Flip that.... end table?
November 4, 2010 4:53 PM Subscribe
How easy is it to buy used furniture off of Kijiji/Craig's list, clean it up, give it a new coat of paint, and then resell it for a profit?
Is this a reasonable idea? I have free time and some experience painting furniture, and I wondered if maybe this was an okay way to make a little extra money on the side. I know I would have to pay for the cost of paint...
Is this a reasonable idea? I have free time and some experience painting furniture, and I wondered if maybe this was an okay way to make a little extra money on the side. I know I would have to pay for the cost of paint...
Sure, go for it. If you're in a good Craigslist market (areas with high concentrations of well-off students are great) you could do pretty well. I can't tell you how many things (well, more than five, less than ten but I was never really serious about it) I've sold on CL for a decent profit just by taking a well-lit picture.
I think the best I did was a 50-cent table found at a thrift store that I sold for 40 bucks, but I've also sold dumpster-salvaged furniture. Hell, I even sold a used tire that I dug out of some muck of Lake Michigan for 5 bucks.
I didn't even paint anything. My M.O. was clean it up, position an attractive bowl of fruit on top of it, take a good picture, crop the picture, and give it a posting title like "adorable end table!" or "cute kitchen chair!"
posted by phunniemee at 5:07 PM on November 4, 2010 [5 favorites]
I think the best I did was a 50-cent table found at a thrift store that I sold for 40 bucks, but I've also sold dumpster-salvaged furniture. Hell, I even sold a used tire that I dug out of some muck of Lake Michigan for 5 bucks.
I didn't even paint anything. My M.O. was clean it up, position an attractive bowl of fruit on top of it, take a good picture, crop the picture, and give it a posting title like "adorable end table!" or "cute kitchen chair!"
posted by phunniemee at 5:07 PM on November 4, 2010 [5 favorites]
1) depends on your area, and 2) depends on how you plan on re-selling it.
In some areas, people are looking to get rid of furniture and toss it on Craigslist as a way of having someone haul it off for them and make a bit of money. Other places, people really want money for decent (to poor) furniture.
And if you're looking at putting it back on Craigslist, the same issues as above apply. If the market has a sufficient number of inexpensive pieces of furniture, a shinier piece amongst the dull ones might not do too well. But if it's a market of decent pieces for decent prices, you might get something. If you're looking to sell at a swap meet or the like, you could get more, and you could price it higher and haggle.
You could always buy a few pieces for a few bucks each and give it a go, assuming you're not counting your change this month.
posted by filthy light thief at 5:08 PM on November 4, 2010
In some areas, people are looking to get rid of furniture and toss it on Craigslist as a way of having someone haul it off for them and make a bit of money. Other places, people really want money for decent (to poor) furniture.
And if you're looking at putting it back on Craigslist, the same issues as above apply. If the market has a sufficient number of inexpensive pieces of furniture, a shinier piece amongst the dull ones might not do too well. But if it's a market of decent pieces for decent prices, you might get something. If you're looking to sell at a swap meet or the like, you could get more, and you could price it higher and haggle.
You could always buy a few pieces for a few bucks each and give it a go, assuming you're not counting your change this month.
posted by filthy light thief at 5:08 PM on November 4, 2010
Almost nothing loses value like furniture once it's no longer new. Maybe used paint.
There are used furniture stores around here, but they don't use Craigslist to get their stuff, they get it from estate sales, auctions, etc. Getting stuff one or two at a time takes a huge amount of time and effort. And they have a showroom to sell it.
I'd do some research, check your Craigslist for, say, chairs and see what the different prices represent. If the difference between a used chair and a used chair with fresh paint is worth the costs (pickup, refinishing, listing, negotiating) then you might have something.
posted by Ookseer at 5:10 PM on November 4, 2010
There are used furniture stores around here, but they don't use Craigslist to get their stuff, they get it from estate sales, auctions, etc. Getting stuff one or two at a time takes a huge amount of time and effort. And they have a showroom to sell it.
I'd do some research, check your Craigslist for, say, chairs and see what the different prices represent. If the difference between a used chair and a used chair with fresh paint is worth the costs (pickup, refinishing, listing, negotiating) then you might have something.
posted by Ookseer at 5:10 PM on November 4, 2010
Also, you might get better prices buying pieces at yard sales, as people are looking to clear their yards that morning.
posted by filthy light thief at 5:11 PM on November 4, 2010
posted by filthy light thief at 5:11 PM on November 4, 2010
Response by poster: phunniemee, I actually live in an affluent university town that also has a lot of young up-and-coming government workers, so if I had to guess I'd say I'm in an ideal environment.
I would likely look for items to flip through other venues (thrift stores, yard sales, etc), not just online.
posted by gwenlister at 5:17 PM on November 4, 2010
I would likely look for items to flip through other venues (thrift stores, yard sales, etc), not just online.
posted by gwenlister at 5:17 PM on November 4, 2010
In my experience, you need to be able to go one better than the average thrifty fixer-upper in order to do this. For instance you might want to pick up some upholstery skills, or learn how to do a craft most people think is finicky, like detailed stencil work or marbling. Or maybe if you have "to the trade" connections that would allow you to get really nice pulls, fixtures, fabrics, etc that most casual DIY-ers don't have access to.
