There’s going to come a time when you need to get rid of that old couch in the living room in order to make room for a new one.

But, if it’s still in great shape, why put it at the curb when you could potentially get at least a few dollars for it?

As long as you feel your furniture is in great shape, comes from a smoke-free home and appears to be clean, there will almost always be a buyer, I can almost promise you that much.

The question is, however, how the heck do I find these buyers?

In today’s post, I wanted to talk about the many websites/apps you can use today in which you can post your furniture and hopefully find a buyer.  Most of these resources are 100% free and have a pretty decent customer base, making it a great opportunity to find a buyer.

With so many resources, some bad, some great, let’s take a look at some of your highest rated choices on the web today where you can sell used furniture online.

Where to Sell Used Furniture for Cash

ApartmentTherapy.com Marketplace

If you’re unfamiliar with the website, ApartmentTherapy.com, it’s basically a popular lifestyle and interior design community that shares a variety of tips, articles and much more, all related to home decor and so forth.

Serving millions of visitors a month, they do offer a free marketplace in which you can post your furniture and related items for free.

I wouldn’t say it’s the best option on this list, but since it’s free, it doesn’t hurt to at least post your listing to see if anyone contacts you.

When I took a look, there were hundreds of listings from all around the world, so I’m going to really say it greatly depends on where you live and what you’re selling.  If it’s something you can ship anywhere, then you may have better luck than a large item that needs to be picked up locally.

• Fees:  Free
• Website:  ApartmentTherapy.com

AptDeco

According to the official website, AptDeco notes that you can sell your furniture in less than 10 days.

How true is this?  I don’t know as I never have used the company or couldn’t find much in regards to their reputation online.

But, as one of the many options to sell your furniture online, listing your furniture is said to be always free, but the company will charge a fee if a buyer is found.

Like all of these websites, creating a listing is easy.  Take pictures, write a description and name your price.

Then, if a buyer is found, AptDeco takes care of the rest, taking care of payments, insurance, and even the delivery!

So, if you only want to list the furniture and nothing else, AptDeco is definitely one to keep at top of the list.

• Fees:  23% and a flat delivery fee starting at $35+
• Website:  AptDeco

Bonanza

Said to be a great Amazon and eBay alternative, Bonanza sells a wide variety of items, including furniture.

And just like Amazon and eBay, you can create a storefront, per se, offering you the opportunity to sell more than just furniture in the future.

With more than 40,000+ stores, there’s definitely people shopping, but I’m just unsure how many people are looking for big-ticket items.  It’s worth a shot, however.

• Fees:  3.5%+
• Website:  Bonanza

Chairish

Chairish is a very popular online consignment store, in which you can post your furniture for free and receive offers from verified buyers.

However, once your furniture sells, you will have to pay a commission rate, greatly dependent upon how many active listings you have at the time.  At a minimum, plan on a 30% commission rate.  This can be said about any consignment shop, though.

While the website is quite popular and has a ton of buyers, I would only recommend this resource if you have unique and/or vintage furniture, similar to what you see on the website’s “Top Sellers” page as this is their target audience.

Do keep in mind that the company will approve all items to ensure that it caters to Chairish shoppers, so if they do approve you, it’s a good sign it will probably sell.

If your listing eventually sells, then the company will organize shipping details with a local shipper, simply meaning you don’t have to worry about shipping logistics.   This is a really great perk since we already know how much of a pain it would be to ship something so big.

Once the 48-hour return window expires, the company will send you cash via PayPal.

• Fees:  20-30% (depends on plan)
• Website:  Chairish

Craigslist

Of course, I have to list Craigslist on here, but honestly, out of all of these options, it’s my favorite for a few reasons.

For one, it’s 100% free. You can’t beat it.

Secondly, it has a TON of buyers skimming the ads 24/7, probably the most out of all local buying options.

Sure, while you will get low-ballers, offering you some pretty pathetic deals, I have sold countless furniture items and have made close to what I wanted to almost every time.  These low-ballers will appear almost anywhere, sadly.

And lastly, you can get paid cash.  I don’t think I need to say more?

Now, with Craigslist, plan on making about 30-40% of what you paid for the furniture in the first place.  If you were to price it any higher, you may not get any bites and/or see some of the low-ballers come into the picture.

