How to Sell Your Old Sofa - The Ultimate Guide to Selling Your Used Settee

The Ultimate Guide to Selling Your Old Sofa

Or How to Make Your Old Sofa Pay for Your New One

Good quality sofas cost money, even when they’re secondhand, so it’s always worthwhile checking whether you can make something towards the cost of your new suite when your buying a sofa. As part of our  Savvy Sofa Shopping series we’re going to discuss how you can save money – and help the environment- by selling your old sofa. By the end of this article you should have a better idea of whether its worth your time to sell your old sofa, and if you follow our little guide to selling your old sofa you should be rid of it in no time. Along the way we hope to answer your most pressing questions about the selling process – but remember if you think of anything else you’d like to know you’re welcome to drop us an email on sales@ or leave us a comment.Take a look at  the previous post in this series to see why it's worth spending a little more money to get a better quality sofa.

Can you sell an old sofa?

Of course you can! If your old sofa is in saleable condition it’s a relatively easy way to free up some cash, and a great choice for paying towards the cost of a new sofa or suite. Thanks to the internet selling your old furniture is straight forward and simple, and as long as you stick to our handy guide its very safe too.

What makes a sofa saleable?

The first thing to ask yourself is whether anybody is going to want to buy your old sofa. Generally speaking if it’s in good, usable condition, still comfortable, not too dirty, and especially if ita from a well known brand like G Plan or Natuzzi, you won’t have any problems selling it. Newer sofas are generally worth more, unless your old sofa is actually from the 50s, 60s or 70s in which case you may find its more of a collectors item. To make sure your sofa is saleable we recommend the following:

• Give it a good clean!
• Sit all over it and check it for weird noises and damage. If it doesn’t make noises or move in ways it shouldn't, you’re doing great! Make a note of any faults as you’ll need to inform your buyers.
• Make sure it’s fire safe. If it was sold to you after 1988 then it will have a fire safety label. This can be found under the seat or back cushion or sttached to the liner on the bottom of the sofa.
• Take some good pictures. If you're planning to sell it online you'll need some photos to show people what they're buying. Make sure they're in focus, taken in good light, and show the sofa or suite from different angles.
• Take measurements of the height, depth and length of each sofa you're selling

Where to sell your used sofa

These days there are quite a few options on where you can sell your sofa, but it’s always worth trying the old fashioned way first! If you have any friends or family who might be in the market it’s worth having the conversation. This can save you time and effort, and potentially even the trouble of transporting it if they have a suitable vehicle.

Supermarket adverts and local bulletin boards

Depending on where you live you might have some luck with a local bulletin board or an advert in the supermarket. All you need to do is find the owner of the bulletin board and ask them! Make sure you include the key details of what you’re selling – the make and model, sizes, some description of the condition, and a contact number and/or email address so people can contact you about it.

Dealing with people face to face can be less risky, just keep in mind that you shouldn’t allow anyone to take anything away before it has been paid for. The safest way to take payment is in cash, before the buyer takes the sofas away or they are delivered. Other payment methods come with the potential for the payment to be reversed, so be wary of PayPal or other online payment methods as these may be refunded after the fact. Bank transfer payments are safe only so long as you ensure you have actually been paid and the money is clear in your account – never accept anything the other person shows you on their phone or device as proof of payment.

Sell Your Used Sofa on Facebook marketplace or Gumtree

These are basically the online version of a bulletin board and work in much the same way when it comes to taking payments. You will need some good photos of the sofas – as a rule of thumb you should ideally have 12 pictures, and include photos of both sides, the front, a top-down view of the seats, and the back. Give your sofa advert a catchy title, using words that people might search for if they wanted to purchase your sofa. Write a short description, including relevant details such as the age of the sofa, the condition, what material it’s covered with, any interesting or useful features, the measurements, the condition, and what if any help you’re able to give with regards to the collection or delivery. Give a general location, but don’t give your full address until the buyer has asked. To make things easier for you, you should ask potential buyers who want to view the sofa to arrange a day and time. You can find more information about selling on Facebook here and about selling on Gumtree here.

Sell Your Old Sofa on eBay, Shpock and other sites

Selling on eBay is a somewhat more complicated matter but most selling sites operate much the same way. As with the bulletin boards you’ll need a description, title and photos the same way you need these for selling on Facebook or Gumtree. For eBay you’ll also need to fill in the item specifics. The process of listing on eBay, shpock and other sites is guided with instructions to help you, and most of the best advice you can find boils down to “don’t break the rules.”. You can find information about selling on eBay here.

How to Price a Used Sofa?

If you’re unsure of what price to put on your used sofa, take a look on one of the popular selling sites we’ve mentioned above to see what prices other people are selling theirs for. On eBay you can also see what prices sofas have sold for, which can help to tell you what prices people actually pay. Bear in mind the condition and what other similar pieces are available. For most brands, you would expect to pay maybe ¼ of the original price if the sofa is in obviously used condition, or up to half the original price if it still looks relatively new.

How to Advertise a Secondhand Sofa for Sale – A Summary

• Make sure your sofa is clean, presentable and ready for sale
• Take good, in focus photos with plenty of light
• Provide a thorough, accurate and honest description of the sofa including the condition
• Price it fairly
• Don’t forget to remove any adverts for it once it’s sold!

What if you can’t sell your old sofa?

If you find you can’t sell your old sofa, don't worry! You'll still be able to get rid of it, even if you can't sell it.

If it’s in useable condition and just taking too long, you can donate it directly to a charity shop that deals in furniture. Most charity shops will collect donations themselves if you arrange it with them. Alternatively there are a number of charities that will accept donated furniture to be given to people in need rather than sold, such as the Furniture Re-Use network. Or you can simply list it on your local facebook or freecycle group and see if anyone wants it free of charge.

If it’s not in useable condition, you can arrange for it to be disposed of safely. Your local council will be able to arrange collection for a small fee, usually around £15 or £25 for a large item – just give them a call to make the arrangements. If you decide to use a private company for this make sure they show you their waste carriers licence before taking the sofa away.

We hope this helps you get rid of your old sofa, and maybe make a little money along the way to help pay towards the cost of a new one! If you’re having difficulty disposing of your old sofa and you’ve chosen to purchase a new one from us, do get in touch – while we don’t do refuse collections we may be able to recommend something, and we do periodically run charity auctions on our eBay shop as well.