re: The problem with . . . . .

My wife usually looks for vintage mid-century modern furniture.  After seeing the quality of most of them, she has no interest in ready for assembly crap from Asia.  MCM stuff is often still veneer but the build quality is usually much nicer and often real wood instead of particle board or MDF cores.  We have gotten some really nice stuff for next to nothing.  In one case, we got a solid walnut dresser literally for nothing because it had a broken leg which was an easy fix.  In another case I restored a beautiful end table that some idiot chalk painted.  You would not believe the book matched walnut veneer that they painted over.