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I’m one of those people that lives in a small house with way too much furniture. Nearly every piece of wall has a cute hutch, a trunk, a couch, an antique chair, or another thing that I simply couldn’t leave behind.
It didn’t use to be such a problem. If I didn’t want more furniture, I stayed home. However, with the advent of some amazing places to buy used furniture online, there’s just no escape.
Whether you’re looking for a unique piece, to save tons of money, or simply to have a convenient shopping experience buying second-hand furniture is a great option!
However, because furniture (even used furniture) trends toward consuming an entire paycheck it pays off to do your research before buying from any particular online store.
Shipping damage, false pictures, difficult returns, and cheap knockoffs are all problems faced by people who have been scammed by buying used furniture online.
So, in the interest of saving everyone money (and helping you have a cuter house) let’s talk about some of the best online second-hand furniture stores where you can buy anything from couches to china cabinets to desks!
Best Places To Buy Used Furniture Online (List)
In this section, we’ll run the gamut from money-saving options to investment pieces that can stay in your family for generations. So buckle up and let’s get to it!
1. KAIYO
If you have a penchant for used furniture and have never heard of KAIYO then I’m about to blow your mind.
Imagine a store that specializes in used furniture but sells name-brand furniture that they professionally clean, assemble, deliver, etc.
That’s KAIYO.
Whether you are looking to furnish your own home, send a kid to college, or furnish an AirBNB you’ll find amazing deals on furniture that is much better quality than what you’ll get from some random dude’s basement on Craigslist.
For example, check out this amazing Natuzzi sectional that my wife and I were just considering:
An absolutely incredible sofa for more than 75% off. And that deal isn’t unique. You can also find beds, chairs, decor, tables, storage, etc.
And if you’re looking for something cheaper that will be at home in an apartment or basement, they have those options too. Cheaper well-loved furniture that they’ll professionally clean and sanitize before delivering to you.
If you are looking to upgrade your existing furniture (or just want a different look) then you’ll be happy to hear that KAIYO also buys used furniture!
You can either list your furniture on KAIYO as you would any other selling platform and get paid when it sells or you can take advantage of their “Instant Offer” feature and sell your furniture directly to KAIYO.
Whichever side of the buy/sell fence you’re currently on, this is a great place to start!
2. eBay
Anytime you’ve shopped for used items online, eBay is probably one of your go-to sites. I know it is mine.
There are two main advantages to buying used furniture on eBay: you can get amazing deals and you never know what you’re going to find. You can find some truly rare or unique items on auction and save a ton of money.
The main drawbacks are those that come with every eBay transaction: unprofessional sellers, high shipping costs, and possible scams.
However, if you’re willing to work with a buyer who may now know exactly what they’re doing eBay can be a great way to decorate your house or get some second-hand furniture for cheap.
3. Etsy
Etsy is to eBay as Target is to Walmart. At least that’s how I think of them.
So anything you can find on eBay can also be found on Etsy, it will just be a little bit more “boutique” and you should expect to pay a bit more for it. This includes furniture.
While Etsy wouldn’t be my first stop for everyday used furniture, it is a legitimate source of used furniture that is typically hard to find or bordering on unique.
If the vibe of furniture you like is different or unique, Etsy might be worth a stop!
4. 1stDIBS
The search for pre-owned furniture means many different things to different people.
For some people, it means that you want to pick up a $50 couch for your first apartment. For others, it means getting 30% off on a $50,000+ sofa that sat in someone’s second sitting room for a single season and was never used.
1stDIBS is not for that first bucket of people. If you’re looking for an online store that sells furniture at bottom-dollar prices, steer clear.
However, 1stDIBS is an excellent option for luxury-level furniture as well as antique or extremely rare furniture from throughout the world.
Just be sure to set your price filters before you get too deep into the listings to avoid falling in love with an item before noticing the price.
5. Chairish
Over half a million items have received a second life through Chairish (a play on cherish…)!
While this is an incredible feat overall, it’s even more impressive when you consider the amount of their inventory which is furniture.
Chairish has a large inventory of used furniture in its store with a focus on vintage items. If you’re looking for mod or mid-century items this is a great place to start!
They also have a significant amount of furniture from other countries such as African milking stools, French dining sets, etc.
Well worth a look if you’re looking for unique over cheap!
6. Amazon
Amazon probably isn’t one of your first thoughts when it comes to buying used furniture online but it’s a viable option that can save you a bunch of money! No to mention getting you that reliable Amazon delivery time…
Most things on Amazon are also available as “used” if you know where to look. Many Amazon returns are sold off in bulk but those that are easy to sell again are simply listed on the same listings.
Check it out:
You can a sweet 38% off on the same couch shipping from Amazon in “Very Good” condition!
While you are obviously only able to buy from the limited range of furniture that Amazon has available you can furnish your house or apartment with significant savings!
7. Craigslist
Despite many people’s assertions that Craigslist is dying, I continue to find amazing deals!
If you have a pickup truck (and are willing to haggle) then you can find very good deals on used furniture.
