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If you have an interest or would like to learn more about how to restore and then flip furniture, this article is for you.
I interview Sara Pokas, a seasoned furniture flipper who turned her hobby into a nice profitable side hustle.
Hopefully, her insight will inspire you to get started as a furniture flipper.
Somewhere in Sara’s mid-twenties she decided that in order to live the lifestyle she wanted in a city that is outrageously overpriced, she needed to find a hobby that healed her soul after the 9-5 grind.
Trying to find a niche that she enjoyed enough to follow through on was easy — she loved decor, furniture design, and DIY projects.
So, she dove into something she was good at and knew had the potential for a big pay off, — flipping furniture for profit.
When she started out, she walked into an estate sale armed with $150 dollars cash in her wallet — and ended up with an $800 profit a week later from only two pieces. She was hooked.
I am willing to bet you’re already on board with the idea of making hundreds, even thousands of dollars a week that doesn’t involve a cubicle or coworkers — so the question is, where do you begin?
So let’s get into it.
You’re sure to find some actionable advice for getting started in the furniture flipping business.
How to flip furniture
Where do you find the pieces you work on, and how do you know they’re worth the effort?
This one is easy — just start looking. Internet marketplaces like Facebook, Offerup, Craigslist, and local garage sale groups are literally overflowing with profit potential these days.
My best kept secret? The free section of Craigslist. You’d be shocked what people are willing to toss away for nothing.
If you’d prefer to get your hands dirty and hit the pavement — dig around the back of your favorite thrift shop, antique store, estate sale or salvage yard. Tap into your best negotiating skills, and take home your haul.
When I’m hunting for a new project, it’s important that I know my piece will turn a profit. Otherwise, it’s simply not worth the investment.
Over the years, I have learned what to look for, how to tell if a piece is authentic, and how to spot something special from across the room.
While you navigate through that learning curve — Google is your best friend. You can actually snap a photo and do an image search on-site which will assist you in establishing possible value.
So what happens if you can’t find any comparables? Take your time — inspect, ask questions, and go with your gut.
Does that gorgeous dresser have dovetail drawers? Original hardware? Is it solid wood and not veneer? Take it.
Is that upholstery original and in good condition? Are the lines interesting? Load that bad boy up.
I trust my eye much of the time, and in the beginning, you take chances on pieces you love and hope that others will too.
What do you look for and why?
This question is loaded — and the answers will be unique to every flipper. For me? I love mid-century design, clean lines, and anything walnut.
Just a few weeks back I was scanning a thrift store and spotted a dusty highboy dresser in the back corner. It had a sticker price of $70, but I knew immediately it was special.
Upon further inspection, I discovered it was an original piece of a Bassett set produced in 1962, and it was extremely rare. [Hint: you’ll almost always find brand stamps on the inside of the top drawer].
I spent the next 30 minutes scouring the internet and found out my new friend was worth more than $1000. I bought it, loaded it, and hauled it home that day.
One of my most interesting finds — a set of matching mid century end tables that housed record storage and a working turntable/radio combination. I pulled them out of someone’s basement after a Craigslist search led my friend and I on an hour drive to the middle of nowhere. I snagged them for $35. They just needed a new coat of stain and a good dusting. Their worth? $595.
What makes this business so lucrative, is that every person in it has their own niche. We have a style all our own, and that keeps the furniture flipping business alive.
What’s your process, and how do you make sure the job is done right?
This is so important. Taking your time to ensure you have properly refinished a piece is critical to bringing in the big bucks.
If you don’t know what you’re doing in the beginning, get help — YouTube and Google are your friends. Also — and I cannot stress this enough — ASK for help when purchasing materials.
I cannot tell you how many times I’ve walked into a hardware store with questions about stain, paint, or wood filler — and had an extremely knowledgeable employee walk me through what I need.
So what are my pro tips for supply shopping?
* Take some photos of your piece. If you have specific questions or concerns, having a visual for the handy experts at Lowes will go a long way in helping you get the supplies you need.
* Decide which direction you’re going with your flip. Will you completely alter the style? Is it just a rehab? Does it have significant damage that needs proper repair?
* Keep your budget in mind when shopping for supplies. If you’re going to be working on a lot of pieces in the future — it’s smart to buy some of your supplies in bulk (ie: brushes, drop clothes, gloves, sandpaper, etc.)
