WordFamily is looking to sell our dining room table - WordWife wants to change the style. The table is “vintage” - likely late 1800’s or early 1900’s, solid mahogany in a classic, simple-yet-elegant Sheraton style. It is probably worth between $5,000 and $10,000 - like I said, pretty pricey. We bought it when we thought we might want to get more into antiques, but ended up not moving in that direction.
Any recommendations on how best to sell it online? We are of course considering non-online options, such as higher-end consignment stores that are close by, etc. But if we pursue an online option:
eBay vs. Craig’s List? Should we pursue one, the other or both - and more importantly - WHY?
based on your recommendation above, what tips do you have for listing the item? Ways to describe it? Terms of the auction/listing I need to include to cover myself?
I have sold things on eBay, including electric guitars I have sold for a couple of thousand dollars, so have some experience there. But I have never sold furniture, nor have I sold on (or hung out on) Craig’s List.
So please - any thoughts on how we should approach this?
Do your homework and look at how the “pros” do it. Nice pictures, but you already knew that.
For one thing, furniture isn’t easily shippable - so while your audience is theoretically unlimited, the number of folks who are willing to pick it up is not. So while it might be worth a nice chunk of change to the right person… Is it dis-assembly-able into a flat package or packages? Maybe focus in part how you will handle shipping. Sometimes Greyhound is a cost-effective method ver
We’re certainly checking them out - do you have experience with selling furniture online you can share that would help me understand why it is preferable? I mean, I know the basic differences, but consignment typically means giving up a significant commission, so I would like to understand why giving that up is still better than selling on line, if you follow…
Common Tater - there can be some disassembly, but ultimately it is still a big dining room table…
Huge benefits. No weird calls at all hours, no weird “lookie-loos” coming by, no rip-offs by bad checks, no burglars casing your house by using “looking at the table” as an excuse, no being asked to help load it, or deliver it, or cut the price by 50%, and etc etc.
Either consignment, garage sale or donate, depending on the value.
Online listing is difficult as the market is generally for inexpensive furniture. People looking at Craigslist are looking for an $100 table, not a $5000 one.
You might consider a traditional auction house.
Keep in mind that you may not get real “value” for it. There is more risk in buying from an individual. If the item turns out to be damaged or misadvertised, there is a lot more hassle trying to deal with an individual on a cash sale than a furniture store. Accordingly, you will get less of its value most of the time.
To me, the shipping problem is almost too much for eBay. Craigslist, being local, is apt to be a better bet, but as somebody said, unlikely to sell a high priced piece. OTOH, as it is free, what have you got to lose? You don’t have to post your phone number, you can use an anonymous email address, and it’s easy to screen out the scams first. You can attach up to four photos.
I advertised a set of large and heavy speakers on Craigslist because I did not want to bother packing and shipping, and got an offer from somebody in a city far away who sent me the boxes with packing, so no sweat. You might get somebody willing to drive some distance to pick it up.
It also might be worth advertising in your local paper for a week or so, as classified ads are not that expensive.
You could check with local pathologists…it might make a good autopsy table.
I’d go ebay. Go to a couple of freight shipping companies and get estimates. Have them include the cost of packing up the table. Make sure you plainly state what the cost of shipping is in your ebay ad. Yeah, you’ll probably lose the cost of shipping in your total as buyers take it into account when bidding, but you’ll reach the widest cross-section of interested buyers.
I bought a Heywood-Wakefield loveseat off ebay. Shipping was $120 but it was a rare piece that would be difficult to find locally.
I’d tend to agree that a person who shops for a $5000-$10,000 vintage dining room set is not someone who shops on-line to find it.
If they are they are going to be the person that knows it’s worth $5-$10K but want to buy it from you for $500.
I’d also consider an antique dealer or antique auction. Anyone purchasing such an expensive piece of furniture is going to want to look it over in detail before purchasing it, so I can’t see how you can get a good price online.
Just did quick google and ebay searches, and didn’t see anything resembling a sheraton dining table - or just about any other dining tables, in the $5-10K range. I fear yours might be a tough on-line sale.
sigh - thanks, unfortunately, for all of your great advice - I was hoping we could streamline this sale, but I am hearing we must figure out the best, old-fashioned way to sell it.
