The best websites for buying and selling used furniture in NYC

March 23, 2021

Photo courtesy of AptDeco

Spring is the perfect time to reset, rearrange, and reimagine your living space. In addition to the annual deep clean that commences as the weather warms, updating the style and decor of your New York City apartment provides a much-needed physical and mental refresh for the months ahead. Whether this means selling furniture you’re tired of looking at or buying gently used designer and vintage items to personalize your abode, there are several websites to help New Yorkers in the process.

AptDeco
What launched as a safe and fast alternative to Craigslist nearly 10 years ago is now one of the most popular used furniture marketplaces in the tri-state area. AptDeco features both new and pre-owned home items from popular brands like West Elm, Restoration Hardware, CB2, and more. For sellers, it’s free to list and AptDeco helps coordinate pickup and delivery. When an item sells, the company charges a fee based on the type of item, brand, and selling price, which could range between 25 and 38 percent of the sale price. Buyers can browse furniture by brand and category, request to purchase, schedule a time to receive your item, and then let the team at AptDeco handle the delivery. They even inspect items for accuracy, as well as signs of bed bugs.

Etsy
To make your search even more expansive, and to reach more customers as a seller, Etsy, which has millions of users around the world, is a great option. While the online marketplace is known for its handmade, creative items and gifts, Etsy also offers an impressive collection of vintage furniture and antiques. You can browse thousands of unique listings, or if you know exactly what you’re looking for, search by style and color.

Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is a great resource for New Yorkers because users can narrow searches by specific neighborhood and areas, helpful for most who plan on hauling thrifted pieces home by foot or subway. While the format is similar to Craigslist, there’s slightly more accountability between sellers and buyers, who must have a Facebook account to use the feature. This puts a face to the name and allows direct messaging between parties. There are over a dozen categories and even more subcategories to select when browsing, with a search bar that makes the hunt for a specific piece a little easier.

Kaiyo
Kaiyo isn’t just another pre-owned furniture online marketplace. Not only does the New York-based company take care of most of the work for sellers, but it also makes sustainability, and keeping furniture out of landfills, its core focus. For sellers, Kaiyo arranges white-glove service pick-up, expertly cleans the item, and takes photos with studio lighting to accompany the listing, all of which is free of charge (they do take a cut of revenue depending on the price). If items go unsold for a long time, Kaiyo will contact local charities to see if they would accept them as donations.

Craigslist
With people constantly moving in, around, and out of New York, Craigslist remains a solid option for both buyers and sellers in the area, particularly for those looking to get rid of an item ASAP. While you may have to spend some time going through random listings to discover diamonds in the rough, there are tons of one-of-a-kind finds that are usually budget-friendly. The easy-to-use website allows simple searches by location, price, make and model, and condition.

Apartment Therapy’s Bazaar
Find secondhand designer pieces and vintage items available for purchase in your area on Apartment Therapy’s Bazaar. The lifestyle website has its own online marketplace for like-minded interior design lovers to buy and sell vintage, antique, and gently-used furniture and accessories. It’s free to join and to browse and publish listings, with marketers only incurring a service fee from the website when an item sells. Search by type, brand, style, material, and by shipping or local delivery.

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