Simply think back to what you paid and knock about 60%~ off to start.  If no one responds after a few days and refreshes, then it’s best to drop it another 10%.

As long as you price your furniture aggressively, take great pictures and live in a semi-populated area, you shouldn’t have a problem finding a buyer who will come to your home and take it off your hands.

Again, Craigslist is the only option I use and have had great luck in doing so.

• Fees:  Free
• Website:  Craigslist

eBay

The problem with a lot of the options I list on here is that you’re limited to just a range of people only a few miles from your house.

And while eBay is an obvious choice, it can work for higher-end furniture and/or pieces that are easy to ship out.  Even if you don’t want to ship, you can list it as a pickup only option as well.

With eBay, as long as you haven’t listed 50 listings just yet, you can at least post your item for free and see if you can garner any interest.   If it does sell, the fees greatly depend on the final value.

In the world of furniture, it can be hard to sell furniture online, especially if you need to ship, but you just never know who may want to buy it.

Since eBay probably has the most buyers out of all these options, with the slight exception of Craiglist, it’s worth a shot, I suppose!

• Fees:  Free to list first 50 for the month; fees vary
• Website:  Craigslist

EBTH

EBTH is unique in that they are a full-scale estate sale service, however, they only work in limited markets if interested.

Their service includes everything from inspecting your item to cataloging and pricing it for you.  They simply note that you never have to lift a finger.

Whether it’s furniture or even a small collection, they do encourage you to give them a call to see if they can help sell your goods.

• Fees:  15-50%
• Website:  EBTH

Etsy

Yes, Etsy is known for their handmade vintage crafty marketplace, but it could be an option only if you consider the furniture you’re selling to fall along the lines of Etsy’s theme.

While I wouldn’t recommend selling a couch or a larger chair, it could work if you’re selling something that’s easy to pack up and ship.

Etsy does have some limitations, so I would recommend at least browsing the active listings to see what others are selling.

Unlike most of these options, where you can post for free, Etsy does charge a commission, so just keep that in mind.

• Fees:  3.5-5%~
• Website:  Etsy

5miles

5miles is an up and coming app, similar to that of the popular letgo app, that allows you to sell just about anything via your phone.

And, as the name implies, all of the listings come from up to five miles away, making it nice to know that everything you’re viewing, or the buyers are viewing for that matter, won’t require a day trip.

5miles is 100% free to list, free to use and you can even boost your listing at no cost as it falls into oblivion.

To list, simply snap a picture, create a description and use your GPS to match up with nearby buyers.

• Fees:  Free
• Website:  5miles

letgo

letgo, a very popular classified ad website, similar to that of Craigslist, is another free option to consider if you don’t mind someone coming to your home to pick up your item.

In a matter of minutes, your listing could be up and running with a few pictures and a simple description.  Depending on your preference, you can either use the company’s app to create the listing or use the desktop version.  Either way, it’s 100% free.

With more than 75 million members, it’s definitely one to consider, but at least according to my experience, I received the most low-ballers on this app than anywhere else, so do keep that in mind.

• Fees:  Free
• Website:  letgo

Local Facebook Group

Aside from Craigslist, I would say my second favorite is via the local Facebook Groups.

Almost any city has a group, and if you have no idea what I’m talking about, let me explain.

On Facebook, you can create a group about almost anything, and many cities have a local group where people talk about events, drama and even post classified ads.   You don’t have to create a group, per se, but you can search for one instead.

And, to find one, here’s what you can do.

First, log into your Facebook account and search for your city near the top in the search bar:

In my example, I used a big city, Phoenix, Arizona, near me to use as an example.

Once on the search page, click on the “Groups” tab near the top, and from there, you can browse the variety of groups available, as seen in the screenshot below:

So, right away, I noticed a buy/sell group with more than 50,000 members, instantly making it a great choice.  It will have a ton of potential buyers and most, hopefully, will live a few miles from my home.  You can continue to scroll and find more as well.

Find a few groups of interest, join them and then wait for approval.  It can take up to 24+ hours in some cases.

Just like creating a Facebook post, create a listing, along with some pictures and explain in detail what you’re looking to get, where you’re located, etc.  The more details you can provide, the better.

Now, not all of these groups allow buy/selling activity, so do make sure you at least view the rules before joining.  This is important!

