Doesn’t matter if you decide to ship your household to Australia or arrive with just a suitcase, after finding your first rental in Sydney you will need to, at the very least, buy the basics to set up a house.
But how do you do this on a budget?
Where in Sydney to Buy Furniture and Appliances for Reasonable Prices
Email from Sydney Moving Guide community member.
We are now in Sydney for three weeks, but staying in temporary accommodation. However, thanks to your apartment finding tip, we have managed to secure a beautiful two-bedroom apartment in Strathfield. And now, my worrying starts regarding buying stuff for our new place.
I am writing to you to ask if you have any guidance on where to buy furniture and other appliances for our unfurnished apartment at reasonable prices? Perhaps this can also be a good topic in your blog.
We Didn't Budget Furnishing Our First Rental
This email took me all the way back to 2008 when we first arrived in Sydney.
Our first two weeks were consumed with finding an apartment in a very competitive rental market which neither of us had any experience with previously. Finding our first place in Sydney was such a relief that we completely forgot about practical things like having something to sleep on or cook with until our shipment arrived.
While we did budget for the big move to Sydney, what we didn’t count on was paying more for rent than we had planned. Like $100 a week more.
The check we handed over to the real estate agent was a big chunk of our savings and left us with very little until that first paycheck arrived.
That very first night in our new Sydney apartment was not fun, sleeping directly on the floor with clothes folded up as a pillow. Not something I recommend or wish to ever do again.
It only took one night for us to both agree that it was time to bust out the emergency credit card and go shopping.
Hopefully, you’re wiser than we were. And, hopefully, you’ll come across this post so that you will not be sleeping on the floor of your first apartment in Sydney.
Below I’ve listed secondhand, online and physical stores in Sydney. Most will be budget options, but some are not because when it comes to certain items, like mattresses or larger pieces of furniture, sofas and such, you want to find that sweet spot between what you can afford and quality.
Where to Shop for Your First Apartment in Sydney and Not Break the Bank
Second Hand Stores in Sydney
The Salvation Army (aka Salvos) and St. Vinnies are the two main second hand stores in Sydney. Similar to the Goodwill or Value Village in the States.Most of the stores in Sydney do not have furniture, but you can find other things like sheets, towels, dishes, cutlery and pots and pans.
The most popular place in Australia to buy second hand homewares and furniture is Gumtree, the Craigslist of Australia, with Facebook marketplace being either a close second or nearly tied with Gumtree.
There is one problem with shopping for furniture or appliances on Gumtree or Facebook marketplace. No one delivers.
To get around this, many Sydney Moving Guide community members have joined a car share in Sydney, such as GoGet, then reserve a van or ute and do all their pickups at once. This is a good option especially if you are thinking of living car-free in Sydney for the first few years. A car-share lets you get around the city easily and you don't have to worry about gas, insurance or even parking as GoGet has reserved parking spaces all over the city.
Note: Do not take a car share out on a lengthy road trip. It will end up costing you way more than a rental car.
Cheap Online Options
There are several discount stores that will deliver directly to your new place. Nice for things that you only need temporarily as the quality is not great, but perfect in a pinch if you're waiting for you shipment to arrive. (Though I have lucked out with a dining room set from Oz Sale that has lasted quite awhile.)
Online Homewares That are Better Quality
Living Styles – Definitely a step up in both price and quality.
Brosa Furniture – Love the style of the furniture here but the prices are steep. Once in a while, you can score on mid-year sales but you need to be quick as they sell out fast.
Other Furniture & Homeware Shops in Sydney
Ikea – This is probably most new expats first stop for homewares because, well, it's Ikea and has everything for prices that won't make you cringe. There are two locations in Sydney and they will deliver for a fee.
Freedom Furniture – There is a store located right in the CBD. Freedom has pretty much everything you need expect pots and pans and better quality kitchen items.
Supra Center at Moore Park – A shopping centre with only stores that carry household items from dirt cheap, Fantastic Furniture, to high end.
Outlet Malls in Sydney
There are two outlet malls in Sydney that have homeware shops, Direct Factory Outlet (DFO) and Birkenhead Point.
Where to Buy Appliances, TV, Audio and Electronics
You will need to purchase appliances for your new apartment in Sydney. Most apartments are rented without a fridge or washer/dryer.
You can find these things on Gumtree, but again most people selling on Gumtree do not deliver, and moving a fridge is not an easy task.
Appliances Online – This is my first choice. They are located in Sydney and delivery for items in stock can be scheduled for the next day if you order before the daily cutoff. The site has a good selection and they have good customer service.
Other stores in the city for appliances are: Harvey Norman and Bing Lee.
Restocking Your Kitchen
I am a kitchen gadget addict. No seriously, it's almost to the point of needing an intervention.
That being said, restocking our kitchen in Sydney was more of a chore than I would have thought. We start out with just paper plates and plastic cutlery since we were waiting on our shipment but after a week the pretend picnic feeling was over and I gave in for real plates and a new set of cutlery that I actually now like more than what we shipment.
Most likely you will be needing kitchen items asap.
List of physical stores in Sydney to checking out.
Victoria's Basement – Bottom level of the Queen Victoria Building. A great place for dishes, knives, pots and pans and, yes, kitchen gadgets.
Kmart – A large size store at Bondi Junction.
Target – Also located at Bondi Junction. I should point out that Target in Australia is not the same as Target in the States. Still worth checking out.
Woolworths – The Town Hall location has some cheap homewares on the upper levels and it's located right in the city next to the train so an easy stop on the way home from work.
Online options for the kitchen items you don't need asap.
Cookware Brands – Fantastic place to score high end brands for low prices. You can restock all of your pots and pans, knives and bakeware all in one go. I can always find something on sale that I want.
House – Also has two physical locations in Sydney, one close to the University of Sydney and University of Technology. House has good prices and everything you could possibly want or need.
Kitchen Style – An Australian based store with good customer service, not something you often get with other online stores.
