Need to purchase a queen bed near UC Berkeley
My daughter attends UC Berkeley and needs to purchase a queen bed (Mattress, box spring, and frame). She will only need this bed for 2 years so I don't want to spend a lot. What bed stores in the area are reasonably priced or where should I look to purchase a slightly used bed. I don't want to do craigslist as I don't want her going to people's home to try out their beds. Has anyone purchased a bed from ikea? She said that is where a lot of kids buy their beds
Linda Perry
Jun 22, 2018
Parent Replies
IKEA is the only cheapish place to buy a mattress near UC. There are always dozens of beds on Craigslist. Could she find a male companion to go with her to buy? I'm a female and I have had great results using Craigslist to purchase furniture. Many of the people advertising beds there are also UC students. BPN Marketplace is another good place to look. Lastly tell her to sign-up with Nextdoor (the neighborhood app). You have to prove that you actually live in the neighborhood you're registering for and you have to use your real name, so definitely feels safer than Craigslist. People are always advertising free or cheap beds
Costco.
I also am female and have bought many, many things off of craigslist, sold lots of items, and found roommates off of craigslist. It will be fine. But, yes, some Ikea mattresses are cheap and good! I bought one for my last two roommates (before I got preg and now no roommate as baby comes in 4.5 wks!!!!!) and it lasted (and they spent a lot of time on them), and confident it would have kept up for awhile longer.
The first answer covers all the bases. I wanted to add that I have met hundreds of strangers on craigslist with no significant problems. Sometimes people are not completely honest about a piece of furniture. (I should have checked the drawers on that desk!) But I have never felt threatened or unsafe.
Be very, very, very, very careful buying a used mattress. It is illegal to sell a used mattress unless you buy from a person. I bought one once that had been acquired from that Legionnaire infected Philadelphia hotel -- sick for the whole summer. Mattress -- if used -- layer several mattress protectors on -- impermeable plus padded. Not a good idea.
Remember she can sell it later. Best bargain and best for your back the Coleman self-inflatable mattress that is bed height.
I bought a memory foam mattress from Amazon and I love it. I've had 3 back surgeries and chronic back pain and this mattress is heavenly to sleep on. It was delivered to my house with free shipping in 2 days. I didn't need a box spring but did buy a very tall frame so I could store full size plastic storage containers underneath. The mattress was under $250 and the frame was less than $100. The only negative is that the mattress is delivered rolled up in a box and is extremely heavy.
My son bought one from IKEA when he came back here for grad school. It's held up well, and one nice thing is that it can be disassembled and shipped of he & his wife want to keep it when grad school is done with -- or they can easily pass it on.
My husband and I purchased a futon at The Futon Shop (we already had the frame) during a sale, so it was very affordable It was middle-of-the line, with wool and latex. We went to the SF showroom and spent the afternoon laying down on beds. 8 years later, we're still happy sleeping on it. If you do get a futon, be aware that cotton-only futons pack down quickly and become very hard, so it might not last even 2 years. Foam, wool, springs, other options can make the bed more resilient and comfortable. There's a Fourth of July sale coming up, so I suggest you check it out.
My son who was a student at UC Santa Cruz ordered an inexpensive mattress off Amazon that came compressed into a cylinder. These things have a lot of reviews that you can read and are pretty popular. I was skeptical but he liked it and is still sleeping on it 3 years later. We also got him a cheap platform bed and desk from Ikea but Amazon has those too. So if she's in a place where she can get an Amazon delivery, that's an option.
We just bought a queen mattress from Costco (Comfort Tech 10" Serene Medium Foam) and frame from Amazon (Zinus Upholstered Square Stitched Platform Bed with Wooden Slats) and love both. Cheap, new, delivered, and very comfortable!
I bought my mattress at Famous Foam Factory, 2397 San Pablo Ave at Channing in Berkeley. I found the foam mattress much more comfortable than the Serta/Sealy mattresses, also got the bed frame there. Highly recommend.