A few days ago I wrote an article about the best places to buy used furniture. Today I wanted to flip the coin as it were and talk about the best places to sell used furniture.
If you are like me you have obviously have been in a situation where you buy new furniture but are still left with old furniture. The furniture that you need to dispose of due to limitations of space or because you no longer need it.
This can be a headache sometimes and most people will just call the local authorities responsible for disposals to come and pick it up. And if you are living where I am living you may have to pay a little something for that privilege.
So instead of spending money disposing of your old furniture, you can decide to sell it for a profit. This to me is a better option than just sending it to the dump hill.
It is probably the most environmentally sound way of disposing of your old furniture as someone else will be using it.
Too many trees are felled to satisfy our appetite for new things here in the western world. And anyone who cares about the environment needs to seriously find a way to reduce this environmental tragedy about to fall on us.
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Best Place To Sell Used Furniture
There are a couple of places where you can sell your used furniture without too much hustle. In the following paragraphs, I will go through some of those ways. It will be up to you to pick the one that catches your fancy.
1. Garage Sale
Garage Sales works much better in areas where it is easy to pass around information. I am thinking of areas where the people have set up a Facebook Group, Whatsup group, or something like that.
I remember in one of the cities I used to live there was a Facebook group for the sale of used items. It was a group that had thousands of members and therefore provided a ready-made platform for people to sell their used things including furniture.
If you belong to such a group, then you can invite the members to a garage sale of your second-hand furniture. At least then they will have an opportunity to view the furniture and make an informed decision.
If you don’t have such a group then you can find other ways of letting people in your area know that you have a garage sale.
One of those is to create handbills that you can slot in people’s letterboxes. The only problem with this is that you are limited in the number of people you can reach.
Another way will be to advertise your garage sale on Facebook. In that ad, you will target people in your area only.
Otherwise, if you don’t specify your audience properly you could end up spending money on ads that go to people who might not be able to make it.
Another tip on Facebook ads is that you need to specify the age range of the people that you want to see your ads. I would advise you targe the young people of your area as they are the ones most likely to buy used furniture.
Young people who have just left college are more likely to buy used furniture than some retirees. Therefore to increase your chances of reaching the right audience you may exclude those who have reached retirement age in your area.
2. Flea Market
Another cool place to sell second-hand furniture is at a flea market. It especially works for small pieces of furniture such as stools, etc.
I don’t think it can work if you are selling big items such as sofas. This is because most people who go to flea markets are not going there to buy big items.
They are more comfortable buying items they can easily carry in their car. Buying a big item would require that they hire a pick up for example.
There are a few other things that you need to be aware of before you go.
First, most flea markets require that you register as a vendor with the organizer. In most cases, you will be required to pay some registration fees. Depending on the market this could be one-off or in some cases, you can pay a monthly fee.
Secondly, some flea markets have rules on what items can be sold there. You don’t want to register and then discover that you cannot sell furniture in that particular market.
Another thing that you need to be aware of is the tax rules in your area. There are some states that may require that you register for tax purposes before you become a vendor.
It is also advisable that you acquaint yourself with the tax laws of your area so that you can factor that in your pricing.
One also needs to be aware that some flea markets are only open during certain times of the year. There are some that are not open during winter.
Another thing to take into account is that like any market there is competition for customers in a flea market. You, therefore, need to make sure that your goods are presented properly.
This would mean polishing your furniture before taking it to the market. And arranging your items neatly.
3. Sell It To A Thrift Store
If you don’t want the bother of selling stuff at flea markets or garage sales you can contact thrift stores in your area. There are so many thrift stores that would be interested in buying furniture.
The only drawback in this is that the thrift store too is in business and may not be willing to pay the same amount you can make at a flea market. They too need to make a profit on this transaction.
Another advantage of selling your second-hand furniture to a thrift store is that they can provide the transport. You, therefore, won’t have the headache of arranging for transport.
4. Facebook Marketplace
If you are into social media then you are probably aware of Facebook Marketplace. Facebook Marketplace is an online platform where you can buy or sell new and used items. The participants are individuals or companies in some instances.
This is another excellent place where you can sell your second-hand furniture. And because the deals are made online, the presentation can make or break a deal.
