I had such a great response to my article about how to get a discount clawfoot tub that I figured I would write an article further explaining how to buy a new clawfoot tub.

Since most of the people who e-mailed me in this article said the found that Craigslist was the best place to buy a used clawfoot tub I wanted to focus on buying a used clawfoot tub online and making sure you don’t get ripped off.

Knowing the difference between a 5′ roll rim and a 5′ French double-ended tub can be a $2000 difference!  Difference sizes of tubs also matter, so make sure you are not buying a tiny tub!

The first thing you should keep in mind when buying a used clawfoot tub is it’s condition.  Stains, cracks, cuts, and blemishes will all take away from the value of a used clawfoot tub.  If the cast iron on a tub is cracked, DO NOT BUY IT!  This means it will not even hold water!

If you buy a used clawfoot tub that needs refinishing expect to pay an additional $700 to have it professionally refinished.

The bottom line is that you you need to be careful when buying a used clawfoot tub!  Make sure you know what you’re buying and be prepared to spend a little money on reconditioning your used clawfoot tub.  A good buy can save you thousands of dollars!

Finding discount clawfoot tubs can be a tough task if you’ve never done it before.  I have tons of people ask me where to find a discount clawfoot tub and my answer is always the same:  shop online!

There are so many companies that offer discounted clawfoot tubs online.  Some of them even offer used clawfoot tubs online.  If you can’t find a discount clawfoot tub online, try a local building surplus store.  These stores have surplus building and home supplies that contractors and builders have sold back when they have too many supplies.  I’ve bought many showers, tubs, and even clawfoot tubs.

The key to these types of stores is to keep checking them regularly because you never know when they’ll get a discount clawfoot tub that you like in stock.  Here’s a great example:  A few months ago I was doing a remodel on a beautiful older home, but the couple was already way over their budget.  Every Saturday morning for a month they went to the local building surplus store to see if they had any new discount clawfoot tubs in stock.  And after four weeks they were about to give up, until the fifth week…they found one!  They found a beautiful discount clawfoot tub for less than $600!  I’ve seen the same tub sell for $3000 in regular hardware stores.

Good luck finding those discount clawfoot tubs!