Furniture is one of the most expensive things many people will buy. When you move or want to change the look of your home or office, it can be difficult to sell used furniture for a good price.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
You have more options now than ever when it comes to selling used furniture online and locally. It’s just a matter of looking in the right places.
In this guide, I’ve compiled dozens of places where you can sell your used furniture for a good price. You’ll learn what they are, any restrictions, and the commissions they take to help you sell old furniture.
Keep in mind that if you’re trying to make more money, there are better ways to do it than selling used furniture. We’ve compiled a list of ways to make more money here and a beginners guide to affiliate marketing here.
Where and how to sell used furniture
Some of the items on this list will be new to you and some will be obvious choices. Focus on the ones that make the most sense for you and ignore the rest.
1. Offerup
Offerup is a platform that allows you to sell used furniture and more. It supports cars, miscellaneous items, appliances, clothing, etc. You can interact with sellers on the platform through a messaging service and their mobile app.
It attempts to show your furniture to local buyers so even though you’re selling used furniture online, you’re also selling locally. It’s free to list products but you’ll be charged a 7.9% fee when your furniture is sold. Buyers are in charge of shipping.
2. Bonanza
Bonanza is a huge marketplace with dozens of categories. It allows you to integrate with popular platforms like Amazon and eBay so you can manage everything from a single location.
It’s free to register and list products but you will have to pay a fee starting at 3.5% for every product you sell under $500. For every dollar over $500, you pay a 1.5% commission. If you want help advertising products, you can choose to pay a higher commission of up to 30%. You can also integrate with FedEx to make shipping products easier.
3. Craigslist
Craigslist is one of the elephants in the room. It’s one of the most visited sites in the world and you can find a classified ad for almost any product or service you can imagine from there. It’s only natural that people will list furniture as well.
There’s no fee to create a listing but it can easily get buried so you may want to create more than one listing and target different areas. It’s also a good idea to price it a bit higher than what you’re expecting because people on the platform love to bargain.
On a side note, the site needs to be updated. It’s stuck in the 90s.
4. eBay
eBay, like Craigslist, is a massive website that caters to many categories. There’s not as much emphasis on being local but you can find local buyers if you’re so inclined.
It’s free to register and list products but eBay will take a 10% fee from the final purchase price up to a maximum of $750. It’s important to note that eBay works on a bidding model so if multiple people are interested in your used furniture, you may get much more money.
5. Letgo.com
Letgo was founded Enrique Linares, Jordi Castello, and Alec Oxenford but later acquired by Offerup. If you’re seeking to access it in the United States then you’ll have to interact with Offerup. If you’re international then the website is available in multiple languages.
It’s a website and application that allows you to communicate with local buyers and sell various goods – including used furniture. It’s free to use as there’s no fee for membership, sales, or even listing fees.
6. Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is a social way to sell everything from cars and used furniture to cell phones and old clothes. Facebook itself doesn’t process payments, facilitate shipping, or any of the other services associated with traditional marketplaces.
Because of this hands-off approach, it charges no fees for the products listed on the platform but there aren’t any inherent protections either. When using the service, be careful of scammers that seek to take advantage of people.
7. AptDeco (NY based)
AptDeco is a platform dedicated to helping people buy and sell used furniture with the least amount of hassle. The only problem is that it’s limited to NY, NJ, and CT for now. It does have plans of expanding further in the future.
It’s free to list and it promises that your furniture will be sold within 10 days. There is a fee on the sale depending on the size of the order. If it’s less than $2,000 then AptDeco takes 28% of the transaction and only 23% of transactions $2,000 and more.
8. Chairish
Chairish is another online marketplace designed specifically for furniture and art. It has a requirement that the used furnishings you want to sell are unique, chic, or vintage.
It has multiple pricing tiers based on how many items you have to sell. There are two free memberships and one that costs $149/m but that’s reserved for those who have more than 10 items. Fees range from 20% – 30% and it’ll help with shipping if you choose.
9. Bookoo.com
Bookoo is an online marketplace that facilitates connections between neighbors. It boasts over two million users and doesn’t get directly involved in your transactions.
It collects no fees and doesn’t ship items for you but you can unlock more features with what it calls an unlimited account. This gives you access to more real estate on the website. Think of it as a website that gets millions of visitors – many of them in your local area – so it’s easier for you to sell your items.
10. Remoov
Remoov is a bit different because it’s not a true marketplace. Instead, it’s a disposal service that allows you to get paid for your old or unwanted items. It’ll send over a truck to pick up your goods and you’ll be paid according to the final sale value.
If the items aren’t sold, they’ll be donated to charity and a receipt is provided for you which can be applied towards taxes. If they’re not donated to charity, they’ll be recycled. This is a good route if you want a hassle-free experience while making a positive impact.
11. 1stdibs.com
1stdibs is another marketplace with a wide selection of items on display. It accepts luxury or antique jewelry, clothing, art, décor, and lighting from sellers and displays it prominently on the website.
It’s important to note that first dibs charges a hefty fee for a membership that’s a little over $500 and a commission on sales which is 18% + 2% handling fee. It’s not ideal if you have a single piece of furniture that you want to sell and is more geared towards professional sellers.
12. Sothebyshome
Sotheby’s Home is an exclusive marketplace for buying and selling high-end furniture and home décor. Registration is straightforward and all you need to do is fill out a form and wait to be contacted. Once they’ve come out to assess your items, they’ll be listed for sale and you get up to 60% of the sale value.
It is pickier than most marketplaces and items need to have a sale value of at least $1,000 and will be listed for up to 12 months.
13. Apartment Therapy Bazaar
Apartment Therapy’s Bazaar contains a large assortment of vintage and designer furniture which ranges from chairs and tables to lighting and artwork. You’ll need to register an account and adhere to its straightforward listing rules.
