Thinking of selling your furniture? Maybe you landed your dream job clear across the country, or you finally decided that the sofa you purchased is completely not to your taste. Whatever your predicament, you have a room or NYC apartment full of furniture you need to sell and do not know where to begin. It can be difficult to get rid of furniture, especially in a city as big as New York.
Here are six great tips on how to prep and sell used furniture in NYC and beyond:
Remove Clutter
Before taking pictures, remove clutter. Real estate professionals will tell you to un-clutter your home when selling. The same applies to selling furniture. Buyers know that you are selling items that you have used. The less they see, the more they can imagine it in their homes. That is why we incorporate a white background around all main image photos sold on our site!
Clean Items
This five-minute solution is so easy, yet so frequently skipped over. Think about it. If you would not buy someone’s dirty or dusty old furniture, why would they want to buy yours? For wood furniture, wipe the dust off the top. For upholstered furniture, spot clean areas. Or even better, rent a Rug Doctor. The cost of cleaning it may end up paying for itself when you have a pristine upholstered piece to sell. Plus, your items will look a whole lot better in pictures!
Great Photographs
One of the keys to taking great pictures is lighting. Try to take photos during prime daylight hours. Too many dark shadows and low lighting will make a high-quality, sellable piece look dull. For more photography tips, take a look at our wonderful blog post on photographing furniture.
Price Things Right
It is important to set a fair price on your items. Like cars, the minute you remove furniture from their showroom floor or warehouse, it is considered used, so do not expect to get full value, even if the item is in pristine conditions. We recommend doing some research on the item you’re selling and end-setting a price based on time constraints, quality, and condition. If you have a limited time to get rid of your pieces, we suggest you price them a little bit lower. For some of us, time is money so being able to sell an item fast is worth more than selling it for a few bucks more. For those that have the luxury of keeping your item(s) for a while, feel free to leave your price higher. Keep in mind that if you’re in for the long run, your product will be competing with similar items which might be priced at the lower end because their owners might need quick disposal for multiple reasons.
Include Measurements
Unfortunately, most of us do not have access to endless space and super-wide doorways. When talking with buyers, you will often find that they are trying to fit furniture into a certain space or through a narrow door frame. By providing the correct measurements right off the bat, you avoid frustrations and endless questions about size. Try to measure in inches and include overall length, width, and height.
Write Accurate and Insightful Descriptions
If you take the effort to photograph and list your item, describe it. Many people are looking for something specific and may use the search function to find it. Allow buyers to find your item by sharing details like brand, color, shape, brand, and size. As a side note, stating color is a given. Computer screens do not always show real color, even on top-selling retail sites. Save buyers and yourself the hassle by stating not only color but the shade or hue as well.
We hope that providing these tips has given you the advice you need to sell your furniture. It is a tough market but a great piece is always appreciated!