Hello,
i am moving to Taipei soon and i don’t want to move a lot of things, and would rather by them. I am thinking of buying :
- bed
- fridge
- tv
- table and chair
are these furniture cheap in taipei?
thanks for your help
Hello,
i am moving to Taipei soon and i don’t want to move a lot of things, and would rather by them. I am thinking of buying :
thanks for your help
Define “cheap” and give examples of what you consider being the minimum quality for this items. It’s improbable to answer your question meaningfully now.
Xiamen St. in Taipei is the place for used furniture – all shapes and sizes and stylistic statuses. New furniture can be expensive, depending. We always got ours used, or secondhand from people leaving. It’s not a big problem, really.
There is a wide range of items for every budget. That said, I’d avoid IKEA -bad quality, lots of formaldehyde, etc. Stick to Mom and Pop shops for furniture, small places will give you a better rate. Plus, if you order say from the makers, it is also cheaper. I have the advantage of living close to several furniture makers and I get nicer stuff at reasonable prices.
I know you are concerned about how much you will need. Normally, apartments here have some basic furniture, it is actually rare to find a place completely empty. If you arive in summer, an airconditioner should be on top of your list, before bed and TV and all. So, find a place with that.
Stuff you really may need to buy: fans, a couple of them. Dehumidifier machines. A bed mattress I agree has to be new, no matter what. That we are talking about 8K nts up to… the sky is the limit.
Optionals: TV? About same, maybe splurge 12K up. Table and chairs, too. Most homes do not have room for a proper dining set. We mostly eat sitting on the sofa in the living room.
New. I am not too partial to used stuff, unless it is bought from other foreigner. Check when the people are going back for deals.
Furthermore, most landlords do not like to get stuff out of their apartments, especially if you just say “I do not like it”. I had to live with an extra washing machine because I did not like it but honestly, the landlady had no place to put it. That said, most landlords will get furniture/appliances for the apartment if you if you ask them. So they are keen to add, harder to substract.
Furniture can be really cheap if it’s made of particleboard and lots of Formaldehyde. You can get a bookshelf for 300nt, table for a little more, etc. but it will last maybe 2 minutes if it gets more than a few drops of water on it. Plus they look butt ugly too.
The sky’s the limit when it comes to furniture, especially if you want something that’s not going to fall apart. If it’s possible and you already have a set of good furniture then I’d pay to move it. You can buy really well made furniture in Taiwan by the way if you stay away from IKEA and wal-mart style stores… (which just about covers 90% of the stores in Taiwan). If you want an example of expensive there’s a store in the basement somewhere across the street from Wellman’s on Zhongshan N. Rd. sec. 6 that carries very nice handmade furniture, made of solid rosewood or mahogany that costs a LOT. I mean a corner table costing 30,000 and a dinner table (with chairs) costing around 400,000. They will last a lifetime though, or maybe two.
Thanks for your help.
We will finally bring our stuff except the fridge and the dish washer.
Sorry for second guessing your choice but this old timer would like to add a few thoughts, if not for you, then for future generations:
you may/may not have room for that furniture. Most apartments for rent will be furnished, mostly basics, but they will have some. Space is at premium, too. There is rarely a place with storage space.
finding empty apartments is going to be harder than finding a furnished apartment. this will limit your choices.
while yes,the cheaper furniture will be loaded with stuff you do not want -formaldehyde anyone?- there are reasonably priced pieces. and electronics, while not as cheap as in other places abroad, have the disadvantage that they cannot be moved easily, especially shipped abroad.
BTW, dishwashers are really pricey and you will have to pay extra for the setup… if it fits in the kitchen. This will require a high end place. Fridge is OK, except if you also want the water/ice setup. That mot houses do not have, you’ll haveto fit your own or find a high end house. Luckily, that kind of house repairs/modifications is not expensive, not that hard to find -if you speak Chinese, that is- but definetively needs the landlord’s agreement.
Anyways, as your company may be footing the bill, most of the above mentioned is moot. Hope you really like it here and stay a long time.
If you only limit yourself to tealit then yea you won’t find empty flats but they do exist and are cheaper than furnished flats. If you got your own furniture then it makes sense to rent that. The place I got was totally empty except for a bed stand and some misc. stuff that the previous tenant was too lazy to take away. At minimum there will be a basic fridge and a gas stove.
If your company is providing a high end place it most likely will be furnished.
Cheap
Expensive
For the first picture, you’ll be surprised how expensive that one can be! It is solid wood after all.
As for the second picture, if you get them at IKEA they can be quite cheap, and will look just like the picture! No guarantee about the quality of course…
[quote=“Taiwan Luthiers”]For the first picture, you’ll be surprised how expensive that one can be! It is solid wood after all.
As for the second picture, if you get them at IKEA they can be quite cheap, and will look just like the picture! No guarantee about the quality of course…[/quote]
Ah, TL, the second Picture is Natuzzo,probably the most expensive suite available
I know that, but they look just like IKEA furniture. I’m sure the suite in question uses furniture that are well made (ie. designed by some random European) and leather upholstery, however IKEA will be able to deliver the look at probably 1/10th the price, just that anyone with class will be able to feel the difference. I’ve seen cardboard furniture from Ikea before! That company probably supplies movie sets because they probably need to be destructible. I also bet IKEA supplies those Japanese stress relief rooms (those rooms you pay to go in and destroy everything inside)
I am currently in the process of changing my sofa. It is a two meter monstrosity that I got on sale, 5k. Really comfy, huge 2 meter length, but cover is cloth, and it is turning green no matter how much I clean it. Please note original color is brown, and it is less than 5 years old. That it is our favorite napping spot for Bobby, Toto and me does not help. It is also a Twilight Zone where newspapers, keys, money, medicine and remotes are lost and found.
A good bet, as said, is to check those international names. There is a recliner I am in love with, lovely, 30K I believe… hola.com.tw/product/detail/id/402916
Or something like this: rp1.monday.vip.tw1.yahoo.net/res … 5-s200.jpg
A MIT clone costs 16K, 11K a less fancy model. Like this-but better:
i-house.com.tw/product/detail/id/456606
Or cheaper: i-house.com.tw/product/detail/id/253600
OTOH, I can get a nice 2 seater with a wide footrest/ottoman/extra seating or table kind of function for 10k: tw.mall.yahoo.com/item/p08734010 … pFS_TWC081
So you see, guys, my point is that you can find something nice as per your needs and within budget, there are many choices, quality varies but it is rather obvious which is which. Now it is a good time to buy as before New Year the stores like to sell old stuff and leave space for fancy things to sell over the holidays.
Truth be told, I am in love with the real wood items, in Xindian there are like 3 stores that sell these organic designs. Really pretty, really out of my budget, but what I love the most is their display, very homelike -find the cat!