The off-the-shelf secondhand market is thriving.
In a report by Verified Market Research, the market size is expected to reach 27.19 Billion by 2027 from 12.17 Billion in 2019.
With a recession always around the corner, this market growth is attributed to the more accessible cost-saving benefits consumers get when purchasing secondhand furniture.
Moreover, many sustainability-conscious millennials and Gen Zers choose vintage furnishings over "fast new" furniture.
In a study by FirstInsight on consumer spending, there is a growing expectation for sustainable business models.
Gen Zers are making purchasing decisions based on sustainable retail practices.
With more than 12 million tons of furniture and furnishings ending up in landfills each year in the United States, choosing well-made secondhand furniture over fast furniture make sense.
Another factor contributing to the market growth is the availability of used furniture in online marketplaces.
This is what will cover here - ten online marketplaces you can get used furniture.
Chairish's Online Marketplace Curates Unique Used Furniture
Chairish is a sustainably chic online marketplace platform for curated home furnishings and decor.
Founded in 2013 by Andrew Denmark and husband-and-wife Gregg and Anna Brockway, Chairish was the founders’ solution to the beige and unwelcoming world of high-end home design.
Since then, Chairish has grown into a platform where millions of adventurous shoppers and small businesses can connect and share unique pieces!
The company won the USA Today Reader's Choice Award for Best Place to Shop Online for Furniture and Home Decor and Newsweek's "Best Online Shop" of 2021.
There are three consignment options in Chairish: Consignor, Professional, and High-volume Sellers.
One’s seller status on Chairish often depends on the size of your inventory.
While the first two options are free, the consignment plan for high-volume sellers is $99 a month.
The Charish marketplace platform charges a commission fee ranging from 3% to 20%; the percentage would depend on the sold item’s price.
Something very cool to check out!
Kaiyo Offers a Unique Marketplace Platform Twist with Instant Offers
Launched in 2014 by environmentalist and entrepreneur Alpay Koralturk, Kaiyo is an online marketplace for secondhand furniture.
One of Koralturk’s main goals with Kaiyo is to contribute to a more sustainable planet by offering an environmentally-friendly furniture option for consumers through his secondhand furniture marketplace.
At Kaiyo, they pick up, clean, photograph, and deliver all products sold on the platform for free.
The company reviews submissions and will contact the seller if their item is accepted.
Kaiyo then schedules a free item pick-up.
How do you make money on the marketplace platform?
There are two ways to make money on the platform: Instant Offers and Revenue Share.
Instant Offers are for sellers who want to cash out quickly without waiting for their item to sell on the platform.
Revenue share is like a consignment payout!
If sellers choose to decline the Instant Offer sent by Kaiyo, they can wait for their item to sell on the platform.
Sellers can get a revenue share of 10% to 60% of their item’s final sale price from the company.
Once pick-up has been completed, ownership of the furniture is transferred to Kaiyo.
This means that the seller can only have their items back if the item is retired by the company.
If the item is retired by Kaiyo, the seller can pick up the furniture from the Kaiyo warehouse closest to them.
Easy as that!
Etsy Also Tackles Vintage and Recycled Furniture on Their Marketplace
Etsy is a global marketplace for selling and buying diverse products and handmade goods.
Founded in 2005, Etsy began as a small startup in a Brooklyn apartment and has since grown to be a multi-billion dollar company.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the platform only became more successful, with increased revenues of $1.72 billion compared to $818 million in the previous year.
Filters can be applied on the platform so that only vintage or recycled furniture will appear on the search.
There’s a plethora of styles for furniture buyers on the website!
From art deco to bohemian, colonial, mid-century, Shaker, and Victorian.
Fees for selling at Etsy are fairly straightforward.
Listing an item on the platform costs $0.20, and a transaction fee of 6.5% will be charged once there’s a sale.
Etsy also charges a processing fee, the amount of which depends on the seller’s location.
Sell away!
AptDeco Online Used Furniture Marketplace Gives More Control to Sellers
Launched in 2014 by Kalam Dennis and then Goldman Sachs engineer Reham Fagiri.
AptDeco also is an online marketplace platform focused on eliminating the hassle of selling and buying furniture online.
The company started its operations within New York city but has since expanded to the west coast and some locations in the Northeast.
Like other online marketplaces that sell and buy secondhand furniture, AptDeco is also committed to sustainable shopping options.
Selling preloved furniture in AptDeco is simple.
Sellers list their items for free.
The platform enhances those listings by improving images and adding more details before sharing them with the community.
If a buyer is interested in an item, they will submit a purchase request that the seller will then have to approve.
They will only charge the buyer once the seller approves the purchase request.
Once that’s done, a pick-up and delivery will be scheduled, all of which AptDeco’s team handles.
The buyer will have to confirm receipt of the item within 24 hours of delivery.
The seller receives the payment within 2-5 days after the transaction.
AptDeco takes a cut of 25% - 38% selling fee for every sale.
A somewhat unique aspect of the platform is that they do not pick up the item and house the consigned item.
Instead, spend most of their efforts working on facilitating the transaction between the buyer and seller and providing the marketing platform.
Simple can be better sometimes!
Ruby Lane Drives Vintage and Antique Inventory
Established in 1998 by Tom Johnson and Jim Wilcoxson, Ruby Lane is an online flea market for sellers and buyers of antiques and collectibles.
While one can find furniture at Ruby Lane, the website isn’t just limited to furniture.