Posting in Facebook Groups could make you feel a pinch safer since you can at least look at the buyer’s profile before committing.  Plus, it makes for a great instant messenger as well when deciding on a price and when to meet.

• Fees:  Free
• Website:  Facebook

Mercari

Mercari, the “selling app,” lets you buy almost anything and everything, yes, including furniture.

To start, Mercari simply asks that you take a few photos, add a description and set your price.

Then, once it sells, Mercari will let you print a shipping label from home, meaning no meetups.  Just pack and ship.

Now, while you will have to ship the item to the customer, I wouldn’t recommend it as one of my favorites, but it is entirely possible to sell all sorts of furniture-like item if you end up considering.

• Fees:  10% of the listing price
• Website:  Mercari

OfferUp

OfferUp is yet another popular marketplace app, similar to that of 5miles and letgo, working in the same exact way.

100% free to use, OfferUp will show listings from all over town, but again, since it’s free, I recommend posting on as many of these apps and websites to see who contacts you.

In my experience, much like letgo, I just found that there are a lot of people on these apps who love to throw out ridiculous offers.  While it can be annoying, the best course of action is to simply ignore them and move on.

As one of the largest mobile marketplaces, OfferUp can have your listing active in as little as 30 seconds.

• Fees:  Free
• Website:  OfferUp

oodle Marketplace

The oodle Marketplace has been around for quite some time and works just like Craigslist in that it has multiple categories to browse and it’s free.

While it’s not that active, at least in my area, again, it doesn’t hurt to maximize your exposure and post on as many of these freebie websites as you can.

Just like Craigslist, create a decent listing, take good pictures and see if anyone contacts you.

• Fees:  Free
• Website:  oodle

Sotheby’s Home (formely Viyet)

If you have designer brand furniture that you know will fetch top dollar, then a lot of resources I do mention here may not be worth it.

This is where the well-known auction house, Sotheby’s, can come into the picture with their furniture consignment program.

As a potential seller, Sotheby’s may want to work with you if you have a designer brand piece of furniture in excellent condition and has a minimum retail price of $1,000.

And if you feel you meet the requirements, Sotheby’s will want you to schedule a free appointment, wherein they will meet with you either in person or virtually to discuss the item.  If approved, they will then help take pictures, measurements, document it and propose a price.

Like a consignment shop, they will then promote your furniture to its “design-savvy” audience and keep up to 50% of the profits.

Sotheby’s Home can be a great choice only if you feel you have a designer brand in great condition worth thousands of dollars.  If not, then chances are they won’t accept you and it’s best to look at one of the many other options listed here.

• Fees:  40-50%
• Website:  SothebysHome.com

VarageSale

Not as popular as the many apps I already mentioned, I still want to include VarageSale because it’s free and seems to have an okay buyer base, but like most, it depends on where you live.

Working like almost all of these apps, you can list your furniture in as little as a few seconds.

Simply take a photo, add a description, note your location, and the listing will be active to the world in as little as 30 seconds.

Depending on your preference, you can post your ad either online or via the company’s app.

And just like the other apps, you will have to meet in person to sell your goods.

• Fees:  Free
• Website:  VarageSale

Local Consignment Store

Selling online can be a challenge for some, I get it.

But, if you don’t want to deal with the public, consider taking your furniture to a local consignment shop to have them do the dirty work for you.  This is one of the best ways of selling used furniture locally.

And while these stores will keep up to 50% of the final profits, you have to remember they are doing all of the dirty work for you, from storing the item inside of their store to dealing with the customer.

If considering this route, I’m a big fan of using Yelp, but a quick Google search can yield some decent results as well.

When you do find a store of interest, make sure you call them ahead of time to see if they are even willing to sell your furniture.  Worst case, they will say no or they may ask for a picture before they commit to the job.

Furniture Buyers

If you live in a larger city, you may find that there are a few furniture brokers nearby that are willing to come to your home and offer you cash on the spot.

While this can be the easiest option out of all of the resources I list since you really don’t need to do anything but contact them, do know that furniture buyers often offer the lowest rate possible.  You’re paying for the convenience after all.

To find these brokers, consider using Yelp, using the terms “furniture buyers” or searching online, using a term such as “furniture buyer + your zip code” to see what kind of brokers that work in your area.  Chances are you will be able to find at least a few.

