Do you have some old furniture that you’d like to turn into cash? Keep reading! We have 16 places to sell furniture online and in person.
I’ve always been an absolute sucker for one-of-a-kind furniture pieces. From shaker to midcentury modern, sleek to artsy, I love sourcing groovy little chairs or side tables at garage sales, estate sales, and antique malls, or transforming simple furnishings into boho statement pieces and then flipping them for a tidy little profit.
In the 15 or so years I’ve been reselling online as a side hustle, I’ve learned that not every online sales platform yields the same results. The platforms that tend to generate the highest payouts require patience, while some others are all about that haggle life. It’s important to know your options and list them accordingly.
When choosing the right furniture sales platform to list your inventory on, your business model should inform your decision-making. Here’s a breakdown of the best places to connect with potential customers when you’re selling furniture online and why you might want to choose one option over another.
1. Facebook Marketplace
As someone who has spent a good deal of time both buying and selling on Facebook Marketplace, I’ve developed a pretty good sense of the good, bad, and more frustrating aspects of selling on Facebook.
The good is that it’s easy to list items and share them across many Facebook groups, which can be a great way to reach potential buyers who are looking for niche products. For example, if you’re selling vintage furniture from the 1950s, you’ll find a lot of midcentury modern collectors who source their items through MCM groups on their favorite social media platforms. And collectors love to browse online stores to see if anything strikes their fancy.
Another good thing about Facebook’s online marketplace is the local pickup option. While I know you can make more money waiting to connect with a buyer who desperately wants what you’re selling, I genuinely dislike shipping furniture as a personal preference due to the hassle, risk, and expense. On the other hand, I’ve also found local in-person buyers tend to be ready to go sooner when you’re selling at a lower price point, so I tend to sell items quickly for less on Marketplace.
That’s not to say you can’t list and wait with Marketplace. But unless you’re shelling out for advertising fees, it’s easy for a listing to get lost in the algorithm if your items don’t sell right away. I have also found Marketplace to be plagued by scammers and tech-incompetent buyers who struggle to navigate the process. At the same time, I’ve known plenty of folks who don’t struggle with those issues and find Marketplace easy to sell furniture on, so I recommend giving it a try to see if it works well for you.
2. Facebook (Outside of Marketplace)
Selling directly on Facebook rather than going through the online marketplace has worked out very well for me. Because I have a moderately sized parasocial group that mostly consists of friends in my local community, many of whom share similar aesthetic styles, I can often post directly to my Facebook profile and connect with interested parties. I can negotiate the sale price in the comments and then hop over to Venmo or Cash App to complete the transaction before arranging pickup with my buyers. Many of my Facebook friends are also happy to share my listings with their own followers.
I can also go directly into Facebook groups and create my own listings in the style I prefer, rather than the more rigid structure of a Facebook Marketplace listing. Occasionally, I will even host a virtual garage sale featuring several items in one post, listing each item with a photo in the comments section.
3. Craigslist
Craigslist works in much the same way as Facebook Marketplace for furniture listings. Like Marketplace, Craigslist can be an effective tool for reaching local buyers who are online browsing for furniture. The search engine is much easier to use than Facebook, and the platform’s simple layout is almost exactly the same as it was 20 years ago.
Users can browse furniture listings or search based on price, condition, and location. It’s easy to list, easy to use, and still a fairly popular way to buy and sell furniture. In my experience, there are better platforms for listing more specialized niche sorts of furniture. But Craigslist can be a great place to pick up mainstream new or used furniture without having to shop in a physical store, and that makes it a good place to sell those items as well.
4. Nextdoor
Much like Craigslist, Nextdoor isn’t necessarily the best place to sell more specialized or niche furniture. But if you’re just trying to offload a decent used sofa or a couple of matching dressers, Nextdoor can be a great place to connect with folks in your neighborhood who are looking for a deal.
Similar to Facebook, users can post listings directly to their Nextdoor profiles. The platform has also started adding groups and business listings, and although it’s still pretty basic, it seems there are a lot of users who are pretty active. And as a bonus, you can list your garage sales on the app.
5. Offerup
Offerup is a local buying and selling platform where users can list items for sale, services, and jobs. The basic concept works much like Craigslist, but with a more streamlined interface that lets users shop by category, similar to how Poshmark is laid out. For furniture listings, users can search by a number of subcategories.
The only major downside to selling on Offerup is that it’s still a growing platform, which can mean fewer users and listings for less populated areas. I live in a city of about 1 million, but many of the furniture listings based on my location are in the next state over. I’m guessing if you live in a more densely populated city like New York City, this is less of an issue, but for now, I would include Offerup as one of a few platforms to list on, along with, for example, Mercari and Craigslist, just for good measure.
6. Instagram
Anyone who is still spending much time on Instagram will tell you the algorithm isn’t what it used to be, and it can be hard to build a following and connect with users in the sea of AI slop. But there are still plenty of buyers using Instagram to look for original vintage pieces, especially when they’re one-of-a-kind MCM items or hand-painted treasures with a more artistic flair.
To reach the right audience, follow successful accounts and use similar hashtags. When selling on Instagram, be sure to create authentic content to keep your followers engaged between furniture sales.
