Summer time is the perfect time to sell unwanted furniture. Everyone from college kids to retirees are (literally) on the move. Before packing up that old Lazy Boy
recliner and hauling it your nearest furniture consignment store, contact
them. Call the store or send them an email to find out what types of
items they buy and when they are willing to buy them. You do not want to
show up at the store with a truckload of cumbersome furniture and find out that
they won’t accept your furniture because they either don’t have the space for
it right now, or they don’t sell that type of item. A lot of consignment
store owners ask that you show them a picture of your items for sale before bringing
them in. You can either email them pictures of the items and ask about
their buying schedule and policies or stop by in person after you have called
to make sure the store manager is going to be available to look at your
pictures.
Normally a
consignment store owner won’t commit to a specific selling price until they
actually see the merchandise you are selling, but the more information you can
give them ahead of time the more accurately they can estimate what it would
sell for in their store. The brand of the items you are selling, the type
of furniture, the type of materials used, (wood or metal) and measurements, and
the condition of the pieces are all useful pieces of information.
Providing accurate measurements is especially helpful for larger pieces such as couches because the store owner needs to make room for those pieces
before you show up on their doorstep with that piece of furniture. Many
consignment stores have a certain schedule for receiving consignment
merchandise. When you talk to the store owner be sure to ask what days of
the week they accept new merchandise.
When you
drop off your furniture you should receive a contract or receipt that documents
such important details as the retail price it will sell for, how long it will
remain at that price before being marked down, how long the item will remain on
the sales floor before you have to take it back or agree to mark it down, what
percentage of the sales price you receive, and when you will be paid for your
item. Look over the details of the
contract carefully before selling anything through a consignment store to be
sure you understand and are comfortable with the terms. When your unwanted furniture sells you can celebrate by buying something much nicer than the outdated crap you just sold!