You, therefore, need to take your time in capturing the photos that you will upload on this platform.
One way of doing this is to make sure that you have a good background preferably a white background.
You also need to make sure that the lighting is improved when you are taking the pictures. In some cases, you might need to buy more lights if you are capturing the photos in a room.
Another thing that you can do is to make sure that you clean the furniture and polish them thoroughly where necessary.
This is a competition and therefore we need to make sure that you outshine the competition as regards the presentation of your furniture.
Due to the issues of transport, I would imagine that you will only target people in your area if you are taking responsibility for transport.
This may not be an issue if the buyer will provide the transport.
6. eBay
eBay is an online auction where individuals and companies buy and sell items. While the website is free for buyers, sellers are charged fees for listing items and after the sale.
On eBay people can buy and sell electronics, cars, clothes, furniture, collectibles, and more.
Just as is the case with Facebook Marketplace, the pictures you upload can mean the difference between a sale and a no sale.
You, therefore, need to take the necessary care in taking the photos. You can read some tips in the Facebook Marketplace paragraphs above.
On eBay you have the option of selling at a fixed price or as an auction.
If you need the money very fast maybe a fixed price which is reasonable can lead to a quick sale. But if you can afford to wait then I would suggest going for an auction in the hope that you can make more money.
I would suggest that you study the market first to decide on the best option for you.
7. Etsy
Another online marketplace that you can use to sell your used furniture is Etsy. Etsy is a global online marketplace, where people come together to make, sell, buy, and collect unique items.
Therefore if your furniture matches this description then you can consider selling it on this platform.
Most of the buyers on Etsy are interested in vintage furniture, it would, therefore, be pointless to advertise on this platform if yours does not meet this criterion.
If you are interested in selling on Etsy you need to create an online shop. Any person with basic computer knowledge should be able to do this without problems. Once this is done you can start offering your goods for a listing cost of 20 cents.
As we have pointed out in the previous examples presentation of your goods is everything on these online marketplaces. You, therefore, need to make sure that you take some quality pictures of your furniture.
You can do this by making sure that the lighting when taking the pictures is alright. Another thing you can do is to create a plain background for the photo, preferably white background.
Vintage items buyers will definitely be very particular about how the goods are presented. So make sure you do a good job here better than the work in the other platforms above.
One thing that you have to factor into your pricing is the fact that after a sale you will be charged a 5 percent fee plus 3 percent payment processing.
8. Craigslist
If for some reason you are not satisfied with the above sites, then I would suggest that you consider Craigslist.
Craigslist is an American classified advertisement website. On it, you will find sections such as Jobs, housing, for sale, services, etc.
This site has of late lost its luster after being infiltrated by fraudsters. You, therefore, need to be aware of this when you post your add.
As pointed out in the previous paragraphs, when selling things online the visuals can make or break a deal.
You, therefore, need to make sure that you take quality pictures of your furniture. If necessary you need to polish or clean the sofa first before you take the pictures.
You will not be the only one selling furniture on Craigslist, so make sure that your ad stands out.
One of the things that most people fail to do is on the description. You need to provide enough information about the product so that the buyers should know exactly what they are buying.
I would add that your description should be an honest one. if your furniture has a scratch which is prominent mention it and also provides pictures of it.
Treat the potential buyers the same way you would have liked to be treated if you were in their shoes.
9. eBid
If your goal is to place your furniture on online auction but are not happy with eBay, then you can try eBid.
eBid is similar to eBay in that it is also an online auction. You can, therefore, choose to sell your items at a fixed price or as an auction sale.
While eBid is smaller than eBay, it charges very low in commissions. It charges a 3 percent commission.
Another cool thing about eBid is that the site allows you to import items you are selling on eBay and other sites. It, therefore, makes your work easier than having to start all over.
Related Post: How To Find Free Furniture Near Me
Conclusion
I think these are the best sites for selling used furniture for ordinary folk like you and me. The ones I have left out are the ones for the upper class.
Please review these places and decide on the best place for you to sell your furniture. We are all different and we have different tastes.
Those that want to meet people face to face can choose flea markets and others. And those who are not comfortable with that can pick the other online options.
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