Job Discussion Forums

[smedini]

I'm just wondering...is there, among the expat community in the UAE, the opportunity to buy used furniture and other necessities to outfit your new place? I'm talking about buying stuff from someone who is leaving, who might want to get rid of their stuff before they leave. Maybe it's a silly question, but I'd hate to buy a bunch of new stuff only to leave it behind, so if it were me I'd try to sell my stuff to a new teacher or, as a new teacher, try to buys stuff from someone on their way out.

If not, what do most people do when they move into an apartment? I know most contracts offer a bit of cash to help you out, so what do most people do with it?

[veiledsentiments]

This depends on so many things. Who is the employer? If it is HCT and ZU, you are handed a big wad of money to go buy furniture. You can splurge on new stuff, hit IKEA and build your own cheaper stuff, head for the used furniture shops and see if you like any of it, or buy an absolute minimal 'camping out in my flat' stuff and see what leaving teachers will have in 9 months. There are also notice boards in the supermarkets selling used stuff. The main problem is that all these teachers arrive about the same time, so timing decides who get the best of the used .

It isn't difficult at all to sell your stuff when you leave.

VS

[NadiaK]

If you buy stuff which will last, you might consider shipping it out when you leave. Many teachers ship a container when they leave.

The problem with teachers buying from teachers is often that people leave in June, others arrive in August. Still, you may find people in your town selling when you arrive. As VS says, it's usually pretty easy to sell at any time of year.

Some people furnish minimally in August, and pick stuff up in Jan/June when others leave.

[stoth1972]

Sharjah has some great furniture shops-you can get things made or buy from what he has. Pinkie's seems to be a popular one. you could also have sofas custom made (i did this is Satwa in Dubai but there are lots of these shops in Sharjah's industrial area, so i suspect you'll find them elsewhere in the UAe, too).

If you're not up for that, the IKEA route is quite popular-Home Centre, too. They'll deliver AND put your stuff together for you. BONUS!

Grocery chains like Spinney's and Choithtrams have boards up of items for sale-popular w/ the expat community.

[NadiaK]

There's not so much of a second-hand market for furniture (the kind that might be advertised on the supermarket boards or on the Internet) in the smaller towns, although it seems to be pretty good in the big cities. Long and short of it - depends where you are.