Buying a second-hand modular sofa

Start with your room, then count the sections

Sketch the room from above, including the door, walking route and the place where you want to sit. Now sketch the offered sofa in the same orientation. Number its sections A, B, C and so on. Keep those letters on the photographs and parts list.

A seller’s “left-hand corner” can be ambiguous unless you know which way they are looking. Use a drawing or labelled photograph instead. Record whether the long return sits on your left or right when you face the sofa from the room.

Do not assume the two ends are reversible. An arm fixed to an end section, an upholstered back or a connection fitted on only one side can limit the arrangement. Ask to see the intended configuration assembled where practicable.

A seat count is not a parts count

IKEA’s VALLENTUNA buying guide lists seats with different functions, separate backs, arms and cushions. It illustrates why “three seats” is not a complete inventory. Use the original parts list for the particular system you are buying, including an older or discontinued version.^[1]

If modules came from different homes or purchases, ask for that history. Similar fabric can hide a difference in height or depth. Photograph neighbouring seat tops together; a repaired or replaced cushion may also feel different even if the frames match.

Look at both halves of each connection

Request an accessible photograph of each adjoining edge and the fitting on each side. Keep the module letter visible in the wider photograph. A close-up of one bracket alone cannot show what it is supposed to engage.

Have the seller connect the sections using the documented method. Look for missing fittings, distorted hardware, loose mounting points or upholstery trapped between sections. Do not improvise connections, drill extra holes or force pieces together to make the viewing work.

If a connector is missing, find the model and part before buying a replacement. The fact that a generic fitting is sold as a “sofa connector” does not establish that its geometry, fixing or intended use matches these sections.

Try the seats you will actually use

Once the sofa is correctly assembled and no unresolved defect prevents use, sit in more than the best-looking position. Compare firmness, usable depth, back support and the join between modules. An attractive corner can be an awkward everyday seat if your feet or shoulders have nowhere comfortable to go.

Ask to see beneath loose cushions and inspect accessible seams and lower edges. Record sagging, odours, tears and repairs by module. Fading across several sections may suit you; a markedly lower seat or damaged mounting point needs a clearer explanation.

For a section with a bed, recliner or storage lid, inspect that function separately. A sale photograph of the ordinary sofa arrangement does not show whether these extra mechanisms work.

Measure the largest indivisible piece

Modular does not automatically mean easy to deliver. The corner unit may be the widest part, and an arm or back may not detach. Get transport dimensions for each piece using only the documented disassembly method, then check the narrowest doorway and turn.

Prepare a collection inventory that includes the small parts. Take an assembled reference photograph, label bags by module and protect fittings from striking adjacent upholstery. Agree who is responsible for dismantling and reconnecting the set.

Price the layout you can complete now. A spare module advertised elsewhere may disappear, differ in fabric or belong to another version. Do not value an incomplete sofa as a complete one merely because a future match seems possible.

Ask for a numbered set of photographs

Choose the set whose present parts make the room you want. If one essential section or connector remains hypothetical, keep that uncertainty in the price and the decision.