I can't recall if this has been discussed already, but I'm wondering what some of you think about the issue of buying used furniture. I've never been squicky about used things- I grew up with mostly hand-me-down or thrift store clothes and household stuff, and for years my limits were basically: no used mattresses unless I knew who they came from, and no used underwear. My first apartment was furnished out of relatives' basements and yard sales, I got my first couch off of the curb (and it was the most comfortable couch ever). I've never had an issue with used furniture.
That said, bedbugs are on the rise in my area so I've found myself rethinking my used furniture limits. I know more than one person now who has ended up with bedbugs from dragging in a dumpster couch that looked "clean". Exterminating bedbugs isn't easy (or cheap), and I've been told that the sanitation they do at thrift stores often isn't enough. I'd like to think that someone wouldn't sell a piece of furniture on craigslist if they had an infestation, but you never know. The whole thing has has me rethinking used furniture, at least things like headboards and couches, anything that people sit on for a long time as they can get infested.
The boyfriend and I have gone back and forth on this because we'd like to get a couch for our new place to replace the hellaciously uncomfortable (albeit free) futon we have now. We can't afford a new couch, we could probably swing a new futon mattress or just deal with the current one, but the nicer looking couches at some of the local thrift stores (or on craigslist) are tempting. That said, we don't want to bring home critters, especially for something we could live without. But part of me thinks that with a thorough visual inspection, we'd probably be fine.
Thoughts? Is there a way to effectively avoid bugs while still buying used? What seems "safer": buying from a thrift store or consignment shop that sanitizes, buying from an individual, or is nothing really safe? Are we just being paranoid about the bug thing?