I guess my initial feeling was it probably wouldn't sell, therefore I wouldn't have to part with it just yet. If you don't get immediate interest in your posting, it tends to get lost deeper and deeper into the site and often can be found on the 7th page of any search in less then a week! To cut to the chase here, I posted my listing on a Monday evening at 9 pm and by Wednesday 5:30 pm, two days later, had a check in hand . It was a bittersweet success. So this morning at 8 am, they came to pick up the furniture.
Exactly how I managed to sell the furniture so quickly and only for 10% less than my asking price, I'm not so sure. Could be simple luck. I will share with you, however, the process I went through since I think there were certain details I paid attention to that others who also had posted furniture did not.
1. You have to post a picture! Listings without pictures often get skipped over. If the person selling something can't take the time to show you what they are offering, the perception is that it's probably not worth the money being asked. And nobody wants to waste time and effort figuring out of something is really worth it, unless they have reason to believe it is.
2. I cleaned up the furniture, dusted the tables, fluffed up the cushions/pillows etc. Make sure your furniture looks the best it possibly can.
3. Clean the area around the furniture so your pictures almost look like they are from a brochure. If your Chair or Sofa has clutter on or around it or it looks messy and sloppy, the perception might be that your house is not clean, so why would your furniture be any different? Buying anything used, for me, is always about the ratio of cost and value. In other words, it needs to cost at least 40-50% less than buying new, but look pretty much brand new. This is why I took the extra effort to really stage my furniture. Plus I took many shots and picked out the best ones.
4. When taking the pictures, I tried to make sure the lighting again was favorable and also gave an accurate representation of the color/texture.
5. If what you are trying to sell has something unique about it, make sure the photos capture that detail. For example, my tables had delicate wood carving, so I made sure it was very visible. Also, the feet of the sofa and chairs were very distinctive, so I captured just that aspect for one photo.
6. Before I created my listing, I searched for existing furniture listings to see what I was competing with and how they worded either their title or text/description inside.
7. After identifying my asking price was very reasonable given the competition, I created the listing making sure my title was specific and included the brand name of the furniture, as this too was a selling point for anyone familiar with the brand.
8. Lastly, and this is probably a matter of your comfort level with privacy, I included my cell phone number in the listing. There is much more immediate gratification knowing all the questions an interested person may have can be answered in one quick phone call versus some sterile back and forth email string that may take 3 days to conclusion.
So honestly, it easily could have been luck or maybe taking a little extra time with the items above makes a difference. Either way - my living room is empty and I get to buy new furniture that hopefully both my husband and I like!
Below are the actual pictures used in my listing.
