Are you moving across the country or state, downsizing to a smaller home, moving into your first house, or just replacing an old furniture set? If so, you might be looking to sell your used furniture in a hurry. In today’s world, selling online is often the fastest way to find buyers. Check out these furniture selling tips to ensure your used furniture gets found quickly on the best online marketplaces!
Best Online Marketplaces to Sell Furniture
There are a lot of ways to sell used furniture online—but some sites stand out from the pack. If your goal is to sell something quickly, here are 16 used furniture marketplace options:
These online marketplaces allow you to upload images and customized descriptions that make finalizing a listing simple. And because most of these furniture marketplaces are available on both desktop and mobile, you can manage your listings, receive and accept offers, and set up a time and place to exchange the items from anywhere.
Tips for Selling Furniture Online
Once you’ve found an online marketplace where you can sell your used furniture, it’s time to spruce up your listings to attract serious buyers. Here are a few tips to help you advertise your for-sale furniture pieces in the best light!
Take Quality Listing Photos
In order to sell your furniture online faster, you’ll want to implement a few tips to shoot quality furniture photography. Properly clean the furniture as best you can, wiping down any leather and wood surfaces and vacuuming or steam-cleaning upholstery. Then, stage them in a well-lit room to showcase their potential—dimly-lit photos can make the furniture you’re selling look less appealing and misrepresent its color. It’s also important to take pictures from multiple angles. Photographing the furniture from the front, sides, and back with detail shots helps potential buyers have a better understanding of the furniture’s scale and how it would fit in their home.
Only Include What Is For Sale
Selling a dining room set, matching dressers, or a couch set online? Make sure the correct pieces are shown in your pictures—don’t confuse buyers by showing them the full dining room table and chair set if you’re only selling the table on its own. Descriptions of what’s being sold can sometimes get overlooked, especially when a potential buyer is just searching by keywords and looking for good photos—so make sure your photos and listing titles clearly display what’s for sale.
Keep Your Descriptions Simple
When it comes to the furniture’s description section, keep it simple and accurate. You don’t need a long, wordy description detailing how much you loved the piece or how it was used. Just cover the basics, including:
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- The year you bought the furniture
- The brand of the item
- What room the furniture was in
- What materials the piece is made of
- The dimensions of the item
- How much wear-and-tear it has
- Whether any pets were allowed on it
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If you need inspiration for writing furniture listings, look at how similar listings to yours are written by other sellers. And don’t be afraid to answer questions from would-be buyers! If you’re honest and to the point about your offer, people may feel more inclined to purchase from you online. Also, keep in mind that people often use online marketplaces like search engines to look for used furniture, so be sure to use lots of relevant keywords or hashtags in your description to make it easier for people to find your listing.
Price Used Furniture Fairly
Unlike a vehicle, furniture doesn’t depreciate in value the moment it leaves the store. However, most people aren’t willing to spend top dollar for used furniture. If you’re unsure about how to price used furniture, start by researching the prices of similar pieces, or use an online furniture calculator. In general, think about your pricing from a potential buyer’s perspective, and be willing to price your used furniture lower than what you originally paid. If selling items quickly is your main goal, then you’re better off with a more accommodating price. If you don’t get any bites on your listing after a week or two, consider dropping your price until you start getting offers.
Be Willing to Negotiate
What do you do if someone presents you with a lowball offer? If you have a more flexible timeline, waiting for an offer closer to your requested price is okay—you don’t need to jump at the first offer you receive! But if your goal is to sell furniture online quickly, adjust your expectations. Don’t overprice items, but don’t undervalue them just to get them off your hands. Ultimately, if you don’t receive any viable offers and are struggling to sell your furniture before moving, consider donating household goods to a charitable organization—or flipping your old furniture and relisting, or upcycling them into something new after you’ve moved!
Keep Online Safety Tips In Mind
A general practice for buying used furniture, most online sellers ask the buyer to pick up the items they’ve purchased—but where this happens is up to you. The buyer could simply come to your home to pick up, but since you might not necessarily know the person buying from you, it’s best to do this during the day. If you’re not comfortable with giving a stranger your address, one of the safest ways to sell items online is to ask the buyer to meet in a public place like a park, restaurant, or even the storage unit your item was being kept in. Additionally, try having a friend, partner, or family member there with you to oversee the exchange and ensure a safe, smooth transaction.
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