The good stuff tends to go very fast but, unfortunately, everyone somehow thinks that their stuff is the “good stuff”. I had to tell my parents to walk away from a couch that I was helping them pick up because the guy would not budge on his $300 price. Yes, it was $800 when he bought it 10 years ago but it was not nice anymore. As far as I know, it’s still for sale.
If you’re really looking to score a deal on second-hand furniture, look through the oldest listing in your area and shoot the person a text. People often become desperate to get their furniture gone before moving or taking delivery of another piece of furniture.
If you don’t have a truck you can negotiate for the person (or a third party) to deliver it to you.
8. Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is similar to Craigslist with a few bonuses: it gives you access to pages in your specific area or neighborhood and it shows you online yard sales.
While it’s hard to consider Facebook Marketplace a true online shopping experience as shipping isn’t included it does mean that you can peruse used furniture and daydream from your couch rather than walking around a furniture store and being accosted by salesmen.
Also if you really need furniture and are willing to settle, posting on a FB group stating that you need a free couch and are willing to pick it up with typically get you several offers.
9. Urban Outfitters (Urban Renewal)
When shopping online for used furniture Urban Outfitters is probably the last place you expected to go. And, if you’re looking to buy used to save money and not for ethical reasons, you might still want to avoid this shop.
However, Urban Outfitters’ “Urban Renewal” section offers access to used and upcycled clothing, furniture, and more!
Much of it is a bit “out there” style-wise but it might be just what you’re looking for if you want something different!
10. AptDeco
If you have an eye for quality furniture but don’t like paying retail prices, AptDeco is the perfect used furniture store for you.
They have tons of quality furniture brands such as West Elm, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, and more!
What’s even better is that you can buy a gently used couch for up to 75% off the original purchase price! As of right now, there are nearly 2,000 listings in just the Sofa category to browse.
Add in the option to “Make An Offer” and get super cheap local shipping and this store can easily become a favorite!
11. ApartmentTherapy Bazaar
ApartmentTherapy’s Bazaar is more of a platform than a store but it’s still an excellent spot to both buy and sell used furniture online.
While there is an emphasis on vintage and antique options there are hundreds of different furniture options to appease almost any style or price range.
12. One Kings Lane
One Kings Lane fits more of the “vintage boutique furniture” vibe but I had to include it here because they offer some truly incredible pieces that are fun to browse, even if they are out of my price range.
For example, check out this amazing vintage needlepoint footstool that would absolutely have a spot in my home if I had an extra $300 burning a hole in my pocket.
While the bulk of One Kings Lane’s offerings are actually new production furniture, visit their vintage section for their used gems.
13. REJUVENATION
Rejuvenation first started life as a restoration house for vintage lighting and furniture and, while they’ve strayed into producing their own (new) items they still have a section on their site dedicated to used (typically antique) items that they have rejuvenated.
If your idea of used furniture extends to light fixtures such as sconces and chandeliers then you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better online store that caters to your needs!
14. EBTH (Everything But The House)
Imagine eBay, but elevated. That’s how I have described EBTH to people who have never heard of it.
On EBTH everything is sold on auction starting at $1. This gives you the opportunity to score some seriously great deals on furniture straight from estates and antique sales.
You can find used furniture, automotive goods, home items, electronics, and just about everything in between.
If you’re looking to score extremely unique pieces you’re going to have to contend with a hoard of other buyers who (probably) have deeper pockets than you do.
For normal everyday type furniture, however, you may find yourself alone in the auction house and save a ton of money!
15. Shop Goodwill
If you’ve ever wondered why it’s so hard to find awesome stuff at thrift stores such as Goodwill these days, let me solve the mystery for you: it’s greed. Goodwill now takes the items that are donated to them, cherry pick a bunch to sell on their eBay stores, and sells a bunch more on their own website. Your local Goodwill gets the dregs and the Goodwill Outlets get the dregs of the dregs.
But anyway, there is an opportunity for you to bid on the furniture on Goodwill’s own website. While they don’t have a plethora of seating furniture (since they don’t want to ship it) they do have a ton of other home goods and other furniture-type items.
That’s not to say you can get great deals on furniture at Goodwill still but since we’re focused on online options, they landed near the bottom of the list.
16. The RealReal
The RealReal is a well-known seller of luxury and designer goods. Many people gravitate to The RealReal to avoid common scams on eBay or Mercari even if it means paying slightly more.
As a used furniture store, it works the same way. If you’re looking to buy pre-owned designed furniture online then you’ll want to purchase it from a store that not only authenticates the item but sells items of consistent cleanliness and condition. You don’t want a dirty used-up designer couch, after all.
The furniture offerings are mainly limited to high-dollar items you can find some great deal of things that have slipped through the cracks and gone with several price cuts.
I have bought several personal items from The RealReal before and have had only good experiences but now I have to add furniture to my list!
17. Sotheby’s Home
Sotheby’s is one of the oldest and premier auction houses that has moved the majority of its business online. While this does allow people like you and me to see what’s on auction, it seems to have also increased buying pressure and put the rare and luxury items ever more permanently out of my reach.
However, that’s where Sotheby’s Home comes into the picture.
