How To Buy Second Hand Furniture Online For Upcycling Projects
So, you want to put your own stamp on your home with furniture that truly tells a story and doesn’t look like a carbon copy of everything else out there. Why not try upcycling?This involves getting inventive with your second hand furniture ideas and giving a new purpose to pieces that would have otherwise been discarded. It’s your chance to unleash your creativity, save some money and do good by the environment – what’s not to love? 🎨
You can score some of the best second hand furniture online on sites like eBay, Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace, as well as gems hidden away in local charity shops. Another option is Narchie, a social homeware marketplace helping interiors lovers buy and sell furniture all within one app. With plenty of knowledge to share, we sat down with Narchie's founder, Harriet Pringle, to take note of expert advice, plus tricks n' tips for sourcing second hand furniture on a budget ✍
There are plenty of factors to consider before caving on second hand furniture, such as how much legwork is needed to restore the piece and whether it will fit in with your home’s interior design style. With Harriet's help, we'll giving you a complete guide about how to find second hand furniture that will soon become the talking point of your home 🏠What Is Upcycling?
One of the best ways to explain upcycling is through the phrase, ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’. Upcycling furniture is all about taking something old and creating something new. This reduces the need to make new pieces and keeps furniture out of landfill. It’s important to remember that while the furniture may be ‘old’ or second hand, that doesn’t mean it’s second best.
Are you short on time or feeling overwhelmed? Luckily, you don't need to dedicate your blood, sweat and tears to upcycle a piece of second hand furniture 😌Harriet tells us, "I'm a great believer that upcycling doesn't mean you have to spend hours completely reinventing an item, sometimes small changes can make a huge difference to how an item looks. If your chest of drawers or cupboard is feeling a little dated, instead of replacing it, swapping the drawer handles is enough to make an old item feel brand new."
Let’s not forget the money you’ll save by upcycling, in comparison to buying new furniture from big name brands. You’ll also get the satisfaction of a job well done and who knows? You may get the upcycling bug and swear by second hand for all future home projects 💪
For tips for upcycling second hand furniture and step-by-step guides on exactly how to upcycle old furniture, we’ve got all bases covered on our blog.
How To Choose The Best Furniture To Upcycle
A clear vision 💭
So, where do you start with sourcing furniture to upcycle? We’d encourage you to consider your overall vision for your home and how these pieces would fit in with your style and aesthetic. Are you after a set of bedside tables, or a new office chair? Is your home modern and industrial? Are you trying to create a cosy farmhouse feel? ✅When hunting for upcycled furniture ideas, you can’t go wrong with looking at your existing furniture, nailing down a colour scheme and creating your own moodboard. If you need any inspiration, check out these moodboards of interior trends put together by industry professionals 🙌 Don't limit yourself by only considering the exact piece you're after. You can always repurpose furniture into something that'd better suit your needs. For instance, old ladders are great makeshift shelves for books, candles and plants leaf🌿Now you’ve solidified the vision for your home and what you’re roughly after, it’s time to think practicality before you get stuck into shopping for second hand furniture.Assessing furniture 🔍
When you've caved on a second hand find, there's nothing worse than realising it's beyond repair, or just isn't practical for your space. Harriet shares five top tips for assessing second hand furniture and homeware, to prevent any mishaps later along the line."Remember to always measure the item, as well as the space at home. There's nothing worse than falling in love with something that simply won't fit.Check the piece carefully for any signs of irreparable damage, whether that's rotting wood, water damage, burn marks or woodworm, as this structural damage is difficult, expensive, and usually not worthwhile to fix. If buying online, ask for lots of pictures to check the condition of the item.When buying vintage lighting it's always worth asking if it has been PAT tested or needs rewiring as this can be an additional cost.Shop with an open mind and ignore minor imperfections. Focus on the overall construction and craftsmanship of the item, rather than the small blemishes or scuff marks like shallow scratches or chipped paint, as these can easily be fixed.Be imaginative when you're buying second hand sofas or chairs. If the fabric seems outdated or doesn't suit your aesthetic, but you love the shape, remember you can always have an item reupholstered. Although this can be costly to get done professionally, you'll be able to create a piece that is completely bespoke to you. Plus it's usually cheaper than buying new.”
