Can you get decent money selling furniture online?

demon_princezz · 9 February 2018 at 7:34PM

Sorry if this is a bit random - my parents are downsizing and currently have 2 + 3-seater leather reclining sofas (inc one electric) but won’t have space for both in their new house. The ideal solution would be to sell them and buy a corner sofa to accommodate a similar number of people with a smaller footprint.

However, my mum is reluctant to sell because they’re in really good condition and they paid close to £2k for them a few years ago. Looking around in the usual places you’d sell, ie Gumtree, Preloved, Shpock, it seems people want to pay as little as possible and the going rate seems to be no more than a couple of hundred pounds, especially as buyers have to arrange transportation. Looking on eBay, only the top designer stuff seems to attract fairly decent sums.

It seems she would rather have a room crammed with furniture if it means being out of pocket... so my question is, are there any alternatives? I’ve tried searching for places that buy furniture (I’m in London), but not had much luck. Or should she just suck it up and accept she will get no more than 10% of the purchase price as they’re difficult items to sell?

Thanks for any advice.

Cinquestelle · 11 February 2018 at 2:28AM

Yes, you can get decent money, but sometimes you need a bit of luck and or a little patience. I hate to throw things away if they still have life in them and on Ebay I have found new homes for everything from our old furniture and pottery to books and clothes. Buyers will pay fair prices for old possessions including furniture if it is in vogue, well-made, and good condition.

You say that it seems that people want to pay as little as possible; but did you really expect the opposite?! Of course not. But that does not mean you cannot achieve a fair price, but it will be a fair price for a second-hand item that the buyer cannot see except in your photos or sit on or try out unless they come around to your mum’s house before bidding or buying.

Discuss amongst yourselves what amount of money would be acceptable. Then, carefully and honestly assess the condition of the sofas. Be critical. This is crucial. Does the condition of all the items realistically support the price you want? Ask yourselves, would you pay a stranger online that sum of money if they were selling the sofas? If the answer is no or not sure, then your price is too high. If the answer is yes, then go for it! If you chose the auction route make your figure the starting bid. Whatever you do, don’t start an auction at 99p. Sometimes a buy-it-now approach is better. Experiment.

Take time writing a good, coherent, attractive description. Give accurate dimensions. The better the salesmanship the better the final outcome. Few of us are born sellers, so learn from successful sellers on Ebay and elsewhere. Finally, take excellent non-flash photos using the camera’s timer. I never bid on anything I can’t see clearly.

Tom99 · 11 February 2018 at 2:38AM

Are they a well known brand? If not you are very unlikely to get much. Follow Ebay to see how much the same items go for and remember to include close up photos of any scuffs or marks.

Maybe offer each sofa on its own but with the auction ending say 1 hour apart so a buyer can aim for both if they want.

getmore4less · 11 February 2018 at 1:15PM

The other option is to downsize to a place with a bigger living room.

The issue is from the pool of people looking for furniture
Once you take out the must be new and must be cheap from the pool you have limited buyers left.

The other issue may be brand/status as £2k new is at the cheaper end for 2+3.

cattie · 11 February 2018 at 1:57PM

As others have mentioned, only a sought after brand in as good as new condition will attract a decent price. You have to remember that transport alone could add anywhere from £100-£250 to get items delivered depending on how far journey is & how many people needed to shift furniture in & out.

£2k really isn't much for furniture in this day & age & your mother would do well to work out how much per week it has cost to have the furniture in her home during the period of ownership. She will find it works out at quite a minimal amount in the scheme of things.

Would she not rather donate the furniture to a worth while charity to enable them to make perhaps a couple of hundred pounds towards their worthwhile work? If you look in charity shops that sell furniture, you'll find that almost all suites in good condition are priced at no more than £200 in most cases & these shops have the added advantage of offering delivery.

demon_princezz · 11 February 2018 at 8:01PM

Thanks for the responses and advice so far. My parents have already had an offer accepted on a house, so unfortunately there isn’t an option to choose another house with a bigger living room.

The sofas aren’t designer, but are from a well-known furniture retailer. They are in really good condition (no scratches, marks or scuffs on the leather), so I guess my mum wants what she considers a “fair” price in relation to the original price paid. I realise almost everything depreciates in value, but I think it’s more of a bitter pill for her to swallow - as I said, she would rather have a cramped room of furniture than “lose” money selling it cheap.

I like the idea of posting them separately on eBay to try and realise the best price - but I fear stubbornness might win the day here... :undecided

Davesnave · 11 February 2018 at 8:33PM

cattie wrote: »

If you look in charity shops that sell furniture, you'll find that almost all suites in good condition are priced at no more than £200 in most cases & these shops have the added advantage of offering delivery.

We viewed a very large corner suite last Friday in as-new condition at the warehouse of a local hospice. They wanted £1500 for it.

We offered £1000 and said we'd arrange our own transport, but we were turned-down.

We couldn't contemplate going higher for something where we'd have to ditch two of the seven units! They were confident it would go this weekend.

For a 3 seater + 2 seater in very good condition from a well-known store, I think we'd go to about £400-500.

rach_k · 11 February 2018 at 9:01PM

Would she consider buying second hand? She may only get 10% of what she paid for the sofas but she'll also only be paying 10% of the original price for what she's buying.

demon_princezz · 11 February 2018 at 9:28PM

rach_k wrote: »

Would she consider buying second hand? She may only get 10% of what she paid for the sofas but she'll also only be paying 10% of the original price for what she's buying.

That’s a good suggestion, thanks

getmore4less · 11 February 2018 at 9:35PM

Move them to the new place then decide what to do.

No time pressure might find a buyer.

DigForVictory · 11 February 2018 at 10:22PM

Second hand furniture tends to be a buyers market, as usually folk need to sell more than others need to buy.

Your mum is not going to be happy to hear that, I'm afraid.

Can you get decent money selling furniture online?

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