7. Aptdeco
Think of Aptdeco like Poshmark for furniture. It’s easy to set up an account and free to list. Even better, it pays out within two to five business days. And all that without having to meet up with strangers for in-person transactions.
Unlike other online marketplaces, browsers are coming to Aptdeco to look for the furniture they’ve been dreaming of. After your buyer purchases an item, Aptdeco arranges for pickup to simplify the process.
8. eBay
The great thing about using eBay to sell furniture is how trustworthy it is. eBay has been a reliable furniture marketplace for decades and is still going strong. It’s also easy to get your asking price for items as opposed to another platform where you might find yourself marking them down. And your first 250 listings each month are free.
When listing on eBay, you can sell by auction or set items to “Buy It Now” mode. It’s super easy to use. Just fill out the listing, upload your pics, and wait for your auction bids to start pouring in.
9. Etsy
Etsy is the go-to spot for anyone searching for beautiful hand-painted, artisanal, or vintage furniture pieces. Create your online Etsy store and start creating listings through Etsy’s Shop Manager.
Listing on Etsy is fee-based, beginning with an initial 20-cent listing fee per item for a four-month listing. After a listing expires, you’ll pay the same fee to renew for another four months. The biggest downside to using Etsy for furniture sales is that sellers are responsible for their own shipping. However, if you’re willing to wait for the right buyer, it’s often possible to get a much higher payout from your sale, which can more than make up for that inconvenience.
To make the most out of your Etsy listings, be sure to learn about search engine optimization (SEO) and pack your listing full of language and hashtags that will bring the right buyers to your page.
10. Consignment Shops
Consignment shops let you sell your furniture in their store for a cut of the sale price. Think of it as a partnership with the store. It’s a great way to get your furniture out in front of potential buyers so they can see it up close and personal. But the cost can be high, with some consignment stores charging as much as 50% of each sale.
11. Specialty Furniture Store
Depending on your furniture items, you may be able to sell them to a specialty furniture store that deals in a specific type of vintage or custom furniture. For example, a local boutique furniture store dealing in Danish modern furniture might be interested in purchasing your quality Danish modern pieces outright. If you’ve got a piece that might fit the bill, just start calling around to locally-owned boutique furniture stores in your area to find out if they’d be interested.
12. Yard Sale
Even if your used furniture isn’t of the highest quality or best condition, you might be surprised what you can easily offload for a few bucks in a yard sale. I’ve had old furniture and somewhat beaten-up end tables and chairs that I thought may be fit for setting out at the curb that I actually managed to get a few dollars out of at a yard sale. And there are a few folks in my area who are constantly selling used furniture right out of their yards.
13. Shopify
If you have a really good eye for picking up furniture pieces, consider opening a shop on Shopify and curating your furniture collection. Shopify has become one of the more popular online store builders for a reason. It’s easy to use and full of handy features that make it easy to reach customers.
You will need to promote your store across other platforms, so it’s worth taking the time to learn about cross-platform promotion when you set up shop with Shopify.
14. Antique Malls
I am a sucker for an antique mall, and every time I go, I’m bumping elbows with other shoppers because of how popular these places can get.
If you’ve never spent much time in antique malls, it’s usually a sprawling store full of booths from individual sellers who rent space by the month. Folks who shop antique malls are looking for treasures, everything from high-dollar turquoise jewelry to vintage Strawberry Shortcake lunchboxes. And it’s usually pretty affordable to set up shop in an antique mall as long as you’ve got enough merchandise in your booth to make it worth your while.
15. Flea Markets
Flea markets are open markets where lots of vendors come out to sell their wares. Here, you’ll find just about everything you could imagine: cell phone accessories, airbrushed t-shirts, even live chickens.
Similar to the antique mall experience, a lot of buyers just want to come and browse to see if anything strikes their fancy. It’s usually super cheap to rent space with tables starting at as little as $5 in some areas, although you might need to shell out a few more bucks for a much bigger spot for your furniture.
16. Chairish
I first learned about Chairish after a flood in my home sent me scrambling to replace two decades’ worth of vintage and one-of-a-kind furniture, which Chairish is all about. Listing on Chairish is pretty straightforward and works similarly to Poshmark or other similar platforms. Once your item sells, Chairish actually helps with the shipping process by sending out professional shippers to ensure your items are delivered safely to your buyers.
Final Thought: List Across Multiple Venues
With so many options to sell your used furniture, you shouldn’t feel limited by just one or two. Of course, the type of item you’re listing will inform the right venues for your sale. For example, you’re not going to have much luck selling low-grade particle board furniture at your local antique mall.
Consider what you’re selling, how long you’re willing to wait, and the fees you’re willing to pay to help narrow down your sales venues. Once you’ve decided which options would be the best fit for your furniture, don’t be afraid to list across multiple platforms. Just remember to pull down your listings once your items have sold.
What’s your favorite place for sourcing cool or unique furniture to resell, and where have you had the best luck selling? Let me know in the comments, and happy hunting and selling!
Do you want to make extra money with a reselling side hustle? Get the scoop on how to get started with reselling here.
