Unless you're buying hundreds of work cubicles, you won't be working directly with a manufacturer. In most cases, you'll be working with an independent office cubicle dealer who carries systems from a number of manufacturers. Some work cubicle dealers are dedicated reps for particular manufacturers, and many more specialize in a brand or two but carry several others. Remember that you'll want to stick with one brand for future purchases, so go with a brand that's been around for a while and shows stability.

Because so much of the systems furniture market is in various classes of used equipment, many of these resellers are also partially manufacturers: they have extensive factories for disassembling, cleaning, painting, and reassembling work cubicles. Others are purely resellers: once they determine your needs, they'll check with multiple vendors to find what you want, whether new or remanufactured, then come back to you with the best price.

Take a tour of the dealer's facilities, if possible. Check out the manufacturing areas, customer service department, and warehouse to get an idea of the size of the operation. Not every cubicle dealer has a show room - but you should take advantage of those that do. Seeing different types of cubes in person lets you make direct comparisons of different brands, sizes, and extras. Looking at disassembled cubes in a warehouse won't give you the same opportunity.

Reputation and longevity do matter in systems furniture. For even a small-to-mid-sized company, you'll be spending tens of thousands of dollars on important business equipment that should last ten or twenty years. It's not worth saving a few dollars to risk doing business with a company that might not be around in five years, or with one that won't be able to provide the ongoing support you need.

A good work cubicle dealer will take a consultant's approach to your business: they'll work with you to address problems, explain their proposals, and even offer you tips on how to get more for your money. Dealers who simply try to sell you as much as possible or pressure you into unnecessary upgrades should be avoided.

You may want to focus on local dealers. Due to their size and weight, systems furniture components are quite expensive to ship, so unless you get an excellent deal, you'll usually wind up paying more for systems from outside your area.

Some questions to ask of potential work cubicle dealers:

• What will happen if the systems don't work as they're supposed to?
• Who does your installations? (You're likely to get somewhat better service if they have their own installation teams, instead of third-party contractors.)
• What brands do you specialize in, and how did you choose them? How long have you carried them?
• How much of your business is based on referrals?
• When can you do installation work - early, late, or on weekends?
• How long will it take to install? Will the installation disrupt day-to-day operations?