It’s still an auction house, it’s still expensive, but it’s also still online. This means that it’s a great spot to score some used furniture without ever leaving your couch. I won’t promise you anything about the type of items you’ll find since it’s always changing but I can promise you that what you find will at least be interesting!
Buying Used Furniture Online vs Finding Used Furniture Near You
If you’re looking for an online shopping experience but want to actually buy used furniture near you so you can pick it up, there are many new (and old) platforms that cater to this need.
If you’re looking for used furniture near you, check out some of these websites/apps:
If, however, you are looking for used furniture stores near you, Google is your best friend. While many used furniture stores actually advertised their items on the above platforms, the majority of used furniture stores are not actually chains so looking them up in a local directory may be your best bet.
One notable exception is the ReStore run by Habitat for Humanity.
If you’re looking for a used furniture store near you and don’t want to rely only on thrift stores, check out Habitat for Humanity for a much wider selection of used furniture, fixtures, etc.
Buying used furniture locally has many advantages over shopping online. Namely:
- No shipping damage. While you do have to pick up the furniture yourself, you at least don’t have to worry about a freight driver dropping off his forklift or pushing it out of the back of his truck.
- You’ll get your furniture sooner. Shipping a couch or other furniture isn’t fast or cheap. Even if you’re buying on Amazon don’t expect two-day service. If you need something soon, buying locally might be your best bet.
- Avoid analysis paralysis. When my wife and I were shopping for a couch for our basement it was super easy to pick one out. The thrift store only had three options, after all. We just picked one that we didn’t hate and that was in good condition. If we were shopping online we would have spent days trying to find something just the right size or color.
While there are benefits to buying furniture locally and online you’ll have to decide which option is better in your specific situation as neither one is categorically superior.
Guide To Buying Used Furniture Online (5 Tips)
Given that buying furniture locally has a few distinct advantages over shopping online, let’s talk about a few ways you can mitigate problems that you might run into when shopping for used furniture online.
1. Measure Twice, Order Once
One of the most common negative reviews I see when looking at online furniture stores is that the rug/sofa/chair was larger/smaller than they expected. In my mind, there is no excuse for this. The seller should provide measurements and, if you have half a brain cell, you should measure several the space several times before even thinking about placing n order.
Many people go the extra mile and actually tape off the shape of their potential furniture (including measurements) in the space it will go in to get an idea of how it will fit.
I’d recommend going a step further and measuring your entryways and halls to make sure that whatever you buy will fit through your house until it comes to its final resting place.
2. Read Reviews Of The Store
When you buy something online you probably spend a bunch of time reading reviews of the item. This is extremely difficult to do when you’re shopping for used furniture as you may not know the model, it may have been discontinued for several years, etc.
Instead, read reviews of the store to get an idea of common complaints people have. Stores often stock furniture of a similar type and clean them to a similar extent.
However, a good deal of your experience of buying used furniture online will be influenced by other parts of their business model. Do they take good pictures and provide accurate descriptions? Do they ship their items well? Do they provide good customer service and accept returns?
Knowing the types of experiences other people have had with a store or seller will make you far more informed when it comes to making a decision.
3. Check The Return Policy Before Buying
Keeping an expensive and inconvenient piece of furniture because it’s “too big of a pain to return” is a real bummer.
My wife and I currently have a sectional in our front room that doesn’t technically fit. We have it split into two separate pieces because it did fit in the corner it was supposed to go in and we weren’t about to pack it back up to return it.
If you’re the type of person who returns things be sure to check before buying whether or not it’s possible!
4. Study The Photos As If Your Life Depends On It
I can almost guarantee that if you buy used furniture online you’ll be surprised by something about it when it is delivered. Do you best to think about all the things you’d look at if you were furniture shopping in person and compare them to your current furniture?
Do the cushions come off? Are there zippers? Are the armrests padded? Do the legs screw off?
All of those things might not be deal-breakers but they can make your purchase much less enjoyable.
Do your best to check the color as well. Since asking for fabric samples is typically not an option for used furniture, view the pictures in the listing from several different devices and message the seller about the color if it’s a huge deal for you.
5. Factor In Delivery/Shipping Cost
The major (and obvious) expense that comes with shopping for used furniture from an online store is getting it delivered to your house. While the possibility of not going to a store or having to pick up furniture yourself is what makes it attractive, there’s no doubt that it adds a significant expense.
Shipping furniture is more economical than you might expect and most online furniture stores are upfront about the cost.
If delivery is a limiting factor, however, you can look for used furniture stores near you that offer online shopping and then let you pick it up. For example, Kaiyo has their inventory listed online but you are able to pick it up from their warehouse, provided it’s close enough to make it worth it.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, finding an online used furniture store is not quite the challenge it used to be. Which is a good thing. With the rise of furniture flipping it’s easier than ever to get a good deal on some nice furniture.
Furniture shopping is not an experience I want to have an adventure in. I just want to get a great second on something second-hand that will be useful or comfortable for years to come.
So, if you’re in the same boat, scroll back up and find your favorite shop! Happy shopping!