Whilst you will find wood burning stoves in Brocantes and markets, there are few bargains to be had and to get the best deals you will have to look at cards in supermarkets and local shop windows or browse the small ads online.
When searching online you should search for ‘poele a bois’ to find a wood burning stove, or ‘chaudrierre a bois’ for a wood burner with water heating capability. A ‘cuisiniere a bois’ is wood burning cooker like an AGA/Rayburn.
Before buying a stove make sure that all the hinges work correctly, broken hinges are a common fault on wood burning stove and you should expect to pay about £100 to get a hinge or door bracket replaced. Check for cracked fire bricks inside the stove and inspect the ceramic rope around the door seals (replacement seals and firebricks are readily available. Check the stove for corrosion, check especially carefully where the flue pipe will be connected, this area is often corroded if water has entered here from the flue pipe.
Wood burning stoves can be VERY heavy, 2 people can ‘walk’ most wood burning stoves across the ground, but lifting them into a can or van can be a real challenge. An estate car or van is the best way to transport a stove. If you take some chunky blocks of wood with you when you collect your stove you may be able to ‘walk’ the stove onto the blocks and then tip it back into the car.
You can use this link to search ebay.fr for woodburning stoves.
Here are some french ad sites that usually have a good selection of wood burning stoves and cookers.
http://www.petite-annonce-gratuite.com/
http://www.petites-annonces.fr/
Before buying a second hand godin, make sure it isn't a cheap imitation and that you can't buy it cheaper new! Godins are still being made today ... http://www.godin.fr/
Less attractive stoves can still be found for less than 80 euros
