How to Buy an Office Chair Secondhand

If you spend hours sitting at your desk each day, a great office chair can make all the difference for your back. But since the best office chairs cost hundreds of dollars—and some are over $1,000—it’s not an investment that everyone can (or wants to) make.

The good news is that since these chairs are built to last for decades, they make excellent secondhand purchases. Yep, you can get all the benefits offered by our top picks at a fraction of the price. But before you fire up a new browser tab and start searching Craigslist, there are just a few things you should keep in mind if you want to buy a refurbished or used office chair.

1. Make a list of must-have features or specific chairs you’re interested in

Before you start looking for an office chair, have a wish list of one or two models you’re interested in and a list of features you’re not willing to compromise on, such as height-adjustable armrests or a mesh back (here’s what we prioritize when evaluating chairs). This will help you quickly comb through used-chair listings and avoid the temptation to buy just any office chair on a budget. More important than scoring a discounted chair is scoring a discounted chair that really fits your needs. It’s kind of like buying a used car: You should have a make and model in mind, but perhaps be flexible with things like color options.

2. Shop local and in person if you can

Once you know what you’re looking for, try to shop local—it’s best if you can see the chair in person, so you are able to try it out and look for any defects, stains, or other issues. The best places to start your chair-shopping adventure are:

Local authorized dealers: Chair companies’ authorized sellers sometimes sell gently used chairs or floor models. See if you can get in touch with a sales or warehouse contact to find out if they have any chairs to sell to individuals. A big benefit of going with an authorized dealer is you can be assured that the parts were all made by the original manufacturer and covered by its warranty. Check out Steelcase’s authorized dealers search form and Herman Miller’s authorized retailers list to find out whether there’s one near you. Herman Miller and Design Within Reach also have five outlets across the United States that sell gently used, overstocked, and returned furniture. They’re located in Vero Beach, Florida; Brooklyn, New York; Oxnard, California; Leesburg, Virginia; and Zeeland, Michigan.

Office liquidators: These companies resell furniture from businesses that have closed. Search Yelp for “office liquidator” to see if there are any near you, and then check their websites for available inventory. I found a pre-owned Herman Miller Aeron chair for $395, for example, from an office liquidator in another state; it’s 2½ hours away, but to save over $600 on a chair that normally goes for $1,000, I’d consider taking the trip. Alternatively, you can search used-office-furniture dealers by state on FurnitureFinders. You’ll need to sign up for a free account, but once you’re logged in, you’ll have access to customer reviews and ratings of the dealer, as well as its furniture listings. Fair warning: You’ll probably also get emails from dealers pitching you chairs they have for sale, so get ready to filter those out of your inbox.

Online classifieds: High-end chairs sometimes appear on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace, but the selections are limited, so you’ll need to be patient to find the exact chair you want. You might get lucky, however, by searching these sites with a generic term like “office chair.” As this video from YouTuber Ahnestly points out, sometimes people sell pricey office chairs like the Herman Miller Aeron without knowing what they are. It takes some patience to comb through all the listings, but the results can be worth it.

3. Test the chair before you buy

Once you’ve found a chair you think you want, be sure to actually sit in it before you hand over the cash. Bring a printout, or refer to the chair manufacturer’s website during testing so you know what adjustments and features to look for. Spend enough time in the chair to make sure it fits you, is comfortable, and is in full working order. In particular, do this:

• Test the adjustment levers to make sure they work smoothly, since these are most likely to wear out. Raise and lower the chair, and, if possible, adjust the armrests, lumbar support, and seat pan depth. Lock anything that can be locked—like the armrest and recline angle—and make sure they don’t budge once they’re locked.
• When you’re seated with your back against the backrest, take note of whether there’s the recommended small gap (about three fingers’ width) between the back of your knees and the front of the seat. Do your lower and mid-back feel supported? (The lumbar support should hit you in the small of your back, right about your belt line.) Does the seat feel too firm, too soft, or just right?
• Lean back in the chair to recline. Adjust the tension control, which adjusts how much force is needed to tilt back. Make sure this is comfortable.
• Wheel the chair around. The casters should be secure in the base and roll easily.
• Check the fabric on the seat and back for any tears, stains, or unpleasant odors. (Cleaning an office chair is straightforward, but if the chair requires deep cleaning, you might be able to negotiate the price.)
• Look for any cracks in plastic and metal pieces, especially on the wheels and armrests.

