortable and seemed pretty sturdy.

Khan sitting on a leather chair that only lasted four months.
Khan sitting on a leather chair that only lasted four months.

Unfortunately, it did not recline but someone (whose name I shan’t mention) decided to sit in the chair and put all their weight against it while leaning back. I heard a loud snap and that was the end of my chair.

Terminally cracked chair back.
Terminally cracked chair back.

I took the chair apart in an attempt to fix it and discovered that the wood backing had cracked near the base. I posted a photo to Facebook and asked my handy friends if there was any way I could fix it. My buddy Carissa told me that it was pretty much a lost cause unless I wanted to replace the entire piece of wood.

Oy!

I went through this same drama back in August when my old office chair literally fell to pieces after three years of good service. I found that chair, a Krug arm tilter that was made in Canada in 1985, outside my building’s dumpster back in 2008. It was an excellent piece of furniture that doubled as a scratching post for Khan who was often seen relaxing on its cushion.

My old Krug chair.
My old Krug chair.

But I liked the new leather chair and was rather peeved that I only got four months of use out of it. That was $70 down the toilet! I could not justify spending any more money on furniture so, I just stormed onto Craigslist’s free zone and found this lovely Verco office chair. Verco is a British brand and I’ve never seen it for sale here so I wonder if the guy who sold it to me brought this chair over from the old country. I hope it is – I’m always looking for more connections with Mother England.

All the change that I found in my Krug chair.
All the change that I found in my Krug chair.

Regardless, this free chair is definitely sturdier and more comfortable than the chair I spent $70 on. Also, I looked at it pretty closely and can tell that it was definitely manufactured to a much higher standard than the leather chair.
Sometimes free is better! Next stop… the morgue dumpster!

I am a resident of Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, who has been blogging here for nearly 25 years. I enjoy sharing my thoughts and feelings on my own online platform. From 1998 until 2017, I worked as a journalist, and I have posted most of my articles in the 'News' section of this website.

1 Comment

  1. There is no worries about getting things free. You are helping your wallet, your financial goals and mother earth. Frugal for the win!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *