Selling old furniture may not be something that people think of as lucrative. But in fact, you can sell old furniture not only if you’ve decided to upgrade and need to get rid of yours – but also if you’re looking to start a new side hustle.
Yes, there are people out there who buy used furniture, spruce it up – and then re-sell it for more. Uniqueness appeals – as well as knowing you’re doing something more planet-friendly.
I have listed the best ways to sell your old furniture – and how you could turn that Barcalounger your girlfriend thinks is an eyesore into cash.
Selling Used Furniture Online vs. Locally
There are plenty of options for those looking to sell their used furniture – both online and locally.
If you run a Google search for “sell used furniture near me,” you are most likely going to see a myriad of local used furniture stores, consignment shops, antique stores, and markets where you can do just that.
However, the days of being limited to your local consignment store are long gone, and many savvy side hustlers now sell used furniture online.
Selling online means your reach expands beyond your local neighborhood, and you may increase your chances of closing a more profitable sale. As you’ll soon learn, there are tons of ways to sell furniture online – each with its pros and cons.
So, what are the best online platforms to sell used furniture and make a quick buck? Let’s take a look.
17 Places To Sell Used Furniture for Cash
Here are the best places to sell used furniture for cash:
- 🏆 Offerup
- Shopify
- Bonanza
- Bookoo
- Remoov
- Etsy
- 1stdibs
- Chairish
- AptDeco
- Sotheby’s Home
- Ruby Lane
- eBay
- eBid
- Craigslist
- Facebook Marketplace
- Oodle
1. OfferUp
OfferUp is a great option to sell used furniture – and it’s pretty straightforward. All you need to do is download the app and open a selling account. You’ll need photos of your items, a description, and a location – and you’re good to go.
Listing an item is free on OfferUp – but other costs may apply when an item sells (such as shipping fees or service fees). However, all the fees will be disclosed to you upfront, so no unpleasant surprises.
What’s interesting about OfferUp is that buyers can offer a counter price for your items (hence the name). You can either sell an item and ship it – or meet the buyer in person to swap the item and payment. If you’re looking to avoid extra fees (e.g., shipping), this could be a better option.
2. Shopify
Shopify is an excellent option for those looking to turn selling used furniture into a side hustle. With Shopify, you’ll need to set up an online store – it’s essentially like selling furniture as a business.
Creating your e-commerce website should be simple if you use one of the pre-made templates (of which there are 100s). There’s a 14-day free trial plus you can get your first 3 months for $1/month, after which you’ll need to pay to sell used furniture on Shopify – plans start from $39 a month.
Additionally, Shopify helps you boost your sales by providing analytics tools to determine the success of your marketing campaigns.
3. Bonanza
Bonanza is another site where you’ll need to set up a storefront – but it’s not as complicated as it sounds. It’s integrated with Google (which means better visibility) and is often seen as an alternative to eBay or Amazon.
There are no listing fees – but you will pay a commission if your items sell. How much you pay will depend on the value – as well as the advertising option you’ve chosen.
For instance, if you sell an item for $50 and your shipping costs are $5, the total value of your item will be $55. The fee will be calculated based on this $55 value, and they start from 3.5%.
4. Bookoo
A site “made by yard sale fans, for yard sale fans,” Bookoo is all about helping people to find bargains without having to run around.
It’s sort of a mini social media platform which buyers can use to connect with sellers in the same area.
The setup is very similar to Craigslist, but Bookoo is more local – and there’s more of a community spirit, much like going to a garage sale or an estate sale.
To sell on Bookoo, you’ll need to create an account. Once your account is confirmed, you can then put up unlimited items for sale – be it furniture, or anything else you like.
5. Remoov
Looking for a way to completely clear your clutter? Wish someone did it all for you? Remoov can help.
A full-service offering, Remoov will literally remove anything you no longer need from your home.
All you need to do is take photos of your stuff, submit them, then schedule a pickup. The Remoov team will pick up your items, then update you when your items are sold, and you’ll get 50% of the value.
Another great thing is that whatever they don’t sell, they will donate to charities – so you know you’re also doing something good. Plus, you will receive a tax deduction.
6. Etsy
You may think of Etsy as limited to handmade, artistic knick-knacks and craft supplies – but it can be a great platform to sell used furniture, too.
That said, your pieces will need to be unique to receive attention from potential buyers. Is your furniture vintage, antique, or handcrafted? That’s the kind of stuff Etsy shoppers are looking for.
To start selling on Etsy, you’ll need to open an Etsy shop, which is relatively easy to do. Simply follow the guidelines on their website, then list your first item (each listing costs $0.20).
When you’ve sold, you’ll pay a 5% transaction fee as well as 3% + $0.25 for payment processing.
7. 1stdibs
Despite its quirky name, 1stdibs is actually quite a big deal. Known as an online marketplace connecting furniture dealers, galleries, collectors, antique shops, designers, and curators – it’s a great place to sell vintage furniture that’s truly one-of-a-kind.
Listing your items with 1stdibs isn’t cheap – which makes sense since you would only be selling furniture pieces that cost significantly more.
To become a seller, you’ll need to pay a monthly fee. There will also be an additional 15% commission on each sale, as well as a 3% transaction fee for credit card use.
Live in New York? You could pop into the 1stdibs showroom to see what other designer furniture pieces look like.
8. Chairish
If your furniture is vintage or you’ve decided to part with some art, Chairish is the place to sell. It is an upscale resale site, where elegant, unique, boho-style furniture will likely find a new owner.
You can determine the value of your items using the Chairish Pink Book – a free pricing resource for vintage furniture. Then you’ll need to add quality photos (much quicker to do on the app).
There are multiple selling plans to choose from – and the commission depends on the prices of your items.
Chairish will either take a 20% commission for sales up to $2,500 or a 3-12% commission for items worth more. In other words, the more you sell, the lower the commission.
9. AptDeco
If your furniture is in particularly good condition, AptDeco may be an excellent site to use. You can list your furniture for free in just a couple of minutes and get connected with prospective buyers.
What’s really cool is that the listing will be enhanced by improving visuals and providing details about the item you may not even know – within 24 hours. AptDeco is also a great place to list household goods such as rugs, lighting fixtures, and other home decor.
If your item sells, they take a fixed rate, which is 23%. You get paid after your item has been delivered directly into your account within two to five business days. Easy!
10. Sotheby’s Home
Do you have designer furniture you no longer want or need? Sotheby’s Home is where you can sell well-maintained, premium home furnishings – anything from new and gently used, to vintage and antique.
Because we’re talking quality high end furniture, the process is slightly different from selling items on other sites. The team at Sotheby’s Home will review each item before it goes on sale – and will try to find potential buyers.
There is also a minimum retail price of $1,000 for each piece – and they will take 50% commission if you consign 20 items or fewer, or 40% if it is 21 or more.
11. Ruby Lane
And if you’re seriously considering selling antique and vintage furniture as a side hustle, Ruby Lane may be a good option to try. They also sell jewelry, fine art, collectibles, vintage fashion, silver – and even vintage dolls!
Ruby Lane is a place to earn the big bucks – but it is also much more expensive to use. There is a $100 setup fee to open your online store, plus you’ll pay a monthly fee if you’ve listed 80 items or less. Each listing also comes with a 19-cent listing fee.
12. eBay
Probably one of the first places that come to mind when someone says “selling online” is eBay.
If you have any experience selling on eBay, you’ll know that there are two options – selling as an auction, or for a fixed price.
In terms of fees, you’ll pay a 13% commission fee on the final selling price.
Also, you don’t have to worry about shipping items that are too expensive to ship – eBay will take care of that (there’s a local pickup service which is pretty handy).
13. eBid
An eBay alternative, eBid has an advantage over its competitor since it has very low commission fees of only 3%.
Just like on eBay, you can list unwanted furniture at auction or for a fixed price – and use local pickup for heavier items.
Another great feature is being able to import items that you’re selling on eBay or Amazon quickly – helping you reach more potential buyers and making it more likely that your unwanted furniture will find a new home quicker.
If that’s something you’d be interested in, you can also purchase lifetime eBid membership for $50, reducing your long-term selling fees – and you even get a free t-shirt! It’s a win-win.
14. Craigslist
Craigslist is one of the most visited online classified sites, so it’s one of the best places to sell anything – including secondhand furniture.
You can list your items for free, and the process will only take minutes.
Bear in mind – just like with many other online platforms for selling used furniture, having good quality photos of your items is a must. Buyers want to see the items they’ll be purchasing – it’s reassuring to know they’re in good condition.
