Selling used furniture is no easy task. As a Tampa home stager and interior designer we consistently get asked from home owners, sellers and Realtors “how do we sell this stuff”? Unfortunately, quality furniture you purchased 20 years ago and paid an arm and five legs for is not a hot buy. Especially if it’s dark, heavy and traditional furniture.
Today’s home buyers are investing less in furniture. Many don’t care that it will last 100 years or that it was crafted by great artisans in a small Pennsylvania town. If you enjoyed the furniture with your family and created some great memories that is something to be grateful for, but does not mean that someone else will see the value in your pieces.
Now back to getting some cash for that old furniture
Our experience has shown these avenues below can bear fruit.
If you’ve got a lot of items, host an estate sale
If you need an estate sale expert, here is a company than can help. They manage the entire process and are excellent to work with.
Estate sale expert – Lee Ann Crane – 727-584-1159 Lee Ann has worked with several of our clients. I asked her how most estate sales work.
“Estate sales are conducted when the amount of personal property in a home is more than is wanted or needed. Most times the home is being sold due to death, or downsizing. The items inside the home must be disposed of to further the goal of the home sale.
There are many ways estate sale experts are paid. Many estate pros charge a percentage of gross sales. Others have fees for components of an estate sale, such as a set-up and a haul away charge plus a percentage of sales.
Most estate sale companies are booked weeks in advance. Many sales are booked with a real estate closing date in mind. Some sales are done prior to staging a real estate listing. This makes the job of a stager easier in that they can start with a blank slate.
Estate sale companies do their own marketing utilizing the internet, mailing lists, and contacts in related businesses. ”
Sell it online
Selling items online is a love-hate relationship for many people, including us. You typically don’t have to share the profit with anyone, depending on the site, but the downside is you have to deal with unreliable leads, calls, people coming to your home and sometimes shipping. A few online sale platforms are craig’s list (lower cost items), eBay, Charish (higher end).
Sell to home stagers
Depending on what it is, some home stagers will purchase furnishings too. Send them a photo and price.
Consider consignment
There are several places that will feature and list your items. In most cases you have to submit photos of the item first. If they approve you consign it, they usually take 50% of the sale price. If an item it does not sell after the specified amount of time, they will haul if off to charity or have you pick it up.
Consignment boutiques and stores in Tampa Bay market
Roost
Roost is a South Tampa home furnishing and décor boutique located at 2301B South MacDill Ave, Tampa, Florida 33629. The owner Linda has a high standard of design, does a great job of curating and merchandising her store and actively promotes the product on her Instagram account. The best way to communicate with roost is via email. roostoftampabay@gmail.com
Missing Piece
Missing piece sells new and pre-owned furniture. They have two locations, one in Tampa and one in Clearwater.
déjà vu
De ja vu has over 11,000 square feet in St Pete. You can learn more about their process on their website in the link.
Design Buy Consign now called Vintage Post Marketplace
Located in Seminole Heights.
Room Exchange online
Located in Lutz.
Consignment Furniture Gallery
Located in Clearwater.
(If you know of other good places, send me an email and we will add them to the list.)
Donate or give it to friends
Salvation Army, Goodwill and Hospice will pick up your items and provide you a tax-deductible receipt for your donation. Sometimes this is the best path. Or ask your friends if they want.
How to price your items you want to sell
That is the million-dollar question. It’s not unusual to get pennies on the dollar for old and dated items, don’t take it personally. If you’ve had the items for 20 years plus, you got your money’s worth.
If you are selling something that is new, on-trend, and it’s in excellent shape, you can expect to get 25-60% off retail. Do a search for the item online. If the buyer does not have to assemble the product and you deliver it, you may end up getting more.
In every case consider what your time is worth and the cost of dealing with strangers. After a few weeks of trying to sell stuff by yourself, donating items will start to look pretty attractive.
Happy selling!
