derbyflan

Hello,

Can someone please tell me if there is a huge difference in the price of furniture and white goods between France and the UK.

We're moving over later this month and are currently considering if it's worthwhile storing our beds, sofas, washing machine etc or just buying new once we've settled.

Cheers!

Ka Ora!

White goods cost more here, Furniture seems to be either complete crap which the likes of But sell. Or the better quality stuff is quite pricey. For the sake of cutting a plug off and fitting a new one I would bring my white goods with me to France.

brioche

For household appliances, I can't say I noticed a huge difference, but I didn't get anything fancy. My washing machine and fridge came from Darty (who do delivery and set-up), so you can have a look at what sort of prices they're charging:

http://www.darty.com/nav/achat/gros_...ger/index.html

For furniture, I have to agree with Ka Ora!: French furniture is either really naff-looking and cheap, or rather expensive. I settled for a few trips to IKEA, but that's not to everyone's taste.

derbyflan

Thanks to both of you.

Much appreciated

Etoile de Berger

May I just add that good French furniture is wonderful...it is solid and generally very well made. Unlike some modern British furniture which is expected to look older after two years, it is meant to last through the next generation.

It is often made of solid oak and can be very heavy. Pine is regarded here as a lower quality wood and although it is trickling in , is not as available as in the UK. The quality of the furniture is also not very good.

There is a very French style which is rather heavy and reminiscent of the 19th and early 20th Century...I would call it soft rustic. Modern furniture is hard to find outside large cities and is very expensive. OTOH you can find handcrafted tables, chairs, wardrobes and coffrets at large weekly markets and if you can speak French, can sometimes bargain but you can also ask for special measurements to be respected. Many of the artisans are very good and make a living making bespoke furniture.

Then there are the brocantes if you want to refinish furniture...again bargaining is the key here. There is also a chain of shops called Troc de L'Isle which takes in old furniture for money and resells it. IMO it is a bit expensive but you can find some real treasures there...huge dressers and fascinating beds for example. They also sell bric a brac and glassware, and if you collect memorabilia you may find what you like there. It is also good for garden ornaments and pots which are prohibitively expensive here.

So there isn't a real answer...but it is fun to look around!

Peabrain

I entirely agree with Etoile. There is a lot of crap furniture on either side of the English Channel; I would be tempted to say more so on the northern side, but that's just a matter of opinion and taste. If you're prepared to pay for it, you can get extremely stylish, well-made stuff here, not necessarily made in France, but German, Scandinavian and Italian furniture is also widely available, perhaps more so than in the UK. Once bought, it will last and last. 'But', no, Fly, no, Ikea, not usually but upmarket stores sell excellent stuff, and once bought, it will last a lifetime. Never forget, you only get what you pay for, wherever you are in the world. I've just bought a solid oak table, that is 2,20 metres long without the leaves, and a solid oak sideboard about 2 metres long; simple stuff but well made for a little over 2,000 euros, and free delivery. It was in a small, independent store out in the sticks, where one would expect prices to be higher than in a big town. Whether or not it's worth it, I don't know, but it's exactly what I wanted.

As for white goods, I really can't see the point of going through all the hassle of shipping stuff across the Channel that can be found here so easily. There is electricity in France, they did discover washing machines and dishwashers a long time ago..., and if you're planning to stay long-term, sell your old stuff in the UK and get the latest over here. You'll also get after-sales service, which in my experience of, say, Darty is usually good. No messing about with plugs or hoses or trying to find adaptors; life's too short! All in all, you'll probably end up saving money.
PB

howiet01

Is Darty still the place for white goods?

kazzo

We've just bought a new fridge from Darty. They delivered (free) and unpacked and levelled it in the right position for us; they also took away all the packaging. We did compare prices and ranges in Conforama and Leclerc's electrical goods shop as well as a local electrical goods shop. We were pleased with the one we bought from Darty and the price was competitive.

loy loy

We brought all our stuff with us and just use the plug adapters, when they need replacing we will buy it all here.

We have bought a new fridge and that seemed comparable to the UK.

The furniture here, in general, does seem to be of low quality. Some the antique places seem to charge a fortune, but you can find bargains.

We also bought 2 new beds here, bunk beds and our bed, they were quite pricey but not hugely more than than the UK and to be fair, they are both well made.

If you are interseted I can ask my wife where we/she bought them all from.

I think we used cdiscount for the fridge - recommended by school friend. They also gave us the bed place I think.

cjm

If you are prepared to look and look and use vide grenier, you can get some decent brown furniture that is reasonably substantial and okay for price. TROC can have items of vfm, but suites and sofas are dire and given their size I cannot see how many French get them into two rooms. let alone one.
Price competition in France is not so strong as it is in the UK so prices for white goods that are identical with those in UK are higher.
If I can use that Swedish four-letter word, their products are fine as you will find similar in UK, but again prices are higher.
I failed to find a shower tray here that had the width I was stuck with, so found it in UK and at a fraction of the price any of the major bricolage depots. of related size.

cyrian

Try Amazon.fr for white goods.
You don't have credit card guarantee in France if the supplier goes bust and
online fraud has increased in France. I use Amazon for purchases rather than use smaller suppliers because I feel that my card details are more secure.
We found load of cheap furniture then a big gap until very expensive.
We also bought from IKEA.

cjm

You used the four letter word !!

cyrian

ChissayLuke

We brought white goods out from UK s the prices were much better there, and bought new specifically to equip the French house. We bought premium lines so they'd last.
All continues to be fine with the dishwasher & freezer which (touch wood) have needed no attention.
Washing machine and tumble dryer have needed service, and despite being big-name European brands, availability of parts has been an issue, and both have now been replaced. With bargain basement, cheap 'throwaway' French units as these seem to be best value!
After all, a washing machine just goes round and round, adds and subtracts water, so why waste money