Our Top Tips For Shopping Thrifted Furniture

Why buy new when pre-loved is cheaper – and just as nice? Here are our best tips for shopping thrifted furniture

By Diane Small

It’s long been a trend in clothing. I mean, there’s nothing I love more than heading to my local Salvation Army and looking for wearable treasures. I’ve found Miu Miu bags, Ralph Lauren sweaters and a gorgeous Filo jacket for what you’d normally pay in taxes on such items.

But did you know these same shops often offer thrifted furniture, too?

Admittedly, the selection is far less than what you’d find online, obviously. Or even in a department store. But if you follow our tips of shopping for thrifted furniture, you’re bound to bag a bargain!

Image below: COVET HOUSE

How To Shop For Thrifted Furnishings

1. First, Know Where To Look

As mentioned above, thrift stores like the Salvation Army, Oxfam or Goodwill are great places to start. Ask the staff to call you if they ever get exactly what you’re looking for – say, a wood desk, or cream sofa.

But garage sales are a great place to find thrifted furniture. You can see where your local ones are being held on Facebook, or on supermarket bulletin boards. Just be sure to visit early if you want the best items. And always bring cash—the smaller the bills, the better!

One step up from garage sales are estate sales. You’re more likely to find furnishings that are antique, in excellent condition, or even close to new. You aren’t likely to find news of these posted on social media, but you can learn a lot from sites like estatesales.net and garagesalefinder.com, for example.

Other places to look for used furniture sales include:

eBay
FreeCycle (for free items!)

2. Ask The Right Questions

If you’re about to buy something on say, eBay, you should ask:

Does this piece come from a smoke and pet free home
Are there any stains or signs of damage?
Did this piece ever have bedbugs?

What are its exact measurements?
Do you have any additional photos?

That way, you’ll avoid wasting your time and any disappointment.

3. Be Creative

Looking for a white dresser, but only finding wood ones? Want a blonde wood dresser but only finding walnut hued ones? Got your heart set on short linen curtains, but only finding long drapes? Get creative! You can always repaint or revarnish furniture to suit your colour scheme. Items like sofas and chairs can be re-upholstered in the fabric you love. And curtains can be cut to size, for example.

Not too handy? It’s probably worth paying someone who is to fix up your thrifted furniture. That way, it becomes ‘bespoke’!

4. Get Notified

The internet is a powerful tool for thrifting—as if we needed more reasons to be on our phones! Sigh. The trick is to pick two to three platforms (some listed below) so as not to get overwhelmed and then to scour them a few times a day. I do a quick scroll at the beginning or end of work, then sometimes at night during commercial breaks of my favorite shows.

Notifications I have set on OfferUp

So that you’re not glued to your phone though, many platforms have a notification feature to give you first dibs on the next best treasure. You can set your search (down to location radius) for a specific brand or style.

For example, I was recently on the hunt for matching lounge chairs. I bookmarked a few search terms using OfferUp’s notification feature (e.g., “mid-century lounge chairs”, “leather side chairs”, “matching chairs”, “vintage accent chairs”), and I set a search radius of 40 miles—the farthest I was willing to drive for the right chairs. OfferUp then pinged me every time a new listing with my search terms went live. A win-win!

5. Know What You’re Talking About

There’s a whole culture around shopping thrifted furniture. And as a result, there’s a whole language around it. So, one of our top tips for shopping thrifted furniture is to learn the lingo.

For example, did you know what these acronyms mean? You’ll see these a lot on sites like eBay:

Firm / Price Firm = don’t even try to negotiate the price
EUC = excellent used condition. Yes! Win!
OBO = or best offer. Feel free to negotiate

MCM = mid century modern. Always stylish! Just be sure it’s the real deal. Ask to see verification certificates if possible. If not, try to talk the price down. rare find.

6. Be Careful

I don’t want to sound paranoid, but you should exercise a bit of caution when shopping for thrifted furniture. After all, there are a lot of creeps out there. and if someone is advertising a MCM dining set for say, $800, someone knows you’ll be coming to their home with that kind of cash.

So be careful. Bring a friend – or two – if you can.

Also, never share your bank details over the phone, and don’t send money over the internet. Unless it’s a trusted site like 1stdibs.com or eBay, of course. Paying with Paypal or Venmo is a great idea, as they come with some degree of buyer protection.

And remember: you don’t have to buy it if you don’t want it. If it’s not what you expected, just say ‘no thanks’!

7. Clean What You Buy

After you’ve shopped for thrifted furniture, you need to clean up your new treasure. Give whatever you’ve purchased a good wipe, or even better, if appropriate, a steam.

You can always take rugs and other textiles to a dry cleaner. But for bigger items, here are tips on how to clean upholstery, and some recipes for homemade nontoxic furniture cleaners.

Do you have any tips for how to shop for thrifted furniture and decor? Let us know in the comments, below!

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Diane Small

A University of Texas journalism graduate and serious chocolate enthusiast, Diane was a sub-editor at the Houston Chronicle before falling pregnant. Today, she is the proud mom of two kids under the age of three, and freelances for Eluxe in between nappy changes and feedings.