While Craigslist doesn’t look much different than it did in 1995, new apps and sites make and selling secondhand furniture more user-friendly, and more shoppers are discovering the perks of decorating with upcycled pieces. “Vintage furniture can cost 70 to 80 percent less than new furniture and is often better made,” says Anna Brockway, cofounder and president of the resale site Chairish. Plus, broken-in items lend character to a room without the pressure of showroom shopping. “Buying used is one of the best ways to try new styles. It’s a much smaller commitment than buying something full price and waiting 12 weeks for delivery,” notes San Francisco designer Eliza Kern. Whatever you’d like to bring into (or take out of) your home, these insider strategies will help you navigate the complex world of furniture resale and walk away with exactly what you want. Nextdoor, Facebook Marketplace, and local online garage-sale groups are arguably the friendliest starting points for newbies, since they’re not totally anonymous (you can see a seller’s or buyer’s name and photo), and it’s easy to message people to ask questions or arrange a pickup (no need to exchange email addresses or phone numbers). If you’re scouting for cool vintage or designer pieces and prefer to pay a site instead of a person, check out the curated listings on Chairish and Everything but the House. You can either pay for shipping or search by zip code to find items available for local pickup. Also worth a look: AptDeco, which offers popular brands at steep discounts and inexpensive local delivery (currently available only in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut). Apps like 5miles, OfferUp, and Letgo make shopping or selling easy via sleek, photo-driven posts; many of these apps also have smart features, such as identity verification and in-app messaging. Determining which source works best for you will depend largely on availability and popularity in your region. RELATED: 5 Facebook Marketplace Shopping Secrets You’ve Never Heard Before When a hot item appears, the seller could get a dozen messages at once. Make yours stand out by sounding straightforward, decisive, and ready to act. Say you can pick up and pay for the item that day. Save any questions for when you’re going back and forth with the seller to arrange the pickup, since you can still back out at that time if needed. (On auction sites like eBay, however, be sure to ask questions before you win.) If a listing includes a phone number, try texting in addition to emailing; many sellers will see texts first. Even on fancier vintage resale sites, it’s perfectly acceptable to politely propose a lower price or ask the seller what the best price is. “Negotiating will vary by item and by seller, but we often see sellers accepting offers of 10 to 20 percent off the listed price,” says Brockway. Do your homework by consulting the Chairish Pink Book, a free digital resource that lists recent sale prices to help buyers and sellers gauge a realistic price range for vintage and newer pieces. If you live in a bustling urban area, you could see thousands of new Craigslist posts a day. The gallery view lets you easily spot potential purchases—though counterintuitively, you might also want to click on a listing with bad photos or no photos. “I once found a beautiful antique buffet for $50 that had gone unclaimed simply because the seller didn’t bother posting a picture,” says Parsons. “I asked for one and snapped that piece right up.” Take good photos.Clear smartphone photos work great when taken during daylight against a clean backdrop, without shadows or clutter that could obscure the item’s condition. Be detailed in the description.Use words that will help your listing surface in searches. Shoppers know they’re buying used and may be fine with blemishes or scratches, as long as you point them out. Price fairly.Find out what similar items have recently sold for and price yours a bit higher in anticipation of haggling. “Start at 50 percent off the retail price, knowing that people will likely negotiate even more,” says Dennis. Also factor in the site’s fees, if there are any. Farm it out.If you have a house full of items to unload, consider using Everything but the House, which will send a consultant to catalog items for sale and handle everything from pickup to listing to shipping, plus arrange donation or removal of anything that won’t bring value during online auction.