Where To Buy Second Hand Furniture Online
No longer are you restricted to only hunting for second hand furniture at antiques fairs or car boot sales at the crack of dawn 🙅♂️ There are now a wide range of online marketplaces, such as Narchie, Etsy, Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace, where you can search through thousands of inspirational pieces.One way you can spruce up your upcycled creations is with the addition of our newest hardware products. Made from a lightweight Aluminium, our BRUNO Handle and matching knob is a planet-friendly option that's bound to add a cool, considered touch to your vintage dresser. Or, if you prefer something with more of a twist, go for Harriet's favourite – SCOTT 🌟“I love the SCOTT Swirled Handles in antique brass, I think they would be the perfect addition to elevate built-in cupboard doors in a bedroom or kitchen. They'd look really chic and would work well with painted or natural wood,” says Harriet.
1. Narchie
Narchie is the social homeware marketplace app, where a new generation of decor enthusiasts can buy, sell and connect. The app makes discovering unique pieces for the home sustainable, inspiring and easy. You can shop from thousands of the best independent brands, artists, makers and resellers all in one place 📱
Simply download the app, make an account and before you know it, you'll be browsing everything from timeless tableware to sturdy furniture. Make the most of this social platform by messaging sellers to help clarify the condition and dimensions of an item. This way, you can shop with confidence. Hit 'save' on a listing if you'd prefer to shop later, or send the seller an offer if you're a little tighter on budget 💰
With plenty of bargains to sift through, Harriet tells us how she'd spend her first £50 in-app.“For just £50, I’d invest in a really great lamp, probably a timeless mid-century design. Lamps are a great thing to buy second hand, as they are often better quality and much more affordable compared to most homeware. Considered lighting can really transform a space,” explains Harriet.
Browse Narchie to shop unique pieces, all oozing with personality 🙌
2. Etsy
With a focus on all things handmade and vintage cool, Etsy is a treasure trove for finding unique and creative goods. While the platform may be recognised for smaller craft products, you can find plenty of bulkier pieces too, including upcycled furniture like sideboards and cocktail cabinets, as well as charming upholstered chairs. Here are our top tips when buying second hand furniture on Etsy:Put the style of the piece before its name in the search bar, e.g. farmhouse kitchen table, mid-century rug, vintage coffee table.Look through the seller’s store and only buy from someone who has at least 20 reviews. You’ll want to buy from someone who has sold many pieces, so they know how to ship furniture, and has plenty of happy customers in their corner.A lot of the sellers on Etsy are creative entrepreneurs, rather than homeowners looking to quickly flog their old furniture. It’s likely they’ll have put considerable work into the pieces they’re selling, so you can expect them to be a bit more expensive than the more basic furniture you may find on Facebook Marketplace or in a charity shop. But – we can guarantee it’ll be worth it once you’ve found the one that helps your home achieve its own special style 🥰🏠
3. eBay
Since launching back in the mid ‘90s, eBay has been the go-to site for millions of shoppers looking to buy everything from clothing to furniture and electronics online. If you’re looking for a specific item of second hand furniture, you can turn on alerts so you’ll get notified when a seller uploads something that fits your description 👍 If you’re new to the world of eBay and have never experienced the nail-biting tension of a bidding war, we suggest using the ‘buy it now’ function instead of ‘auction’. When it comes to delivery costs, remember to set the filters to items that are located close to where you live.4. Facebook Marketplace
As the name suggests, Facebook Marketplace is where you can discover, buy or sell items in your area or further afield. One minute you’ll see someone selling their child’s old bed frame and the next you’ll see *that* sold-out rug you’ve coveted for more months than you’d care to admit. Since Facebook Marketplace has countless active users at all hours of the day, items are sold at lightning speed. Many sellers can be moving house or just eager to have a good old clear out. Either way, we’d advise you to get in on the action and jump if you see something you like.