Most brokers will simply ask that you either fill out a form on their website or contact them, letting them know what you have.  From there, they may offer a quote online or in person.

Garage Sale

Instead of trying to post your ad, wait for a buyer and meeting up to load it onto a truck, consider holding a garage sale for a few hours and include everything you want to get rid of.

Not only is this an awesome way to get rid of it quick in person, but it’s a great way to get rid of anything else you don’t want in the home.

As long as you live in a populated area and market it both online as well as with signs near busy roads, you will be quite surprised at how many people will show up and buy up almost anything you have to sell.  Just make sure that you take a picture of the furniture you plan on selling as people may be specifically looking for furniture in general.

If the furniture doesn’t end up selling, consider donating it and/or attempting to sell it on a few of the options mentioned above as a last resort.

Local Newspaper

I know, it’s very old fashioned, but some people do read the local classified ads.

And in today’s technological era, you don’t even need the physical paper to read the classified as you can do so right from your local newspaper’s website.

Yes, while it will cost some money, often less than $10, it could be an option if you want to reach the newspaper crowd.  While you can’t include a picture most of the time, you can at least describe it and see if anyone bites.

Not the best option, but again, I’m trying to include as many options as possible.

Used Furniture Selling Tips (get the most for it)

1.  Be Clean

Think of yourself as a buyer for used furniture for a second.

Would you want something that was dirty or caked with dog hair?  What about something that smells?

At the very list, vacuum it and even consider investing in a small shampooer to make it look like new again.

That way, when someone shows up, they can tell that you actually took care of it.

2.  Take Great Photos

If you take a look at any of the websites or apps I mentioned, you will notice a lot of bad photos.

I’m talking blurring, sideways or even shots from a distance.

Now, I’m not saying that you have to be a professional photographer but to save the buyer’s sanity, take a few pictures from all angles so that the buyer feels as if they are viewing it in person.  It also helps to make sure you have as much natural lighting as possible as well.

3.  Write an Accurate, Yet Simple, Description

Always be honest because lying is just going to catch up to you sooner or later.

If there’s a stain, let them know.  If you have pets, let them know.  It’s okay.

As long as you’re as honest as you can be, you’re going to get people who are genuinely interested.  The last thing that you want to do is lie about the condition, only to waste someone’s time coming out to see something they never wanted if they would have known about the true condition.

It’s cliche, but so true.  Honesty is always the best policy.

4.  Price Accordingly

Personally, I have sold quite a bit of furniture on both Craigslist, Facebook and letgo, and what I have found is that you need to price your furniture aggressively to get any action, usually about 70% off the retail price.  That’s if it’s in great condition.  If not, you may want to price it even less than this.

For example, about a year ago, I put our three-year-old section up for sale for about $300, which was about 70% off.  I also sold a table, recliner, another couch and a bunk bed set, all in great condition, but at a steep discount.

The lesson here is that just because you think it’s in great shape, you’re not going to get top dollar.  It’s kind of like that car theory in that you lose value the minute you drive it off the lot.  The same can be said about furniture.

To start, I would price your average furniture at 60% of what you paid and keep dropping if no one is even showing interest.

Final Thoughts

Out of all of these options, I always had the best luck with Craigslist and my local Facebook Groups.

As long as I priced it accordingly, I could get rid of my furniture in as little as a few days and I’m sure you can too.

But, if you don’t want to go through the hassle of selling on your own, I get it.

If this were the case, I would highly recommend you look for a furniture buying service and/or a consignment shop to do the dirty work for you.  Just remember, if you do go this route, you will lose up to 50% of the profits, but if you want to save time, you have to pay the price.

No matter where you live, you should be able to find at least one company that’s willing to offer you a deal.

While I don’t personally recommend a lot of these websites, I tried to create a resource that lists most of the online retailers with enough web traffic that’s worth your time.

Honestly, nothing beats the power of Craigslist or Facebook, but if you want to branch out and list elsewhere, that’s fine as well!  It doesn’t hurt, especially if listing your furniture is free.

As always, if I’m missing any resources or you want to comment on any of the resources I listed, you’re more than welcome to add your comments below!

In the meantime, best of luck trying to find a buyer when the time comes.