Items are in the vintage or antique style - the platform’s specialty.
Independent stores start selling on Ruby Lane by signing up for an account, waiting for the account's approval, and creating a store on the platform.
Sellers are required to have at least ten items listed at their store.
Ruby Lane charges a monthly store maintenance fee of $25.
That amount is refunded if the store lists 15 items for that month.
Aside from the monthly fee, the platform also charges a service fee of 9.9% based on the purchase order total.
Search through the antiques to see if you can find used furniture with flair!
1stDib Partners with Dealers to Sell Antique and Secondhand Luxury Goods
1stDibs was founded in 2001 by real estate dealer Michael Bruno.
1st Dibs is a luxury online marketplace inspired by Paris Marché aux Puces, the largest flea market in the world for antiques and secondhand goods.
Just as Ruby Lane is not limited to furniture, collectors can also find artwork, jewelry, clothes, and bags on the marketplace website.
1stDibs online marketplace platform works with more than 4,000 vetted sellers globally.
Dealers who want to sell their items on 1stDibs have to be evaluated by the company’s in-house experts.
1stDibs charges dealers a monthly fee of $1,000 and a commission fee of 15% plus a 3% transaction fee for credit card transactions.
In terms of fees, not for the faint of heart.
Bonanza an Online Marketplace Competing with eBay and Amazon
Named by eCommerce Bytes as the Most Recommended Marketplace in 2016.
While sales aren't restricted to used items, Bonanza is an online platform for secondhand items.
With more than 50,000 sellers on the marketplace and users from over 199 countries, Bonanza is an online marketplace that can compete with the best of them, like eBay and Amazon.
There are two ways sellers can sell on Bonanza: through a Bonanza "booth" or a webstore.
A booth is an online store within the Bonanza marketplace.
A webstore functions like a standalone eCommerce website separate from the marketplace, with a secure checkout and personalized URL.
In terms of fees, Bonanza charges sellers a flat-rate transaction fee of $0.25 on all sales within the platform.
Aside from the transaction fee, purchases made on Bonanza are charged with a Final Value Fee.
The Final Value Fee is based on the Final Offer Value (FOV).
FOV is the amount the buyer paid for the item sold plus any excess shipping fee that’s more than $10.
Webstore sales are not charged with a Final Value Fee though.
Instead, the seller pays a monthly subscription fee of $25 to Bonanza for hosting their webstore.
In some ways, Bonanza targets two markets, branding itself as Amazon and Shopify together.
Will it work in the long run? Maybe.
Everything But The House's Online Marketplace Tackles Estate Sales and Pre-Owned
Dubbed as the marketplace for the uncommon, Everything But The House or EBTH was founded by Jacquie Denny and Brian Graves in 2008.
What initially started as a platform focused on bringing estate sales online, EBTH developed into a marketplace for shopping and selling pre-owned items on the internet.
Every item on EBTH is authenticated and validated.
The website has various categories of products aside from furniture, like art to collectibles, electronics, decor, musical instruments, toys, appliances, and books.
The company works with families looking to downsize and sell their excess items.
Interested sellers can call the company if they want to let go of a collection.
EBTH’s staff will photograph, catalog, write descriptions for items, and then list them on the platform for bidding.
The bidding period will last for seven days, after which EBTH will manage payment, pick up the items, and arrange for delivery.
Depending on the final sale price of each item, the company will collect a minimum commission fee of $30 or 20% - 50% of the total amount.
Check out the estate sales to see if you can find some good used furniture!
Apartment Therapy Bazaar
Apartment Therapy Bazaar was founded in 2001 by “apartment therapist” Maxwell Ryan.
Apartment Therapy Bazaar is an online marketplace with a community of buyers and sellers who love antique and vintage designer secondhand furniture.
To begin selling in the Bazaar, members have to create an account and a store profile.
Sellers also need to set up Stripe payments and link their Stripe accounts.
Only after that can they begin listing items for sale on the platform.
Sellers are notified via email to accept or reject an order, similar to some other marketplaces that match buyers and sellers.
If they choose to accept, they need to inform the buyer of any delivery fees.
The buyer needs to then pay for the order before the item is shipped.
Sellers can withdraw funds directly from their Stripe account when the order is marked as completed.
It’s free to join, browse, and list items for sale on the marketplace.
Sellers only incur a transaction fee of 3% when their product is sold.
Additionally, there is a 2.9% + $0.30 fee for Stripe processing fee.
Interested in vintage furniture, take a look!
Facebook Marketplace - a Huge "Marketplace" for Used
Another massive platform for selling secondhand furniture and other items is Facebook Marketplace.
Marketplace was launched in 2016 and integrated into the Facebook network, which naturally gives sellers a broad reach of potential buyers within the platform.
Users can head to the Marketplace and begin listing their preloved furniture.
Facebook allows up to ten photos per listing, and sellers can set the items for either local pick-up or shipping.
Sellers can also post their marketplace listing in various buying and selling groups within the platform.
Facebook Marketplace commerce package charges a Selling Fee of 5% per shipment or a flat fee of $0.40 for shipments of $8.00 or less. This is waived until the end of December 2022.
Summary
With so many online marketplaces to pick from as a seller, each with its unique features, downsizing and getting rid of excess furniture or buying used furniture is simpler than it ever was!
These online marketplaces have not only helped people earn extra income but have also ultimately contributed to preventing additional waste in landfills.
Interested in building your own online marketplace for furniture?
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