Selling gently used furniture should be easy, but it rarely is. Haggling with strangers, choosing the right price, actually transporting the piece—just reading that is exhausting. AptDeco was created for exactly this issue. Years later, it’s safe to say that we’re experts in the art of selling furniture. We specialize in making the sale quick and painless, while getting the largest possible return. As the self-appointed experts, we’re sharing everything you need to know about selling furniture—from the different ways to sell (and their pros and cons), to prepping your piece and selling at the right price. Whether you’re moving into a new home or just need a change, here’s the A to Z on selling your furniture.
1. Choosing where to sell
When it comes to deciding where you want to sell your furniture, the options can seem overwhelming. Choosing the best place to sell depends on a number of factors, like type of furniture (is it brand name, vintage, or fast furniture?), the item’s condition, how quickly you want to sell, if you’re willing to bargain, and if perks like including pickup and logistics are important to you.
Online marketplaces
AptDeco
AptDeco makes selling furniture insanely easy by handling everything for you. From the start, our free pricing tool suggests the best selling price for your item, and we curate your listing to give it the best shot with buyers. Because of this, items usually move quickly on the site. Once you make the sale, scheduling is done online and facilitated by us, then our white glove delivery team picks up and disassembles your item at no extra charge. Plus, transactions happen entirely online (aka no cash + your personal info won’t be shared).
Good for
- Selling brand name and vintage furniture
- Items in good condition+
- Those who want the full-service experience—listing curation, pickup and scheduling
- Selling quickly
- Those who want to choose if they’re willing to accept offers or not
- Sellers anywhere in the Contiguous U.S.
Factors to consider
- AptDeco takes a portion of the revenue after you sell your item (up to 42%) in order to provide a full-service experience. This includes our white glove pickup and disassembly service, listing curation, advertising your item, customer experience, and mediating returns.
Chairish
Chairish is another full-scale online marketplace, but they specialize in high-end and unique finds that tend to cost more than your average piece of furniture. Just like AptDeco, they create a seamless selling experience from listing to payment.
Good for
- Selling high-end or designer furniture
- Items in good-to-excellent condition
- Those who want the full-service experience
- Professional furniture consignors
Factors to consider
- Potentially slower selling—higher price tags = more thoughtful buyers
- High selling fees—Chairish takes up to 30% of the selling price to account for their full-service model
OfferUp
OfferUp is a self-service marketplace where you can locally buy and sell just about anything. There’s no curation and the website is pretty basic, but it’s a great place to get the job done.
Good for
- Selling furniture of any brand, type or condition
- Avoiding selling fees
- Selling anything under the sun
Factors to consider
- No added benefits—all pickups and transactions must be arranged between the buyer and seller
- No set prices—a seller can set their suggested price, but buyers then have the opportunity to make offers, meaning you might receive less than the asking price.
Apartment Therapy’s Bazaar
Apartment Therapy’s Bazaar is another self-service marketplace that specializes in furniture and decor, but has a few additional features like filtering by free delivery and secure payments.
Good for
- Selling furniture of any brand, type or condition
- Those looking for low selling fees (they hover around 6%)
- Secure, online transactions
Factors to consider
Limited benefits — there is no built-in pickup option, listing curation or online scheduling
Craigslist
Good ‘ole Craigslist. The OG of buying and selling used items. It’s the classic no-frills online marketplace and needs no introduction. If you’re looking to move things quickly, have items that aren’t exactly in mint condition, or are willing to go low on price then Craigslist might be your spot.
Good for
- Selling furniture of any brand, type or condition
- Selling quickly
- Avoiding selling fees
Factors to consider
- No added benefits, like pickup or listing curation
- No security or satisfaction guarantee
- High volume of inquiries with low follow-through
- Only available locally
- Price haggling
- Potentially unsafe pickup/delivery situations
- Listings can easily get lost in the shuffle
Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace—like Craigslist, but with confirmed profiles that make it a little more legit. They’ve also been stepping things up lately with new shipping and filtering options.
Good for
- Selling furniture of any brand, type or condition
- Selling quickly
- Avoiding selling fees
Factors to consider
- Limited added benefits—delivery has recently become available for some purchases
- Limited security or satisfaction guarantees—a strong Facebook profile usually means a safe transaction, but nothing is guaranteed
- High volume of inquiries with low follow-through
- Price haggling
In-store selling
Vintage Stores
Most vintage furniture stores tend to source their inventory from estate sales, garage sales, and through donations, but some will accept direct sales. The best way to find out is to ask your local store directly.
Good for
- Selling unique or quirky furniture
- Potentially selling quickly
Factors to consider
- You most likely have to deliver the piece to them
- It might be hard to find and reach out to stores
Consignment Shops
The OG of selling used furniture. We all remember tagging along to at least one dusty consignment store with mom or an aunt. While the internet has made consignment shops less popular, they can still be a viable option for selling furniture.
