Furniture is EXPENSIVE. I don’t know if anyone else has noticed that, haha, but it is so true. When Robin and I first got married I was 21 years old and suddenly I was faced with furnishing an entire 1 bedroom apartment. We were both students and neither of us made a lot of money. So I set out and got to work on Facebook Marketplace and yard sale pages.
Our mattress was a wedding gift from several of my relatives. We slept on that mattress on the floor for an entire year before we bought a bed frame and boxspring.
Our kitchen table and chairs, coffee table, and side table came from my apartment complex that was getting all new furniture. I claimed it from in front of the dumpster for free.
And I found a FREE couch on facebook marketplace that a friend helped us pick up.
And the list goes on till I could say I had spent ZERO dollars on furnishing our first apartment. So ever since I have been hooked. Slowly upgrading furniture as we move and make a little more money.
Facebook Marketplace
So lets say for example you’re looking for a couch. This is a large basic item that just about everybody needs. Here are a few tips to help you get the perfect couch for hundreds (or thousands) less than a brand new couch.
1. Always Negotiate
Always. I inflate the price of things I list because I expect people to negotiate and am pleasantly surprised when they don’t.
You can save an extra 10-20 bucks (or more) on top of all the saving you’re already getting. Just by simply asking. As a general rule I start by offering HALF of what they’re asking. Especially if the item has been listed for over a week. You can find out how long it has been listed by looking just below the price (Circled in pink below to demonstrate). Then go forward with the back and forth until both parties agree on a price.
2. Be Honest and Be Picky
What I mean by this is be honest with yourself about how much work you are willing to put into an item. For example, I refinished a dresser and nightstands that I bought off the marketplace. It took me several hours of work. I am not willing to put that amount of work into every item I buy.
Because I am not willing to do that much work every time I have to be picky about certain things. If there are a lot of scratches or stains but I’m not willing to put in the time to fix these issues then it doesn’t matter how good the deal is. I look for a certain quality of furniture to put into my house even though I am doing it for cheap.
3. Inspect Before You Buy
Lets say you have negotiated, you’ve agreed to meet up, you get there and you find out that “real wood” table is actually just cheap pressed wood that you can’t re-stain. Do you take it anyways? NO. The deal isn’t done until you’ve exchanged goods. You’re never going to meet these people again so make yourself happy and piss them off.
So make sure you take the time to actually look at the items and inspect them. Find the flaws now so that you know exactly what you’re buying. If its electronic think about testing it before you buy. Look for stains and rips and scratches etc. and be ok saying no.
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4. Jump on Good Deals
If you see a good deal. Like an item that is a great price and in good shape. Or free and in decent shape SNAG IT. Things go so quickly on here and if it really is a good deal then it won’t be around long enough for you to come back to it.
Part of this is knowing what good deals look like. You have to know if $40 for a coffee table in good shape is a good deal or not so that you can snag it. This knowledge simply comes by looking at what else is available and what it is selling for. So take note of this as you start looking through Facebook Marketplace. You’ll start to recognize what’s a fair deal vs a great deal.
5. Consider Total Cost
Have you ever tallied up the cost of a DIY project and then realized you could’ve just bought the dang thing for cheaper than all the supplies, time and effort? Well this is unlikely to happen on furniture; you can still end up spending more than you thought if you’re not careful.
We don’t own a truck or any vehicle that can fit larger items like couches or mattresses. So If we are ever buying something like that we either rent a truck ($20 for 75 minutes at home depot) or ask for help from family and friends and pay for the gas. That is still money being spent.
Same with refinishing an item, you have to include all the supplies into the final cost. So just make sure you’re taking that all into account when you’re looking at items and deciding where to put your coin.
6. Don’t be Afraid to Follow up
Go after what you want. Is there a good deal and the seller hasn’t messaged you back in 24 hours? Message them again.
See an item that is STILL up on facebook marketplace a week later? Message the seller again, they might be more willing to negotiate now.
See an issue on an item that wasn’t shown in pictures? Negotiate more on the spot. Point the issue out to the seller and tell her that changes things for you. You could shave a couple bucks off the price.
7. Think about Resale Value
When purchasing an item you also need to consider resale value. If you plan on using a couch for a long time then you know it is going to take a lot of wear and you won’t be able to resale it for as much, However if you are looking to use it for a short time and then resale it then it is important to make sure you can flip it for a similar price.
Sometimes you can even make a profit, people often price things very low for quick sale if they are moving or simply need it out of the way. If you have time to sit on an item for a few days or if you’ve made improvements to the item then you can very easily make money by reselling items
My favorite is free items because you can always make at least a little money off those items even if it is only like $10. It all adds up.
Making Money on Facebook Marketplace
It is possible to turn facebook marketplace into a side hustle if you really wanted to. I haven’t needed or wanted to take it that seriously but this is how I have furnished every apartment we’ve had. I have saved us well over a thousand dollars over the years and have even made a profit on most items we purchased and then re-sold.
We run a three bedroom Airbnb in Kansas City that I furnished for under $1500. Which if you’ve never used Airbnb before sign up and take $$ off your first stay! But our rental looks great! Just because you are being thrifty in furnishing your house does not mean it will look bad or worn down.
Happy Shopping! Share this post with someone you think needs to hear it and help them save money too. Be sure to check our my guide to decorating since you’re gonna be changing things up with all these savings!
Loved this post. I find I’m always the last to see the things I really want. I’ve gotten some great deals though!
Yes its so true you have to be one of the first to see and comment a lot of the time. But so worth it when you do get a good deal!