mypangongso: April 2009

Furniture hunting can be a rewarding thing on ebay! That is - if you have the patience and the eye for it. Surprised? You shouldnt be. If you are looking for half decent, selectively stylist wooden furniture (mostly made of the trusty Indian sheesham wood) at a gettable price, this is the hunting ground for you. Trust me.

This is truly a Godsend for plywood/veneer furniture haters like me - I would choose not so great wooden furniture over its almost like the real thing, state-of-the-art laminated wood veneer cousin any day. I know, I know - sounds irrational, but its the whole synthetic thing around veneer that puts me off. To me, its like choosing tericot over cotton.

Ok enough of that rant. Getting back to furniture on ebay - pieces here has been inspired from styles as varied as Contemporary, French, Indian vintage to Scandinavian and Far Eastern. So there is a decent range to choose from. What I like about sellers here (most big sellers are from Jodhpur, Rajasthan) is that they are earnestly trying to offer some really basic and practical pieces (a la Ikea's lack shelf, basic wooden corners) that every home needs - but pieces that are strangely either very hard to come by in the Indian market or are overpriced in stores like Fab India. Another thing that struck me as positive about the sellers on the site is that they are very upfront about the wood being used and clearly mention if ply has been used to supplement a part of the piece. So clearly tis no under the carpet con job! (Are you listening - furniture flea markets of Jogeshwari, Mumbai and Amar Colony, Delhi!)

Personally I tasted blood on the site after ordering a lovely opium bed from a vendor called Induscraft last year. I did receive the knockdown piece in good condition but not before dozens of followup calls had been made and over one and half months had passed after placing the order.

Clearly patience was the key in my experience with delivery. I remember thinking in my exasperation that their service was based more on good intentions than good execution. So if you have a furniture deadline to catch, like a first visit from in laws after marriage, this may not be the place for you. But since i had no such compulsions, all was forgiven. This well crafted bed has become the focal point of my guest bedroom and I am pleased with it. So do you blame me for cruising the site for bargains from time to time. Here is a peek into some finds that I would like to own soon.