Second hand furniture

Chipboard wood-effect veneer, nasty looking computer desk: $90

Brown wood effect, vinyl-upholstered, dirty old armchair: $35

In Nicaragua, where very few desirable household goods are produced or imported, any old piece of second hand tat holds a value far above what it would in the UK (where we replace a sofa because we're bored of its colour). This second hand shop in Esteli had a selection of furniture outside which could easily have been salvaged from a UK rubbish tip. Here it has the same price as new items available in IKEA. This is too expensive for most people, which is probably why on the whole, people aren't too bothered about having fancy things in their homes and most front rooms are furnished with plastic or wicker chairs and not much else.