eBay is a great source for better used, secondhand and antique furniture.  And there is no better time to consider buying quality used furniture...better manufacturers' pieces are built to last a lifetime!  Why buy new, when the used piece you are looking at is likely built better.  As an added plus, you are helping to heal the earth...saving landfill space and reducing the need for new manufacturing.

However, shipping used furniture can be an expensive proposition.  These are not pieces that can be shipped flat (a la Ikea).  Trucking is a cost intensive service to provide...gas, insurance and manpower add up fast.  It is estimated that 40 percent of the price of a trucking job is used on gas alone!

So, one way to control the cost of shipping as you go about decorating your home, is to shop locally for better used furnishings in your area.  You can also reduce costs by limiting the scope of your long distance area.  There is a tremendous cost difference between shipping a piece 200 vs. 2000 miles from you.

So, on this worldwide marketplace, how is it possible to find furnishings in YOUR geographic area?  This guide will show you how.

Start with a search for the item you desire, say, a sofa. 

After you have completed your initial search, you will notice a side bar on the left side of the screen, titled "Refine Search."  Below that is a side bar titles "Preferences."

Under preferences, click on the word "Distance".   A dropdown area allows you to input your zipcode, and then select from a range of distances "within" X miles of your zip code.

You can select anywhere from 10 to 2000 miles of your zip code.  Press "Go" and eBay's search tool will sort all of the listings within your selected area providing you with a complete list of all sofas in the area you selected.

For instance, I just walked through a search for sofa within 200 miles of my zipcode.  As I write this, there are 739 listings for sofas within 200 miles of me.

The search tool allows you to broaden or narrow your costs, by narrowing the distance it will take to get the piece to you.  You can select from as little as 10 miles to as much as 2000 miles, with 13 preset options to choose from.

So, perhaps you've got a van or truck and you're willing to work to get your piece home.  Or, you will ship but want to keep the cost of shipping down...well, use this feature to screen for you all of the pieces within a distance near to you.  You may be pleasantly surprised!