Because, yeah, anybody can throw a coat of paint on some old garage sale furniture and call it "upcycled".
One concern is the fact that people who know what they're looking for are going to want furniture that isn't all painted up and bedazzled. Anytime I see wood furniture for sale that looks like it's been cosmetically fixed up, I assume the bones underneath are worthless. Which isn't really a problem, but it means you're not going to be able to get any real money.
And then rather than sell on craigslist, you should get a booth at a fleamarket or sell through a consignment shop or something. Because why would I pay $100 for a $10 chair you painted when I could pay $10 for a chair and paint it myself?
posted by Sara C. at 5:29 PM on November 4, 2010
Because, yeah, anybody can throw a coat of paint on some old garage sale furniture and call it "upcycled".
One concern is the fact that people who know what they're looking for are going to want furniture that isn't all painted up and bedazzled. Anytime I see wood furniture for sale that looks like it's been cosmetically fixed up, I assume the bones underneath are worthless. Which isn't really a problem, but it means you're not going to be able to get any real money.
And then rather than sell on craigslist, you should get a booth at a fleamarket or sell through a consignment shop or something. Because why would I pay $100 for a $10 chair you painted when I could pay $10 for a chair and paint it myself?
posted by Sara C. at 5:29 PM on November 4, 2010
The movers that recently helped a friend move said they do it all the time - it's not their main source of profit, obviously, but some glue in the right places, a little replacement hardware, and they don't even paint stuff, but make a profit.
The other, more profitable, thing that a friend did was scour thrift stores for jewelry, clean it up and resell it. She got a good eye for what would resell, and made enough to move interstate. So if you have time, play around with your options. Also, consider holding on to some thing until Fall when all the students are moving/buying.
posted by ldthomps at 5:39 PM on November 4, 2010
The other, more profitable, thing that a friend did was scour thrift stores for jewelry, clean it up and resell it. She got a good eye for what would resell, and made enough to move interstate. So if you have time, play around with your options. Also, consider holding on to some thing until Fall when all the students are moving/buying.
posted by ldthomps at 5:39 PM on November 4, 2010
Not everyone has the time to paint their own furniture (or the confidence in their painting skills.)
If you can get it looking like these examples, people will buy it:
The Little Red Table That Could
English Rose Record Cabinet
The Mad Hatter - Fire engine red refurbished chair
Hand painted furniture- Red Toile Table
Red, Hand painted, pull open desk
posted by Hot buttered sockpuppets at 7:13 PM on November 4, 2010
If you can get it looking like these examples, people will buy it:
The Little Red Table That Could
English Rose Record Cabinet
The Mad Hatter - Fire engine red refurbished chair
Hand painted furniture- Red Toile Table
Red, Hand painted, pull open desk
posted by Hot buttered sockpuppets at 7:13 PM on November 4, 2010
The movers that recently helped a friend move said they do it all the time - it's not their main source of profit, obviously, but some glue in the right places, a little replacement hardware, and they don't even paint stuff, but make a profit.
I'd guess in that situation that they're taking broken cast-offs that their customers didn't want and fixing them. If you have a source of free broken furniture and know how to do basic repairs, you could probably make a little cash. If you're buying $20 functional-but-not-stylish end tables and painting them, you don't stand to make a whole lot unless you can add significant value to the furniture.
posted by Sara C. at 7:19 PM on November 4, 2010
I'd guess in that situation that they're taking broken cast-offs that their customers didn't want and fixing them. If you have a source of free broken furniture and know how to do basic repairs, you could probably make a little cash. If you're buying $20 functional-but-not-stylish end tables and painting them, you don't stand to make a whole lot unless you can add significant value to the furniture.
posted by Sara C. at 7:19 PM on November 4, 2010
Hot buttered sock puppets' last link is the sort of thing you should be able to pull off if you want to make money doing this.
posted by Sara C. at 7:24 PM on November 4, 2010
posted by Sara C. at 7:24 PM on November 4, 2010
I think this is possible if you take care of your venues. Craigslist is the place for cheap stuff, not so much nicely refinished/reupholstered stuff. Etsy or a real storefront are probably better places to try to sell things, as people at those places are more likely to be looking for something nice rather than something cheap.