Once you’ve gotten set up and listed your used furniture, it only takes a 3% commission on the sale but it also passes on the credit card processing fee. That costs 2.9% +$0.30 per transaction.
14. Ruby Lane
Ruby Lane is a dedicated platform to sell used furniture, antiques, and other collectibles. When registering for Ruby Lane, you’ll create a shop and need to have at least 10 items for sale at all times. If you’re just selling one or two items then this isn’t a good option.
It charges both a sales fee and membership fee. The membership is $54/m for up to 50 items and then there’s a tiered cost for each item thereafter. The service fee is 6.7% per transaction up to a maximum of $250.
15. Sell
Apart from the cool domain name, Sell is a classified ads website where you can list all manner of goods. It only costs $1 to list your furniture and get access to tens of thousands of potential buyers.
Since it’s a classified ads platform, it doesn’t help you with anything beyond the listing. That means you’re in charge of shipping, collecting payments, and everything in between. The upside is that you do get to keep more of the sale.
16. Trove market
Trove Market is a mobile application that connects buyers and sellers for all types of goods. Yes, you can sell used furniture but it’s so much more m than that. It’s a mobile-only application so you’ll need to access it from your phone’s app store before you can start using it.
Like other open marketplaces, you’ll need to protect yourself against scammers so you don’t lose money.
17. eBid
eBid is a massive online marketplace that supports both auctions and fixed-price sales. You can list almost any kind of used item – including furniture. As of this writing, it boasts over three million listings which can seem daunting.
Listing on the platform is free and eBid charges up to 3% of the final sale price in fees. If you go with this platform, you may need to do additional advertising to make sure your old furniture gets seen and sold in a reasonable amount of time.
18. oodle.com
Oodle is another general marketplace that covers everything from cars to furniture. The website looks like it hasn’t been updated in 20 years but it’s still functional.
To register with the platform, you need an active Facebook account. This is due to fraudulent activity. Apart from that, it’s free to register and take out an ad on the platform. Think of Oodle as another distribution channel as opposed to the main place you’ll sell your old furniture.
19. Antique stores
Up until this point, we’ve been focused on online platforms for selling furniture. Yes, some of those platforms focused on local buyers. Now, let’s look at a truly offline method – antique stores.
These stores are notoriously picky when it comes to what they will and won’t accept but if you have vintage items then you may have a chance. Do a quick Google search to find reputable stores near you so you won’t be cheated on the true value of your furniture.
20. Consignment shops
Consignment is the act of giving over possession of a good or property to an agent but retaining ownership until the goods are sold. A consignment shop is a store that specializes in this kind of service.
The fees vary depending on the cost of the item sold and the type of item. It can range from a few dollars to 50%. This is ideal if you want a hands off experience and don’t mind paying a larger commission.
21. Used furniture stores
Used furniture stores are the ultimate way to sell old furniture locally. This is their business and they’re usually good at it. So good in fact that they’ll make you think your furniture is worth half as much during the negotiation process.
You can go this route if you have a clear understanding of the value of your furniture. If not, you may be shooting yourself in the foot. Find them by searching for ‘used furniture stores near me’ on Google.
22. Wertz Brothers
Wertz Brothers is a local solution for selling used furniture. If you live in Los Angeles then this is a great option for you. All you have to do is shoot them an email with a few details like a description of the furniture, asking price, and your contact details. If it’s a good fit, they’ll contact you with the next steps and you can take it from there. The good thing is that they pay cash.
23. Furniture Finders.com
Furniture Finders is a platform that specializes in used office furniture. This includes desks, chairs, cabinets, etc. Modern offices are evolving so what wouldn’t have been considered office equipment in the past may qualify today.
You can submit your furniture (with an image) and it’ll work with local dealers to give you a suitable quote. From there you can accept or reject it.
Tips to sell used furniture at a better price
Apart from ensuring that your furniture is in good condition, there are many other things you can do to get the best sale price. All of them are important so knock them off your checklist one by one.
Prioritize platforms with lower fees
As you can see from the list above, the fees each platform charges can vary widely. Some don’t take a fee but require membership will others will take up to 50% of the sale amount.
If you have access to them, focus on the platforms that have lower fees. That way you can sell your furniture at a better rate for buyers but keep more of the proceeds.
Take great photos
People may not be able to see your furniture in real life before they purchase it. That means if the images you use to sell them aren’t clear and put them in the best possible light, it’ll be difficult to get a buyer.
A few things you can do include:
– Use bright light to properly present the image
– Put something next to the piece so buyers can understand the size
– Take images from multiple sides and angles
You may also want to learn about basic composition so you can take the best pictures possible.
Write a great description
It’s been said that facts tell but stories sell. In your description, you’ll focus on the technical aspects like age, condition, size, weight, etc. but don’t leave out the story behind the furniture.
If you’ve owned something for years, it has built up a rich history. That’s true whether you realize it or not. Think about what makes that piece special. Was it given to you by a friend, has it traveled with you across the country?
The story itself doesn’t matter, the fact that you’re telling one is more important.
Embrace the negotiations
Large pieces of furniture are expensive items. People may want to buy it but it’s just out of their budget. In that case, consider taking alternative payment styles or even negotiating about the final sale price.
The better the platform is, the more room you’ll have to negotiate on prices.
List it in multiple places
This seems like a no-brainer but some platforms want you to sign exclusive listing contracts. There are too many places on the web and even locally that don’t require that kind of agreement.
The more places you list your used furniture, the more eyeballs you’ll be able to attract. The more people that see it, the more likely you are to close a sale.
Conclusion
This guide has walked through how and where to sell used furniture both online and offline. It’s not up to you to present your furniture in the best possible light and work to get the best sales price.
Let me know if you have any questions in the comments and don’t forget to share.