How To Sell And Ship Furniture Online

This is another installment of "What Sells and What Doesn't"  but this time with a twist!

I am so excited to have Sue from Uniquely Chic as my guest blogger today!  I have always wondered how people sell and ship furniture online.   I think it could be of use to so many people that don't have access to sell at an antique mall or market.

                                           Hi...I'm Sue from Uniquely Chic. 

Carol, my first blog follower, has asked me to add to her series of "What sells and what doesn't". Mine's a bit of a twist on the topic because I sell furniture and home decor in my Etsy shop, Uniquely Chic Furniture . I live in NJ and antique malls are pretty scarce here. The ones I have visited seem to bring no traffic at all. I envy those of you who sell in popular antique malls. I would love to have a small space to arrange my pieces in rather than a cluttered basement and garage.

However, selling on Etsy is great because it doesn't limit you to a specific geographic area. I ship everything and on occasion someone local will come by and pick up out of my lovely garage showroom. Honestly shipping is a bit of a drag...packing and lifting heavy boxes then hauling them down to the post office is the only part of being able to sell nationally I don't care for. Okay and dealing with untimely freight shippers is up there too. But, don't let that discourage you. Here are some tips on shipping I've learned over the last two years.

                                                                     LET"S TALK SHIPPING

You need to find a good box supplier and I'm not talking Staples or big box stores. They are ridiculously expensive. I'm extremely lucky. I have a box company about five minutes from me and over the last couple of years my box guys have become good friends. They are my friends with benefits :) I call them with dimensions of a piece and they tell me the size of the box best suited. They will even cut them down for me if necessary (You can find a box company in your town by goggling "Box company").  Every inch of box matters ladies because every inch means more money to ship. More money to ship can sometimes mean squashed sale. I also hoard boxes and packing material from the holidays. I use the box dimensions and run the numbers and zip code of the potential buyer through the USPS postage calculator which you can find on the USPS web site ((The combined length and girth cannot be more than 130"). This is how I get an accurate shipping quote. You'll also need the weight of what you're shipping (USPS maximum weight is 70#). I just guesstimate this. I ship standard post which used to be called parcel post because this is the least expensive way to go.  But, I've shipped nightstands and small tables this way so it's not terribly limiting. On a rare occasion when my size exceeds USPS then I'll use UPS but they are quite pricey so avoid them if you can.

  

The rocking chair, is a tough sell because it has to go UPS due to its size and UPS prices are ridiculous.

When I started shipping really large items like dressers, I used Uship.com. It's the Ebay of shipping. You list your shipment and independent shippers bid on delivering the piece. There's a small fee involved only if a bid is accepted which gets passed onto the buyer. I have been able to get some really good numbers this way. I don't use that site as much anymore. I now turn to the shippers I've met through uship for quotes first. I have several guys I use regularly and know what areas of the country they cover. The furthest I've ever freight shipped was a large dresser to Texas. The beauty of freight shipping is they handle wrapping your items. The downside, some are very unreliable.  Freight shipping cost depends on distance mainly. 

The dresser I shipped to TX cost 350.00 to ship, ouch, I know. I think if someone truly loves something though and they can afford it then they will buy it. I ship dressers to NYC for 150.00 and down to FL for about 250.00. Boston runs about 200.00. It's really about making calls and getting the best number. It takes time. Sometimes you'll get lucky and the shipper you call just so happens to be heading where your piece is going then they'll give you a low number because they're going that way anyway

                    

     WHAT SELLS ON ETSY

Painted mirrors and small pedestal tables move quick as do those metal ice cream parlor chairs. You know the ones that look all crappy upholstered in plastic. With a little spray paint and new fabric they clean up super nice. Gray dressers never hang around too long. Nightstands and small cabinets are big sellers too. Colors that are hot right now for furniture are gray, blues, turquoise, apple green and gray/blue. Vintage dressers with stained tops and painted bodies tend to go quickly. French Provincial and farmhouse style furniture are pretty hot too.

 THE SQUATTERS

Squatters are the ones that are not welcome because they've been taking up space for far too long. Pink dressers.... I'll do pink now only if it's a custom order. End tables, upholstered benches and desks tend to linger. Anything that is too big to ship USPS standard and doesn't make sense price wise to ship freight. Coffee tables and end tables fall into this category. Now I carry a small tape measure on my key chain when I go "shopping". If it exceeds the USPS maximum, I walk away. Loser colors...pink, baby blue, red. Fun colored dressers although I love them you're narrowing down the potential buyer. Save the fun and whimsical for custom orders.

HERE'S A COUPLE SQUATTERS

HERE IS A COUPLE DETAILS I WOULD LIKE TO ADD

Typically boxes for me run 3.00 per box. But keep in mind I deal with these guys weekly and they are friends now. Plus I bring them donuts, ha. I wrap legs in bubble wrap and cover tops and sides with bubble wrap as well. I try to make sure there is no wiggle room in the box. The tighter the fit the better off you are. Bubble wrap runs about 25.00 for a big roll. Buy this from your box supplier. It goes a long way. I don't use peanuts because they are messy. When I pick up foam for upholstering I buy scrap pieces on the cheap and will use that as well to create a tight fit in the box.

HERE IS AN EXAMPLE: THE TOTAL COST OF SHIPPING THIS ICE CREAM CHAIR

The pink Ice cream chair went to Virginia and cost 17.39 to ship. The box cost 3.00 and I used a small amount of bubble wrap on the legs and back of the chair. Roughly it cost 21.00 to ship including packing material.

Well, that's my two cents on Etsy selling. Thanks Carol for inviting me over!

Thank you Sue!!!  This was soooo GOOD! If you ever thought about selling furniture online, this should answer all of your questions!  Please visit Sue At Uniquely Chic

Happy Creating

Carol