And take good pictures, with a good camera and good lighting. Outside in bright weather is good, inside at night under fluorescents and incandescent lighting is not so good.
posted by that girl at 9:06 PM on November 4, 2010
And take good pictures, with a good camera and good lighting. Outside in bright weather is good, inside at night under fluorescents and incandescent lighting is not so good.
posted by that girl at 9:06 PM on November 4, 2010
You might look into office furniture instead. A friend of a friend goes to the office auctions, buys broken Aeron chairs, and mails the company for replacement parts. He gives them to friends and family rather than selling them... but those chairs go for $350 and up on Craigslist, way more than you'll get out of regular furniture.
posted by vorfeed at 10:50 PM on November 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by vorfeed at 10:50 PM on November 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
Your biggest issue will probably be storage while you wait for the buyer who will pay your asking price ... do the numbers ... if you make $50 on each item you sell, but it takes you an average of 4 months to sell the item, and you sell one a week, your weekly income is $50 but your storage requirements are 18 pieces ... could be quite some space for a small income.
posted by jannw at 3:59 AM on November 5, 2010
posted by jannw at 3:59 AM on November 5, 2010
Warning about some of what one sees on Etsy: just because it's listed for $X doesn't mean people are buying. That table in the first link has had 2808 views and it's still there; I don't think there's a big market anywhere for a $15 table with ordinary red paint slapped on being called a $200 table. (As a $40 table on CL -- rather more likely.)
I think this sort of thing would work very well for anyone willing to do a lot of wandering about on garbage night, though. Try the Habitat for Humanity "Re-store" for replacement knobs and hinges, haunt hardware stores for good shades in the "oops" paint (paint mixed to the wrong colour sold at a discount)...
I eBay and after a little while "this will sell, for $X" and "no chance" becomes instinct. Know thy market -- haunt your local classifieds. You also have to develop better-than-average ways to get your goods for much less than most people; you need to be willing to get up at 5am for neighbourhood garage sales, brave the crowds at the 50%-off day at the thrift shop, know which 2nd-hand store in the scuzzy scary part of town underprices its stuff, etc. tl;dr: knowledge and skill plus labour = $; you can do this.
posted by kmennie at 5:59 AM on November 5, 2010
I think this sort of thing would work very well for anyone willing to do a lot of wandering about on garbage night, though. Try the Habitat for Humanity "Re-store" for replacement knobs and hinges, haunt hardware stores for good shades in the "oops" paint (paint mixed to the wrong colour sold at a discount)...
I eBay and after a little while "this will sell, for $X" and "no chance" becomes instinct. Know thy market -- haunt your local classifieds. You also have to develop better-than-average ways to get your goods for much less than most people; you need to be willing to get up at 5am for neighbourhood garage sales, brave the crowds at the 50%-off day at the thrift shop, know which 2nd-hand store in the scuzzy scary part of town underprices its stuff, etc. tl;dr: knowledge and skill plus labour = $; you can do this.
posted by kmennie at 5:59 AM on November 5, 2010
By repainting, do you mean actual paint or just general refinishing? A lot of people prefer stained or clear finishes on wood furniture, so you might want to consider that as well.
posted by electroboy at 6:34 AM on November 5, 2010
posted by electroboy at 6:34 AM on November 5, 2010
If you are in a college town, look around the dumpsters at the end of the semester when kids are getting rid of stuff. My daughter had to dispose of her dorm refrigerator when she went overseas, and there were so many for sale already on Craigslist that she just threw it away. If you have storage space, you could put up fliers offering to haul away old stuff at the end of the semester, then sell it all back to new kids at the start of the new one.
posted by CathyG at 7:41 AM on November 5, 2010
posted by CathyG at 7:41 AM on November 5, 2010
Also, if you have a lot of storage space, those kids need someplace to store boxes and furniture over the summer. Undercut the major chains and you can have a whole business.
posted by CathyG at 7:42 AM on November 5, 2010
posted by CathyG at 7:42 AM on November 5, 2010
Learn to take good pictures, write a great description and list the size. "Beautiful Oriental Rug" may get my attention, but is a time waster if it doesn't also say "6'6" x 8' wool, machine woven, dark blue, ivory and red, no worn spots."
Expand beyond CL. Go to auctions and also advertise that you will clean out houses. Often, someone dies, or becomes ill and moves in with family, and their home full of furniture and household goods needs rapid disposal.
posted by theora55 at 8:36 AM on November 5, 2010
Expand beyond CL. Go to auctions and also advertise that you will clean out houses. Often, someone dies, or becomes ill and moves in with family, and their home full of furniture and household goods needs rapid disposal.
posted by theora55 at 8:36 AM on November 5, 2010
Sure, go for it! Check that free section, too. The last 3 pieces of wooden furniture I got rid of (beat-up & sticker-covered bookcases and nightstand) were through the free section of CL. If you can pick up quickly and be a non-flake, you should be able to snag some good stuff.
posted by peep at 9:33 AM on November 5, 2010
posted by peep at 9:33 AM on November 5, 2010
Properly painting furniture is hard work. Sanding, priming, several coats of paint will take you several hours.
I'm not sure how in-demand solid color painted furniture is either.
posted by wongcorgi at 9:39 AM on November 5, 2010
I'm not sure how in-demand solid color painted furniture is either.
posted by wongcorgi at 9:39 AM on November 5, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by lovelygirl at 4:59 PM on November 4, 2010