Selling iconic furniture for dummies
September 17, 2011 2:07 PM   Subscribe

I'm hoping to sell my vintage Herman Miller Eames Lounge Chair by the end of the month. I need resources on how to price my chair.

I'm moving at the end of the month, and am going through the painful process of deciding what to sell and what to take. My parents gave me their vintage Herman Miller Eames lounge chair and ottoman a few years ago when I needed some furniture and they no longer used it.

I'm hoping that I can find a good home for this chair, but I'm a bit intimidated by the "collectors" market, and I need to know how to properly price it. Am looking for web resources or contacts that can help guide me as far as the value of a vintage chair in used but not terrible condition and in need of reupholstering. I'm in the Boston area, and any local resources would be helpful too.

Also, I was considering selling it via Craigslist or Ebay just because these are the markets I'm familiar with. Any specialized selling avenues out there?
posted by sk932 to Shopping (8 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
Lushpad seems to specialize in mid-century vintage furniture, but I can't speak to how expensive it is to advertise or how likely it is you'd sell.

You might consider contacting a decorator in your area, too, either to sell it to them outright or at least to ask for advice on identifying any local collectors.
posted by Andrhia at 2:28 PM on September 17, 2011


Best answer: I resell vintage items, including iconic furniture. My best results/most money earned from large items have actually always happened via Craigslist. I'd also seek out your local vintage stores- some of them specialize only in furniture- and tell them what you have. Let them make you an offer.
posted by ElectricGoat at 2:32 PM on September 17, 2011


Do a lot of research before putting any kind of price on it.

A vintage, iconic item like this will sell for much more than a brand new version of it (you can still buy these brand new and identically made), but it will also depend largely on its condition. You might be sitting (heh) on a very valuable piece if it's in great shape, or maybe not if it's really heavily scuffed or beat up. Also, it'll make a difference if it's from the 1970s or 80s, versus the 60s...

Be careful.
posted by jeff-o-matic at 2:40 PM on September 17, 2011


Ebay would be a great place to sell it if you don't know how to price it. Be sure to take TONS of well lit photos though so that the buyer will know what they're getting.

The biggest problem is shipping the chair. That could be enormously expensive.
posted by bluelava at 2:59 PM on September 17, 2011


If you know it is a real Herman Miller Eames chair, you can take some good pictures and post it to Apartment Therapy Boston's classified listings. Lots of people have extremely good results posting their vintage designer furniture. It's a very specific market and readers know what they're looking for. There's not a lot listed there now, but things go fast, often within days. If it's in good condition but needs new upholstery, I'd probably put it at $495 and accept $475 if offered. (Note: IANAAppraiser, but I buy, restore, and resell vintage furniture for fun and profit.)
posted by juniperesque at 4:45 PM on September 17, 2011 [3 favorites]


Best answer: Register at Ebay, look up any similar chairs, then go to "Completed Listings," on the lefthand side, and see what similar chairs sold for.
posted by Elsie at 5:33 PM on September 17, 2011


For the highest possible price you could get/ask, I would head to local antique or vintage furniture stores, see if they have anything comparable and what they're asking for it, or, if not, take a photo, be terribly chummy, and see what they say (particularly if they don't make an offer on the chair, which would probably be a lowball attempt). Otherwise, yes - look on Ebay & Craigslist, though I'd keep in mind that these are places where people go hunting for a deal, not full retail price, thugh Eames-era furniture often does extremely well there if it's in good original condition.
posted by involution at 11:20 PM on September 17, 2011


Urgh. 'Thugh' should be, "though".

Also: jeff-o-matic is spot on. Condition can make ot break it in a huge way (unless you have a very unique, iconic piece, or some other mitigating factor).
posted by involution at 11:25 PM on September 17, 2011


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