If you’re concerned about authenticity, Amy Auscherman, head of archives and brand heritage at Herman Miller, advises that you look specifically for the label attached to the underside of the chair. That label on most chairs often lists the serial number, model number, and date the chair was manufactured.

4. Take caution before buying online, and look at the return policy

It’s possible to buy a used or refurbished office chair online, but you’ll want to take a few extra steps to make sure the site is legit before forking over your money.

If you Google “used [name of office chair],” you’ll come across tons of sites that resell name-brand chairs and deliver nationally. Unfortunately, some of them are sketchy and have reputations for selling chairs that are defective or not as described online, and then require the buyer to pay for return shipping and a restocking fee. Before buying from any site, check the Better Business Bureau for complaints. (Madison Seating has a B+ BBB rating and responds to customer complaints against it, but not all of its responses are satisfactory, in our opinion.) Trustpilot and ResellerRatings are two other store review sites you can refer to.

The Reddit community, particularly r/OfficeChairs, often shares experiences of buying chairs from online resellers, such as this warning about National Office Interiors and Liquidators (aka NOIL and National Office Interiors). The two sites that Reddit users recommended most for buying a refurbished chair are BTOD and Crandall, albeit with some mixed reviews. Both remanufacture office chairs with their own replacement parts, and offer free shipping and free return shipping within 30 days. Both companies also offer their own warranty covering manufacturer defects (a 12-year warranty for Steelcase chairs and a two-year warranty on Herman Miller chairs). We haven’t bought from either site, however, so we can’t endorse them, even though buyers’ experiences with these sites seem to be favorable in general.

Regardless of where you buy a chair online, make sure you check the fine print:

• What is the return policy? Don’t buy a chair sight unseen if there isn’t a return policy. Stay away from sites that will accept a return only if there are major defects that you have to report within a day or two, since you’ll want ample time to test the chair. Also, look out for a restocking fee and return shipping charges. (And make sure you hold on to that giant shipping box, if you think you might need to return the chair.)
• How is the chair described? If it’s “open box,” that means the chair was returned for some reason. This is a big gamble: It could be like new, a floor model, or have a lot of wear and tear, so proceed with caution. “Used” or “refurbished” labels are clearer—you know you’ll be getting a pre-loved item or one that has been repaired. In any case, there should be a description of the overall condition of the chair, such as if there are slight scratches on an armrest or if any parts have been replaced.
• Does the chair have all the specs you’re looking for? Since high-end chairs are often customized, check the specifications/details list to make sure all the features you want are noted, such as adjustable lumbar support, armrest adjustability, or casters for hardwood. If it’s unclear, ask the seller.
• Has the pneumatic cylinder been replaced? Does it need to be? This is a part of the chair that should be newer, even in a used product, Herman Miller’s Auscherman told us. Not all sites will mention whether the cylinder has been replaced, but it’s worth asking the seller.
• What’s the warranty? Most chair warranties aren’t transferable—they stay with the original purchaser. But we have heard of cases where chair manufacturers have provided replacement parts if they were given the serial number from the manufacturer tag on the chair. Some sites add their own warranty, but you’ll also want to check what those entail; most don’t cover normal wear and tear but do cover defects, such as if the pneumatic height adjustment is no longer working.
• Is the chair delivered assembled or in parts? If you need to assemble it, you might want to look up assembly instructions first and make sure all the necessary tools (which are usually included with the chair when buying new) are provided.

Even when you’re saving hundreds of dollars by buying a used or refurbished chair, it’s still a big purchase. Talk to the seller before buying, whether you’re doing it in person or online. Call or email first to make sure the chair is still available, and ask about the chair’s condition: how clean it is, if all the adjustments work, and if there’s any damage to the fabric or the other parts of the chair. Ask whether any of the parts have been replaced, and if they were, ask whether they are original manufacturer parts. You can also ask for a photo of the manufacturing label on the underside of the chair.

It takes work to find the best bargain, but once you’ve bought your new (old) chair, you can luxuriate in the upgraded seating experience and the satisfaction of knowing that you saved a great deal of money on something you’ll use for years to come.