How to Sell Furniture Online in the UK - (And Actually Get It Delivered)

Selling furniture online is simple. The hard part is getting it to the buyer.

You list your sofa on Facebook Marketplace, a wardrobe on eBay, a dining table on Gumtree. You take lots of nice photos. You set a fair price. You write an honest description. Then somebody on the other side of the country messages asking if you can deliver.

You can't.

So you mark your listings as "collection only" and instantly halve your potential buyer pool to local people with access to a van.

The majority of furniture sold online in the UK is sold as collection only for this reason. Furniture sellers don't have access to a van and don't know how to arrange delivery. That means fewer offers, cheaper prices, and furniture taking weeks to sell instead of days.

It doesn't have to be like this. Furniture sellers that offer delivery sell faster and for more money. And you don't need to own a van or lift a finger to make it happen.

Good photos and delivery options are the two things that sell furniture online fastest

Sell Your Sofa Online: Where Should You Sell Furniture?

There are lots of places to sell furniture online in the UK. Each has pros and cons, and different audiences.

Facebook Marketplace has become the go-to for selling second hand furniture locally. Listings are free, the audience is huge locally and sales are usually completed quickly. Downsides include no buyer protection and plenty of time wasters. Facebook Marketplace works great if you're selling furniture for under £500.

eBay expands your audience to the whole UK instead of just locally. Auction listings can hike up the price on desirable furniture and Buy It Now listings allow you to set your own price. There are seller fees but your reach is much greater than Facebook Marketplace. Delivery-available furniture sells faster and for more money than collection only pieces.

Gumtree remains popular in the UK for furniture listings, especially larger pieces. Gumtree is also free and most buyers on Gumtree are looking for second hand furniture locally. Gumtree furniture is almost always collection only.

A newer option for furniture sales is Vinterior. A curated marketplace for furniture sales, you'll have to pass their vetting process before your furniture gets listed. Vinterior focuses on higher quality mid-century furniture, vintage pieces, and furniture designers. Prices are higher but they also take care of some of the delivery leg work.

When selling your sofa locally, general second hand furniture, or clearing items before a house move, Facebook and eBay are your main considerations.

Should You List Furniture As Collection Only?

Listing furniture as collection only might be convenient for you, but it costs you money in three ways.

Limits buyers. The number of people capable of collecting your furniture drops dramatically when you list it as collection only. Suddenly your potential buyer pool shrinks from thousands of people down to dozens locally able to transport your item. The further away they are, the less likely they are to collect furniture.

Sells for less. Fewer buyers means less competition so lower offers. That sofa that would have had ten potential buyers now only has two or three. Those two or three know you're desperate for them to buy so will offer you less money.

Takes longer to sell. Furniture listed as collection only lingers on marketplace platforms a lot longer than furniture that offers delivery. Every day it remains unsold is a day it's taking up room in your house, gathering dust, and preventing you from decluttering.

Delivery doesn't mean you own a van and need to drive your furniture cross country. Delivering furniture just means you're willing to have it collected and delivered by a courier.

How to Offer Delivery If You Don't Own a Van

That's the part most furniture sellers don't realise. You don't need a van to offer delivery options on your furniture. You just need to let buyers know furniture collection can be arranged.

The options are simple.

Allow the buyer to arrange their own courier. State in your furniture listing that delivery can be arranged separately by the buyer. Many online furniture buyers know how to book a courier already so will sort this themselves. All you need to do is be home for the agreed time and have your furniture ready to go.

Arrange the courier yourself and add the price onto your asking price. Other sellers like to handle everything. You get a quote from a furniture courier service like Porta Delivery, add that cost to your selling price and sell your furniture with delivery included. You'll stand out above competing "collection only" furniture and likely receive more offers sooner.

Either way, it's the courier who loads the furniture into a van and drives it away. You don't lift a thing.

Writing Furniture Listings That Sell Fast

There's a reason why some furniture sells in a day and other furniture sits on Facebook and eBay for weeks. The listing.

Photos are everything. Take multiple pictures of the furniture in natural light. Clear off cushions, magazines, debris. Take photos from multiple angles including the underside, back and sides. Be honest about any scratches, damage or marks. Buyers can spot a fake a mile away. If your listing has lots of nice clear photos, buyers will trust you and be more likely to make an offer.

Measurements are important. Height, width and depth. Buyers need to know if your sofa will fit in their flat or table will fit up their stairs. Furniture listings with measurements receive less pointless questions and more legitimate offers.

Tell the truth about condition. Is there pet hair? Damage? Stains? Teeth marks? Saying your sofa has minor wear when it actually looks sat on by the Guinness Book of World Records winning bigfoot won't end well. Describe any damage or wear no matter how insignificant it may seem. That way buyers know exactly what they're getting and are unlikely to ask you for a refund because they don't like the leg colour.

Add delivery to your listing. Seriously, just by adding "delivery can be arranged via courier" you've opened your listing up to every person in the UK instead of just your local area. This small addition could mean selling your furniture in a day instead of waiting weeks.

Clear photos from multiple angles are the single biggest factor in selling furniture quickly online

Payment for Online Furniture Sales

Facebook doesn't offer payment functionality in the UK so most buyers either offer to pay on collection or pay you by bank transfer before they arrange a courier. If the buyer is arranging their own courier, collect payment before the agreed collection date. Never let the furniture leave your house without receiving payment first.

eBay has an in-built payment system. The buyer pays you through eBay and the money gets held until they confirm receipt of the furniture. It's safer but eBay takes their share of the profits.

Gumtree works like Facebook Marketplace. There's no integrated payment system so you sort payment details directly with the buyer. Cash on collection is common for local sales. For courier collections, the safest approach is getting the buyer to transfer money ahead of the collection date.

The Price of Furniture Delivery After Selling Online

Furniture delivery prices will vary depending on the distance from you to the buyer, the size and weight of the furniture, and how time sensitive the sale is. Every delivery job is different and it's impossible to give an average quote here.

The easiest way to find out is by entering your collection and delivery postcodes into our quote tool and getting an instant price. From there you can either work that cost into your sale price or have the buyer arrange collection separately.

Regular sellers of furniture will know roughly what their deliveries cost before listing. This allows you to price smarter. A sofa listed at £250 with delivery included will sell quicker than a listing at £200 collection only. Including delivery widens your buyer pool and saves the buyer the headache of sorting it themselves.

Stop Listing Collection Only

Offering delivery is the biggest edge you can give yourself as an online furniture seller. It widens your potential buyer pool to the entire UK, creates more competition for your items, and results in better offers and faster sales.

You don't need access to a van, lifting equipment, or even need to leave your house. A furniture courier service like Porta Delivery will collect from your doorstep and deliver directly to the buyer.

List your furniture with delivery available and watch it sell quicker and for more money.