Where is the best place to sell used furniture online?
If you’re looking for the best place to sell second-hand furniture online, then you’ve come to the right place. Not only will this guide tell you where to sell your used furniture, but it will also give you all the necessary tips to ensure your furniture sells and that you get the best possible price. Let’s dive in.
VanaMango’s top 7 resale platforms: where to sell used furniture online
There are a few different platforms, which are perfect for selling your used furniture from pianos to crockery, wardrobes to futons and everything in between. We have listed them below.
As you might expect, there are pros and cons to each different platform, and they are outlined below. So whether you intend to shift heavy furniture or homeware that is far less bulky, we hope you find the right fit for you.
1. eBay
Advantages of selling furniture on eBay
As of 2021, there were 147 million active buyers on eBay. That’s a huge pool of potential customers, many of whom will be local to you and could potentially view your furniture and be able to collect it.
If that wasn’t incentive enough by itself, another great positive of eBay is that the site is very secure and much safer than the other platforms for both buyers and sellers. So you can have confidence that you won’t be getting scammed.
Disadvantages of selling furniture on eBay
This is a great and popular website for buying and selling used items; however, when it comes to shipping furniture, eBay is not the best solution.
Firstly, eBay charges a fee for any sold item through eBay. You can list your item for free, but you will have to pay 10% to eBay on any sale. Most sales through eBay are paid for using PayPal as well, where you will make another loss, as they take a transaction fee of around 2%.
eBay does have a massive audience and your furniture will be viewed by more people than any other platform. However, with furniture being difficult to transport long distances for an affordable price, often it is not worth it for the buyer to pay for the transport.
2. Preloved
Advantages of selling furniture on Preloved
Preloved is one of the first sites that springs to mind when we think about where to sell used furniture online, maybe because it’s pretty simple – there’s no auctions involved and there are no listing or selling fees involved.
Disadvantages of selling furniture on Preloved
The number of users who use Preloved has also decreased, the majority of people these days use eBay, Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace. You will have much more chance of selling your items on another platform and preloved is not recommended. Mainly down to the fact that a lot of people don’t use it.
Preloved was incorporated in 1998 and it has had some recent issues with scams but they have combatted it with a trust app. However, both the buyer and seller need to agree to this. Preloved also has a memberships fee from £5 – £15 for sellers. Although it is not a lot, if what you are selling is only worth £15 you have lost a large percentage.
3. Gumtree
Advantages of selling furniture on Gumtree
This is a great site for selling second-hand furniture: there are no fees and you can sell easily via cash in hand. This means you get every penny for whatever you sell. Gumtree also has a wide audience so you will be likely to get plenty of sales.
The way it lists items is ideal too, as it always lists the newest items first. So if your furniture has not sold, you can copy the ad and re-upload it and see it go straight to the top again. In our book, this could be the best place to sell furniture online for you.
Disadvantages of selling furniture on Gumtree
The only thing to be wary of with Gumtree is that there is no protection from scammers. This is for both buyers and sellers. Always be wary of who you are selling to and if people are sending you links asking you to email them, or via PayPal or a payment provider you’ve never heard of, keep your guard up – it will likely be a scam.
The best thing to do to protect yourself is to make people pay in person on collection or delivery. Don’t be put off by people saying they will pay via a bank transfer – a lot of people pay via bank transfer these days. The best way is to get them to transfer it on collection or delivery so you know it is legitimate. Simply, make sure to not leave the furniture before the funds have shown in your account.
4. Facebook Marketplace
Advantages of selling furniture on Facebook Marketplace
At VanaMango, we love Facebook Marketplace and have found it to be the best place to sell second-hand furniture. The sales are fast and the audience is massive. Not to mention, you will likely get more messages for furniture on this platform than any other.
There are no fees and almost everyone is local to you. You can also join buy-and-sell Facebook groups for different areas and post your used furniture into them to reach a more specialised audience. Again this will mean everyone who sees it are local, making it easy for them to arrange to pick it up or for you to deliver.
You’ll want to join groups with as many members as possible. Groups can have unlimited members, with some reaching over 100,000 members. Just imagine the possibilities!
Disadvantages of selling furniture on Facebook Marketplace
The only downfall to Facebook Marketplace is the time wasters and scammers. Like Gumtree, don’t click any links sent to you. Anyone asking for electronic payment is potentially a scammer, so follow the same rules as Gumtree in situations like this.
What’s more, a lot of people on Facebook are time wasters; by this we mean people who seem interested and then flake at the last minute, losing all interest instantly. They may message you initially before you respond and receive no reply. If they don’t reply don’t bother wasting your time trying to get a response – just send it to the next person. Chances are, if they are not responding frequently then they don’t really want it.
5. Etsy
Advantages of selling furniture on Esty
If you’ve been wondering where to sell upcycled furniture in the UK, then this is your golden ticket. Etsy is the home of crafters, DIYers and artisan gifts. If you’re in the habit of furniture flipping, Etsy is a great way of broadening your audience and getting your pieces in front of new eyes. The “follow” shop feature allows you to amass an audience who will be notified of any changes or uploads to your shop.
Disadvantages of selling furniture on Esty
Be warned though: there are steeper fees involved with Esty than other retail sites, so take the time to do your homework before you set up your shop. And be conscious that while there’s an abundance of shoppers on the site, there are also tons of shops all fighting for the top listings. It’s a fierce competition out there!
6. Vinted
Advantages of selling furniture on Vinted
If you’re considering where to sell used furniture, this might not be your first choice, but it’s worth a look. Vinted is a well-known competitor of Depop and one of the most popular clothing resale sites. But did you know that you can sell homeware items through Vinted too? From homeware like textiles, accessories and textiles, there are a few opportunities to sell your stuff and exploit an overlooked audience.
