Buying Office Chairs in Bulk: What to Check Before You Order

The move-in date is locked, the floor plan is signed off, and someone has to order every chair in one hit. When you bulk buy office chairs, a single decision gets copied fifty or a hundred times, so a dud pick turns into a hundred complaints and a replacement bill. This guide covers the checks to run before that purchase order goes out: how many seats you need, how hard they’ll work, what the warranty covers and how the pallets get from the kerb to the desks. Keep BDO Furniture’s office chair range open in another tab, and you’ll know exactly what to ask for.

Before You Order: The Quick Checklist

• Count every seat, including meeting and visitor chairs, plus spares
• Match each chair to its daily hours of use
• Check the rated load and certification on each product page
• Have a small group of staff trial the shortlist for a full day
• Confirm which parts the warranty covers and who services it
• Plan delivery and assembly, then get a written quote for the total

What Should You Sort Out Before You Start Comparing Chairs?

Before you open a single product page, lock in four numbers: your headcount, the hours each chair will be used, your budget per seat and your delivery deadline. Those four facts cut a catalogue of hundreds down to a shortlist quickly, and stop the chair with the nicest photo winning by default. Bring staff in early, too.

Under the model WHS laws, Safe Work Australia notes employers must consult workers when proposing changes that may affect their health or safety, and new seating for a whole floor fits that description. Still weighing up armrests, lumbar support and mesh backs? The Complete Buyer’s Guide to Office Chairs covers the features.

How Do You Plan a Large Office Chair Order? Step by Step

Step 1: How many chairs do you actually need?

Count every seat on the floor plan, then split them by job. Task chairs at workstations work differently from meeting, visitor, training and breakout seating, so match a chair to each group. Add a few spares for new starters and breakages, ordered now so they match the rest of the floor instead of arriving in a different shade. BDO Furniture’s range runs to nearly 400 office chairs across ergonomic, mesh, executive, boardroom and 24-hour categories.

Step 2: How long will each chair be used every day?

Match each chair to its duty cycle. A meeting chair used for an hour a day, and a task chair covering two shifts are different products, even if they look identical. Furntech, which runs the AFRDI certification scheme, groups office chair performance into Level 4 (basic commercial applications), Level 5 (heavy commercial and industrial) and Level 6 (severe commercial and heavy industrial). Control rooms and call centres that never switch off need 24-hour shift chairs.

Step 3: What load rating and certification should you look for?

Check the rated load and certification on each product page, and pick a chair that suits the whole team rather than an average. WorkSafe Queensland’s chair purchasing guidance notes that standard adjustable chairs are rated up to 120kg, and recommends telling workers the load capacity of the chairs provided. AFRDI Rated Load is a separate certification for use up to a specified mass. Certified options are available on selected products in the AFRDI-certified office chairs range.

Step 4: Have staff tried the chair before you order fifty of them?

Before committing to fifty chairs, have a small group of the people who’ll use them trial your shortlisted model. A trial costs a handful of chairs, while skipping it can cost a whole floor’s worth. Test for a full working day rather than a two-minute sit, and include people from different roles. It also puts that consultation duty into practice. To see chairs in person first, visit our Adelaide showroom.

Step 5: What does the warranty actually cover?

Read which components the warranty covers and who will service it, since the years on the label tell half the story. WorkSafe Queensland suggests checking which parts are covered and if the service provider is local, because distance adds transport costs to every repair. According to the ACCC, the consumer guarantees cover goods costing $100,000 or less, including business purchases, from 1 July 2021 (previously $40,000). Warranty lengths are listed on each product page.

Step 6: How will the chairs be delivered and assembled?

Plan delivery access and assembly before the order ships, because large orders usually arrive on pallets at the kerb. BDO Furniture’s shipping information adds that items over 30kg need help to unload, and tailgate delivery can be selected instead. Lead times vary by order size and location, so build in a buffer. Book the loading dock and the goods lift, then decide who unpacks. Assembly services can take the build off your hands.

Step 7: How do you compare quotes on a large order?

Get a written quote for the full office chairs bulk order, covering chair price, delivery, assembly and spares, then compare totals rather than unit prices. A cheap chair with a hefty freight bill stops being cheap fast. BDO Furniture offers bulk pricing, and the Bulk Deals chairs and seating range packages selected models in volume. The Price Beat Guarantee matches or beats a competitor’s price on a like-for-like, in-stock product, though delivery and installation fees are excluded.

What Mistakes Do Buyers Make With Large Chair Orders?

Ordering blind. Committing to the full quantity of a chair nobody has sat in is the priciest gamble on this list, so run a trial before the purchase order.

One chair for every room. A task chair in the boardroom or a stacker at a workstation shortchanges both spaces, so split the order by how each seat is used.

Forgetting the loading dock. Pallets turning up at a building with no lift booking can push back move-in day, so lock in access and unloading before dispatch.

Chasing the sticker price. A low unit price can hide freight, assembly and service costs, so weigh what each chair costs once it’s delivered, built and covered.

Why Order Your Office Chairs from BDO Furniture?

BDO Furniture is a 100% Australian-owned and operated supplier with more than 30 years’ experience supplying and manufacturing commercial furniture in Australia, including custom-made solutions for commercial projects. When SafeWork SA needed 300 Energy Mesh ergonomic chairs, the team managed everything from logistics to on-site installation.

Competitive direct and bulk pricing, the Price Beat Guarantee and same-day dispatch on selected in-stock lines from a national warehouse network keep a whole-floor order on budget, and reliable commercial warranties back it. Browse Bundle & Save, or ask about a complete office fit-out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a minimum order for bulk pricing?

There’s no published minimum. BDO Furniture offers bulk pricing on larger orders and packaged bulk deals on selected chairs, and quotes custom quantities on request. Call BDO on 1300 313 495 for a custom quote.

Can I see a chair in person before ordering a large quantity?

Yes. You can visit BDO Furniture’s Adelaide showroom, or talk to the team about the best way to assess a shortlisted chair before committing to the full quantity.

How long does a large chair order take to arrive?

In-stock lines ship from BDO Furniture’s national warehouse network, with same-day dispatch available on selected in-stock lines. Bulk or palletised orders are scheduled for delivery, and lead times vary by order size and location. See our shipping information for details.

Do office chairs arrive assembled?

It depends on the product, so check each product page. For large orders, BDO Furniture’s assembly service can put the chairs together on site, Monday to Friday.

Are business purchases covered by Australian Consumer Law?

Yes. According to the ACCC, the consumer guarantees cover goods costing $100,000 or less, including business purchases made from 1 July 2021, on top of any manufacturer’s warranty.