Good for
- Selling high-quality furniture, or furniture sets
- People who need the furniture to be out of their homes quickly
- Secure and guaranteed transactions
Factors to consider
- Old school selling process
- High selling fees
- Potentially tricky pickup/delivery situation
Looking to donate or discard your furniture? Check out our tips here.
2. Prepping your furniture for sale
If you want to make the best return on investment, prepping your furniture ahead of selling it is crucial. How much you need to spruce up your furniture depends on its condition. In general, we recommend wiping down and dusting your furniture to sanitize it for the next person. Next, check for any issues that can be easily fixed, like loose screws or scratches that can be buffed out. If your item is upholstered and has been lived-on for more than a year, spot or steam cleaning will help return it to its former glory. If it’s a higher-quality piece, spending some money to get it refurbished can help increase the overall value.
These small updates will help make sure your piece photographs well, is clean for the buyer, and doesn’t get returned.
3. Listing your item
The description
Always include details like original price, product link, and product description when possible. Additional details help to make buyers feel more confident with a quick decision.
What to include
- Issues like pet or smoke exposure, stains, scratches or loose screws
- Length of time you’ve had the item
- Why you’re getting rid of the item
- How you used it—was that credenza perfect in your entryway, or did you use it as a makeshift bar cart?
- How much you’ve enjoyed the item—people love a story!
Images
You’ve chosen your selling platform and started listing your item. Next up, the often-dreaded task of uploading images. Considering photos are the thing that draws a buyer to your listing, they’re extremely important! It’s make or break, and worth those extra few minutes of effort.
Statistically, posting between 5 and 7 photos helps your furniture sell the fastest. Photo quality matters, too. For the best results, stage your images in a clean setting (like your living room or a plain white wall) and make sure to take photos in good lighting.
What to include
- Every angle of the piece (side, front, back)
- Close-up shots of the item’s flaws—if anything, showing damages will make buyers feel more comfortable purchasing from you since you’re upfront about it
- The item’s original retail page image—this really helps buyers see the item in all its glory
- A shot of the entire item from a few feet away
Last up, if you really want to make a good first impression, give your photos a quick edit. Give it the old ‘auto’ button makeover, crop out any distractions in the photo, and add some brightness and sharpness for extra detail.
Pricing
This is possibly the biggest factor in how quickly your item will sell. In our experience, the best price is around 60% off the original retail value. If you can’t wait to get an item off your hands, then start here or go with a steeper discount. Time is money!
If you need extra help, try using our pricing tool. It’s free and gives you the optimal price point for your product based on details like condition, brand name, and retail price.
4. After the sale
Congrats! You did the seemingly impossible—you sold your item. Now, depending on what platform you used you have some decisions to make.
Arranging pickup and delivery
If you used a full-service platform, like *ahem* AptDeco, you can skip this part. Lucky you. AptDeco will handle scheduling and pickup. On pickup day, they’ll pick up the item from wherever it lives inside your home and deliver it to the buyer.
If you used a self-service platform and need to deliver the item, you have a few options:
- Hire a Task Rabbit—they’re relatively inexpensive and you can get a discount on your first use.
- Rent a U‑Haul—if you feel confident enough to drive a U‑Haul (good for you!) this is your most budget-friendly option. They usually cost under $50 for a few hours, and you can add on a dolly and other tools to make transporting the items easier.
- Send it in an Uber—if your item is small enough you can send it away in an Uber XL for the buyer to pick up at their doorstep. Bonus: this is a Covid-friendly option for both parties. Just make sure you give the buyer the car eta and details.
Creating a safe experience
If you didn’t use a professional service, creating a safe experience is extremely important. Most of the people who buy from you will likely be very nice human beings who show up on time, pay the correct amount, and forget your address afterward. But ]in the case of a not-so-nice human, here’s what to do.
- Don’t allow anyone that isn’t a professional into your home. This is the best way to ensure your safety. If the item is heavy, ask a friend to help transport it to the sidewalk or hallway.
- Don’t give out your exact address. If possible, give the buyer your cross streets and meet them there with the item. If you have to provide an address and live in a multi-unit building, omit the apartment number.
- Bring backup. There’s safety in numbers! In the off chance you do have an odd encounter, having a friend with you will smooth things out.
- Agree on the final price and payment method ahead of time. Reconfirm that the price you’ve both agreed on is final, and make sure you’re in agreement on how the buyer will pay. The safest options are Venmo or PayPal since you can ensure payment has gone through before the buyer leaves.
- Ask for payment before handing over the item. Don’t allow the buyer to load the item into their car or take possession of your furniture until they’ve paid you in full.
5. The best part
You made that money and now you get to spend that money. That cash isn’t going to spend itself! And you need a replacement [insert name of item you just sold, here].
Our suggestions for finding your next treasure:
For brand names and cool vintage finds that come from near and far
For higher-end, one-of-a-kind items
For a quick replacement piece that does the job