Also, be sure to include a detailed description of your items – the more, the better! Buyers need details – especially if they’re investing in a larger purchase.
15. Facebook Marketplace
With Facebook Marketplace, potential buyers in your area will be shown your items when they browse the platform.
Creating a listing takes about a minute – and the steps are relatively simple to follow. Listing items is free – and you won’t be paying any fees for sold items, which is a bonus.
You can also easily boost your listing’s visibility by posting on local Facebook garage sales pages.
I personally think Facebook Marketplace is one of the best sites to sell second hand furniture (and other things) locally – while also having a wider reach online. It’s great for the money-savvy seller who would rather make money without spending any (no fees!).
16. Pinterest
Pinterest may not be the first site that pops to mind when someone mentions selling used furniture online, but let me tell you why it’s definitely worth considering.
With 1.250 million users worldwide every month, Pinterest has the audience every seller dreams of.
You can pin images from your own website (it’s also a fantastic way to grow your brand) – or without a website if you don’t have one.
Pinterest is especially great for furniture makeovers because, on this platform, it’s all about the visuals. The better your furniture looks – the more re-pins it’ll get, and the higher the chances that it will find a new, excited owner who will gladly pay you for it.
17. Oodle
Last but not least, Oodle is a classified site that allows buyers to see listings near their current location.
Listing is free – and when the buyer is interested, you can agree to meet to finalize the purchase. The site is quite small – and if you don’t live in a featured city, you’re outta luck. But it’s an option!
Last but not least one of my favorite blogs, Budgets Are Sexy, has a great post on how to find estate sale deals. Check it out!
How to Maximize Profit When Selling Used Furniture
To up your profit, you need to play it smart. Here are some tried-and-tested ways to maximize profit:
Visuals Matter – Use Good Photos
Buyers need to see that your furniture is clean and in good condition. Visuals are so important when trying to sell pretty much anything – but especially when it comes to second-hand furniture. After all, a buyer already knows they’re buying something that’s not “fresh out of the box” – even more of a reason to need reassurance that the items are worth paying money for. Aim for clear photos taken in a good light. And, if you have an artistic flair, you could even spice them up with a bit of creativity!
Provide an Accurate Description (But Highlight the Pros)
Trying to hide a scratch or a dent isn’t going to play out well – honesty is your best policy. Especially if you want to turn this into a lucrative side hustle – and want people to come back to you. Provide an accurate, detailed, factual description of your items with as much transparency as possible (such as mentioning the fact that the piece lived in a smoking home) – but make sure to highlight the best features (such as how the items were made, the fabrics, etc.).
Do Some Research – and Be Wise
Since there’s no one perfect platform to sell used furniture, do your research beforehand to find the best deals and prices for the type of furniture you want to sell. Compare similar furniture items across multiple platforms to see how much you could expect to earn. You could even list your items on a few different platforms as well as hold a yard sale to maximize your chances of selling them for the best price.
Learn How To Sell Furniture Faster
Selling used furniture online can be a lucrative side hustle. If you are looking to increase your volume and make more cash, taking courses and learning from others can really pay off. Here are some courses we recommend:
SkillsSuccess
How To Sell On Craigslist ($29) – This 8-section video series covers everything from listing tips that attract more buyers, negotiating to get the most profit, as well as setting up systems to track all your items and sales. This instructor also reveals their personal earnings and sales success reports so you know the information is legit!
Flea Market Flipper
FREE 75-minute Webinar – This free webinar provides an introduction to flipping (including selling used furniture online) and also pro tips for growing a profitable flipping business. They also offer a $97 full course which has AMAZING reviews and has helped hundreds of people start online flipping businesses. Even if this course only gets you $100 more profit on selling an item online, it will have already paid for itself!
Selling Your Used Furniture For Cash
So, there you have it! Selling used furniture can be an easy and reasonably quick way to make some extra cash. Money that you could, perhaps, put towards an investment (learn how you can use small investments to make money so it works harder for you) – or check out my investing strategy.
And you never know – you might enjoy the process so much that you turn it into one of your side hustles! Some people buy used furniture (or get it for free), clean it up, and sell it for a profit. That strategy is called retail arbitrage.
If you’re looking for more ideas on how to start a profitable side-hustle, check out my post on the best side hustles.
Read 2 comments
Read Comments