The best part, however, is that Vinted doesn’t have any listing fees associated with what you sell. Unlike Etsy or eBay, which both charge you a fee to list items on the website, for maintenance and transactions, Vinted doesn’t charge a penny. This is because the buyer takes up the fee as part of a buyer protection fee.
Disadvantages of selling furniture on Vinted
There is one key disadvantage to using Vinted to sell your old furniture: there’s not much choice. Home accessories such as clocks, display shelves, mirrors and vases are up for selling, but larger items like cupboards aren’t allowed, so make sure to check which items you are allowed to sell.
Another thing worth noting is that on Vinted buyers choose how their order will be shipped. This means that selecting a courier is ridiculously convenient for buyers, but the same is not true for sellers.
7. Depop
Advantages of selling furniture on Depop
Depop is one of the cool new kids on the block. Primarily used by Gen-Z, it’s a great marketplace for trendy new items and is packed with “side-hustlers” and eco-conscious teens selling on clothes that no longer fit them or their wardrobe. If you think your furniture will appeal to this younger audience, then maybe it’s worth a try branching out.
Disadvantages of selling furniture on Depop
The age thing is a bit of a two-edged sword. If your furniture isn’t suited to a younger audience (18-25) you might struggle to sell the piece or pieces you’re meaning to shift.
Another frequent concern that comes up for sellers is scamming. As Depop has fewer buyer protections than other platforms, it might take a while for users to make the commitment and purchase your item(s). But this isn’t to say that there aren’t dishonest buyers and sellers on every platform. The best thing to do is to stay vigilant.
How to sell secondhand, used or upcycled furniture
Now we’ve been through our top 7 picks for the best place to sell furniture online, it’s time to take a deep dive into how to sell second-hand, used or upcycled furniture. Here are some essential tips that will help you sell your items faster and for a higher price.
Wash, clean and repair
The first thing to do is to give your furniture a good clean prior to listing it. The cleaner it looks the more people will be interested. It’s essentially making an item look newer – if it looks like it’s in better condition you will have more chance of selling it. This will also ensure you get the best possible price.
This is for 2 reasons. The first reason is that a lot of people wouldn’t want to pay as much for something which they need to clean, plus there is also a chance that they may not be able to clean it. For example, staining to upholstery may not be removable. Also, any damage to furniture if repairable needs to be repaired which equals more spending.
Most people won’t buy furniture which is damaged to the point it is unusable; however, if it is just a tear, bust zip or scratch, this can be easily repaired and would definitely boost the chances of sales as well as the price.
Photos
It is essential to get good photos of the furniture you are selling. I always say it’s the photos that sell the furniture. This is purely because it’s what the potential buyers are seeing on these platforms right away – this is what entices them into wanting to buy that furniture.
If you can make sure your photos are on point, then you have a great chance of selling. Take loads from flattering angles and also make sure to put any damage in too. Especially if there’s anything particularly noticeable.
Make sure that the lighting you use for the photos is good: use lamps or natural light wherever you can and get the right angle for the light to shine on the furniture. This will make the furniture stand out more on camera and look a hell of a lot better.
If you take poor-quality pictures that are blurry or those where you cannot see the furniture well there will be a very low chance of selling the item, unless you are selling it very cheap or giving it away.
Lastly, if the brand of the furniture is expensive take a photo of the label and upload this alongside a screenshot of how much it costs brand new (if it is still on the website). This will make potential buyers realise they are getting a good deal. Particularly if you are selling it at 50% or even less of the price of it new.
Description
This is a given: ensure to put a good description in. If you do this, it will be more appealing to those scrolling through the results page and it give potential buyers initial trust in you.
Be descriptive and list key features that make the item unique and desirable. You might also want to include whether your furniture is from a smoke-free home and/or pet-free home. If the furniture is an expensive brand or a vintage find, then mention this too – it makes people feel like they are getting a good deal.
Obviously, if there are any issues mention them (with pictures). But if there is a way you can fix them and you either were not able to do it or didn’t have time to, outline how the buyer can fix it and make it sound easy and accessible. Then follow this up by letting them know that you didn’t have the time to do it yourself.
By doing this, using all the categories available to you and thinking about what search terms potential buyers are using you will increase the reach of your listing and make it all the more enticing.
Delivery
It’s fair to say that this part of the selling process is no one’s favourite. I’m sure we’ve all experienced an item arriving late, damaged or not arriving at all! To minimise this risk you can either deliver the furniture yourself or rely on a professional courier service to drop it off at the desired location.
DIY delivery
A lot of people can’t collect furniture, either because they can’t drive or they don’t have a van. If you’re able to deliver the item because you own or have access to a van, then state that in the ad. You can always charge them for the drop-off, so you don’t go out of pocket.
Some people are not physically able to move heavy items either, so if you can do it alone this will be a major selling point for your item – something you can shout about in the description! Likewise, for something such as a sofa, even if you only have a car, chances are you can transport it safely (unless your car is tiny or your sofa is huge!).
Hire professionals to do the job
For those unable to deliver bulkier furniture items themself, don’t worry – all is not lost! Booking a furniture courier to get the job done for you is easier than ever. And companies like us will cater to both longer and shorter journeys.
There are two ways of going about this.
- Ask for the buyer to arrange the furniture shipment.
- Arrange the man and van furniture delivery yourself and then request payment from the buyer.
With VanaMango, we make this particularly easy with our state-of-the-art booking system. Get an instant non-obligation quote and work things out from there.
Leave it to VanaMango
Now that we’ve shared our picks for the best place to sell furniture online, we hope you’re ready to move your old items to their new home. And when you’re ready to get them shipped, leave it to us to get them there safe and sound.