Over time you’ll become an experienced flipper — and you will need to ask fewer questions. But, until then — do. If you’re truly interested in flipping furniture for profit, your time will be one of your most valuable investments.
Once I’m home with my haul of supplies, I set up my workspace, organize all of my tools, and dive in.
In the beginning, I would blow through projects really quickly. I thought I was super efficient, and I’d be making the big bucks in no time. What I learned was that I wasn’t doing my best work. I was doing a disservice to the beautiful antique I had painstakingly sought out and brought home.
If you don’t do the work properly — you will pay for it in the end.
In my experience, quality buyers want quality pieces. If you’re selling high-end antiques that just needed a little rehab — you have got to remember that the age and beauty of the piece are what your customers are paying for. If you wreck that with a sloppy stain job — your profits will reflect it.
My biggest piece of advice to anyone jumping into the furniture flipping business is, take your time.
What platform do you sell on and when is the best time to list?
I sell on almost every platform you can think of — from Craigslist to Marketplace, eBay to Chairish and Apartment Therapy. If you find a particularly valuable antique — I’d venture towards the latter.
However, it is important to note that sometimes sales take hours, and sometimes they take months or even years on big-ticket items.
Pay attention to garage sale season. At the same time people are selling, they’re also buying – especially in major cities or small towns where garage sales are fewer and further between. Everything is online.
[Hint: If selling on a major platform such as Chairish — read all of the fine print. Websites like this charge a fee and take a cut of the profit.]Do you have any tips for listing and getting noticed?
In my professional opinion, the key to selling something online is a professional photo. No, you don’t need to have a fancy camera to capture clean, well-lit images for your listing. My recommendations:
* Photograph your piece in natural light with nothing in the background.
* Get shots from multiple angles. If your item has drawers or cupboards — open them.
* Focus on close-ups of the fine details — original hardware, wood grain, etc.
For those of you that don’t have a naturally lit, bright space to photograph in your home — I suggest an easy to use editing app, such as Adobe Lightroom. They recently released an easy version for your phone that will reduce shadows, harsh yellow lighting, and really make your photo pop for your ad.
Be sure to use keywords in the title of your listing, like ‘Mid Century Dresser’, instead of ‘Dresser’. This will attract buyers who are specifically looking for something like your item.
Finally — keep your description simple, but comprehensive. Buyers are going to need measurements, details on the items condition, etc.
When wording your listing, include as much about the item as you can (ie: year, brand, collection – if you have them).
Here’s an example from a recent listing of mine:
1962 Bassett Furniture Mid Century Highboy – Outlook Collection.
Solid walnut. All of the drawers work beautifully.
This piece is solid, sturdy, and gorgeous.
36.25” W x 19” D x 45” H
Smoke-free, pet free home.
Don’t forget you can add tags to your listing to draw in buyers.
Using keywords in the body of your listing helps keep your title clean and simple, but will still attract those who might be interested in what you’re selling. For the above listing — I used keywords such as: dresser, vintage, mid-century modern, walnut, highboy.
How long will it take for me to see profits? Is this really lucrative?
I sold my first piece within a week of bringing it home. Like I said earlier, I was hooked.
Just last year alone I brought in roughly $23,000 in extra income by flipping furniture. This is not my full-time job, so to me — this is a major win, and basically feeds my travel bug and savings account.
Depending on the market where you are — you may sell faster or slower than others.
If your work is quality, and your prices are fair, this will be a profitable venture for you.
If a piece isn’t selling — your price point might be too high. Re-evaluate your listing, do the math, and adjust accordingly. Have I ever sat on a piece for more than a few months? Yes. To be honest, I have only seen this happen when I managed to snag a truly unique piece that needs the right buyer.
Flipping furniture for profit is not for the impatient. I do my best to keep my investments on the low end, so you don’t feel a loss if you need to wait out the market.
Final thoughts?
Every new undertaking has a learning curve. Whether you’re in it for a little bit of extra pocket money, you’re trying to build up your savings, or maybe you’re just really intrigued by the hunt — there is something for every mindset in the flipping business.
I occasionally find a piece I love so much, I keep it.
Sometimes, the search is the best part of the project. Follow these basic principles and you can’t go wrong:
Set an investment budget, and understand profit margins.
Be smart. Invest in pieces that have potential.
Do your research. Take your time. Have fun. Flip.