What’s great about this platform is that it’s not totally anonymous like other websites. You can see the buyer’s name and photo, and also message them to ask questions about the item or arrange a collection. Since everything can be done through Messenger, you don’t need to disclose your email or home address either.5. Gumtree
Another website where you can find second hand furniture locally is Gumtree. All you have to do is type in the item you’re looking for, add your postcode or location and a list will appear with everything available. Like with any purchase you make from an online marketplace, you’ll want to make sure the seller’s legit. On the right side of the page on any furniture for sale listing, you can find out:How long the seller has been on GumtreeTheir ratings from customersHow quickly they respond to queries (their response rate)
Something else to bear in mind is that you’ll find a number of sponsored links and ads to products from big name brands at the top of the page. Unless you want to fork out regular high street prices, keep scrolling to discover pre-loved items from sellers in your local area.
Katie (@therowe) mid-century cabinet from Gumtree is revamped with our WATT Handles.
6. Preloved
If you’re in the market for some second hand gems, Preloved is the site to visit. The trusted buying and selling platform that’s been around since the late ‘90s and now has over 10 million members. From shabby chic and antiques to nearly-new, modern pieces, you can browse through over 50,000 furniture listings in a variety of styles and finishes. The site even has a section called Freeloved where, you guessed it, people are giving away their preloved furniture for free! Similar to the other sites we’ve mentioned, Preloved lets you communicate directly with the seller and organise collection or delivery. One of our main pieces of advice is to buy from someone with a Yoti verified account. This means that Preloved have confirmed that the seller’s membership account details match their ID documents – so you know the seller is legit.You can also request that the seller enables Trustap, a transaction platform that acts as a safety net for people who want to buy or sell items online. When you make a purchase using Trustap on Preloved, your money goes into the Trustap Hold, rather than to the seller, and stays there until you receive your item. This gives you peace of mind that you can shop safely when dealing with complete strangers.7. Chairish
Chairish is one of the most well-known online retailers home to vintage, one-of-a-kind furnishings, decor and art ✨ On its ‘curated marketplace’, you can discover a unique and sharply edited inventory of creations from over 12,000 small businesses, practising artists and makers. Of course, this high-end offering comes with slightly steeper price tags, but don’t let that put you off. If you’re forever browsing Pinterest and creating new boards, Chairish has a similar function we think you’ll love. When you see an item on the site you like, click the heart icon and organise it into a folder. To see all your folders in one place, just click ‘My Favourites’ from the dropdown on the upper right side by your name. Another cool feature is the Chairish app, which lets you ‘try out’ the furniture and see it in your space before you commit to buying it.Or, Bag A Bargain IRL At A Charity Shop
If you’re yet to rummage around your local charity shop for pre-loved furniture, you’re missing a trick. Charity shops such as the British Heart Foundation, Oxfam and Revive are the holy grail of high quality pieces at lovely low prices. What beats that though is knowing your money is going towards worthwhile causes ❤️While the turnover in physical charity shops isn’t as high as it is for online retailers, we’d recommend you get in there fast if you have your heart set on a particular item (if you don’t buy it, someone else definitely will). Whether you’re planning on making more regular visits to your local charity shops or want to block out a weekend, be sure to bring along a pen and paper, a measuring tape and hand sanitizer or wipes.
Shopping in-person rather than online gives you the chance to take a proper look at second hand furniture. By that, we mean you can get up close and look underneath for any stains, mould or signs of water damage that you may have missed if you were shopping online 💻See our post on how to recycle brass door knobs and upcycle a cocktail cabinet.Of course, we can’t forget checking in with friends, family or colleagues to see if they’re thinking of discarding any old pieces of furniture! Ideal if you’re a first-time buyer, it’s one of those situations where if you don’t ask, you don’t get 🤷
Once your new masterpiece is grid-ready, don’t forget to tag us on Instagram using @plankhardware and #PlankProjects so we can eye up the end result 🙌
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