Where you sell used furniture comes down to three things: how many pieces you have, how much time you have, and who will carry them out the door. This guide compares the main options, using what each company's own help or policy pages said on the day it was written.
Before you list anywhere, measure each piece, photograph it in daylight and settle on the lowest price you'd take. The guide to pricing used furniture and the used price estimator will get you to a number, and how to write a listing that sells covers the title, photos and description.
Your options at a glance
Fees and policies change. Each cost below is what the source says today, in its own terms. Where a company's pages didn't state one, the table says so.
| Option | Best for | Cost to list a local sale (as the source states it) | Who moves it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facebook Marketplace | Single pieces sold at local pickup | Not stated on the Meta help pages we read | The buyer |
| Craigslist | Single pieces sold face to face | Free: by-owner furniture is not among its paid categories | The buyer |
| OfferUp | Single pieces, with meetup spots in the app | Free up to a monthly limit; no fee or commission on in-person sales | The buyer |
| Nextdoor | Selling to your neighbors | Not stated on the Nextdoor help pages we read | A neighbor |
| Consignment shop | A few good pieces you'd rather not sell yourself | Set by each shop; you're paid from the sale proceeds | You or the shop; ask first |
| AptDeco | Pieces you want picked up for you | Listing is free; sellers keep 40-70% of the sale | AptDeco's delivery team or its delivery partner |
| Yard or garage sale | Many smaller items in one day | Depends on your city; some require a permit | The buyer, the same day |
| Moving sale page | A whole household with a move-out date | Varies by site | The buyer, at a pickup time you set |
Local marketplaces where the buyer comes to you
On these four, you create the listing, answer the messages and hand over the piece yourself. They suit single pieces and buyers who can bring a vehicle and a helper.
- Facebook Marketplace. Meta's help center recommends meeting in a public, well-lit area and sharing your plan with a trusted friend or family member. It says local pickup items paid for with person-to-person payment methods are not covered by Purchase Protection, and that cashier and certified checks can be counterfeit. Its page on scams says never to trust a screenshot as payment confirmation. The help pages we read did not state what a local pickup listing costs.
- Craigslist. Its posting fees page says all postings are free except for a list of paid categories, which includes for-sale-by-dealer categories at $5 but not furniture sold by its owner. Its scam advice is to deal locally, face to face, and not to provide or accept payment before meeting in person. Its in-person safety page says to insist on a public meeting place, not to invite strangers into your home, and to tell a friend or family member where you're going.
- OfferUp. OfferUp says it doesn't charge fees or take a commission on in-person transactions. You get a set number of free listings each month, 25 of them in the furniture category today. It says you get paid in person and that cash is the safest payment method. Its meetup tips advise against meeting at your home. For an item too big to transport, it suggests meeting the buyer at one of its Community MeetUp Spots first, then sharing the item's location if you feel comfortable.
- Nextdoor. Listings go in the For Sale & Free section. Nextdoor recommends leaving your phone number, email and home address out of the post, and being cautious when someone you don't know comes to your house. If you use a payment app, its guidelines say to use a trusted, established one. The help pages we read did not mention a listing fee.
The FTC notes that many sites recommend selling to a local buyer you can meet in person and accepting only cash, and it says not to accept a mobile payment from someone you don't know (FTC). The guide to scams when selling furniture online goes through the common ones.
Craigslist and OfferUp both advise against meeting at home, but a sofa has to leave from somewhere. Move it to the garage, porch or lobby before the buyer arrives, have another adult with you, and book pickups in daylight.
Services that take the furniture off your hands
If you'd rather not meet buyers at all, use a service that handles the sale. You give up part of the price in exchange for the work.
- Consignment shops. Cornell's Legal Information Institute defines consignment as a contract in which you deliver goods to a seller, keep ownership until they sell, and are paid a certain amount of the proceeds afterward. Each shop sets its own terms. Ask what share you get, how long the piece stays on the floor, what happens if it doesn't sell, and who transports it.
- AptDeco. AptDeco's sell page says listing is free, that anyone based in the United States except Hawaii and Alaska can sell, and that a sold item is picked up by its delivery team or its white glove delivery partner, depending on where you and the buyer are. It says sellers keep 40-70% of the sale. Its help center says pickup in its extended service zones will likely happen within 2 to 6 weeks, so check your zip code before you count on it.
Selling it all at once
With a whole apartment to clear, listing every piece separately is slow. Two options put everything in front of buyers together.
Yard or garage sale
A yard sale suits lots of smaller things, plus furniture a buyer can carry off the same day. Check your city's rules first. San Antonio, for example, requires a permit for garage, yard and estate sales and charges $20 for it. Centennial, Colorado, requires no permit for an individual sale but caps a location at three sales a year.
Moving sale page
A moving sale page puts everything you're selling on one page with one link to send to your building chat, friends and coworkers. PieceOut is one. You sign in with Google and add a photo of each thing, and the listing is written for you. Each item has an asking price and a lowest price, and the price steps down every morning until move-out day. Buyers claim what they want, pick a pickup time and pay you in person at pickup. PieceOut never holds the money. The guide to how to have a moving sale covers the timeline.
When nothing sells
Set a cutoff a few days before you move, then donate. Habitat for Humanity says most ReStores offer furniture pickup, that the list of accepted donations is a bit different at every store, and that upholstered or leather furniture must be free of tears, stains and pet damage. Contact your local ReStore early. The guide to furniture donation pickup covers who else will come and get it.
How to choose
Start from your situation, then pick one or two options that fit.
- One valuable piece. List it on one or two local marketplaces at a price you can defend, and give it time. If you'd rather not meet buyers, try a consignment shop or check whether AptDeco picks up in your zip code.
- A whole apartment. Use a moving sale page or a yard sale so buyers see everything together, and list your biggest pieces on a marketplace as well.
- Plenty of time. Start at your full asking price and wait. A service that handles the sale also fits here, because you're on its schedule, not yours.
- A deadline. Sell locally, set a lowest price for every piece and lower the price on a schedule. The price drop planner maps one out. Book a donation pickup as a backstop.
- The buyer can't carry it. Put the measurements, your floor and the stairs in the listing so buyers arrive with a truck and a helper, or use a service that sends its own pickup crew.