How to sell furniture on Facebook Marketplace before a move
Sell furniture on Facebook Marketplace before you move, with listings that sell, prices that work, safe pickups and the scams sellers see most.
The BoxTrack team · · 6 min read
The new apartment was 300 square feet smaller. The sectional, the second bookcase, the dining table that seats eight and the treadmill weren't coming. Three weeks before the movers, all of it was still in the living room, and every quote was priced by weight.
Selling what you won't take is the one part of a move that pays you back. Facebook Marketplace is where a lot of local furniture changes hands, but a listing posted the week before the truck comes rarely sells in time. Here's how to do it in an order that works.
Decide what goes, early
Walk through the house with the new floor plan in hand. Anything that won't fit, won't suit the new place, or would cost more to move than to replace goes on a list. Our guide to downsizing before a move covers how to decide.
Start listing four to six weeks out. Big pieces can take a while to find the right buyer, and you'll want time to drop the price once or twice. Leave the things you'll use until the end, like the bed and the kitchen table, for the last week, and say so in the listing: "Available for pickup after the 14th."
Check it can be sold
Some things can't legally be resold, and Marketplace bans others.
- Recalls. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says it's illegal to sell a recalled product, and that includes a private seller listing something online. Search the item at cpsc.gov/recalls before you list it. If the recall fix has been made, CPSC says you can sell it and should say so in the listing.
- Cribs. Under federal crib rules in effect since June 28, 2011, CPSC says drop-side cribs can't be resold, and that most cribs made before that date shouldn't be resold or given away either, unless you have proof they meet the current standard.
- Marketplace's own rules. Meta's restricted goods policy bars recalled products, prescription and over-the-counter medicine and a list of other items. Its commerce policies also restrict medical devices and animals.
| List it | Check first | Leave it off | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Couch, table, dresser, bookcase | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Anything with a recall notice, fix not made | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Crib, high chair, stroller, car seat | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Drop-side crib | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Medicine, medical devices | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Photos that sell it
Buyers scroll fast, and the first photo decides whether they tap. Clear the clutter around the piece, open the curtains, and shoot it straight on at about waist height. Then add:
- Each side and the back
- Close-ups of the label or maker's mark, if there is one
- Any damage, plainly shown
- Something for scale, like a person standing next to a bookcase
Showing the scratch up front saves a wasted trip. A buyer who drives 40 minutes and finds a flaw you didn't mention will either walk away or haggle on your doorstep.
Write the listing like a buyer would search
Put the brand and the plain name in the title: "West Elm mid-century dresser, 6 drawers" finds more people than "Beautiful dresser!!" In the description, give the measurements (width, depth, height), what it's made of, its age, any damage, whether it comes apart, and the pickup terms.
Pickup terms matter most for big pieces. Be specific:
- Which floor it's on, and whether there's an elevator
- Whether the buyer needs to bring help and a truck
- Whether it's been taken apart or will be
Price it to leave before the truck does
Search Marketplace for the same item, or close to it, in your area and see what similar pieces are listed for. Listed isn't sold, so price a little under the middle if you need it gone. Our free garage sale pricing guide gives starting points for common household things.
Set a price you'll drop to in the last week, and a date you'll stop selling and donate instead. A dresser that's still in the hall on moving day costs you either a charity pickup or a spot on the truck you were trying to avoid.
Safe pickups
For furniture, the buyer usually comes to you. Facebook's shopping safety help suggests settling the time, address and where the item will be ahead of time, and telling a friend or family member about the meetup. A few more habits help:
- Move the piece to the garage, porch or entryway first, so the buyer doesn't walk through the house.
- Have someone home with you.
- For small items, meet somewhere public, like a busy parking lot.
- Wipe phones, laptops and anything else with your data before you hand them over.
The scams sellers see
The FTC's alert on selling stuff online lists the ones to watch for:
- Fake payments. A "buyer" insists on a payment app, then sends a fake notice that the money went through, or says they overpaid and wants the difference back.
- Overpayment by check. A check arrives for more than the price, with a request to send back the rest. The FTC warns a check can show up in your account and still be fake, and the bank will take the money back when it bounces.
- Verification codes. Someone asks you to read back a code sent to your phone to "prove you're real." The FTC says it can be used to set up a Google Voice number in your name. Never share it.
Cash at pickup, counted before the piece leaves, avoids all three. Report a scam at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Selling furniture before a move
- Six weeks outDecide what goes; check recalls and crib rules
- Five weeks outPhotograph and list the big pieces
- Three weeks outDrop prices on what hasn't moved; list the smaller things
- Last weekList the bed and table for pickup after the move-out date
- Two days outDonate or arrange pickup for what's left
List it all from one inventory
If you're already listing what's in each box for the move, the things you're selling are on that list too.
BoxTrack keeps both. Snap a photo of each thing, and AI lists it with what it's worth used. Tag something Sell and BoxTrack writes the Marketplace listing from what it knows: the name, a price and a description. On a phone it saves the photo and opens a new Marketplace listing with the words ready to paste. On a computer, the free BoxTrack add-on for Chrome and Edge fills in Marketplace's listing form for up to 10 items at once, photos included. You check each listing and tap Publish yourself. Everything you don't sell stays on your moving list. See how BoxTrack works for a move. Your first box is free.
Sources
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Stopping the online sale of recalled products
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Resellers guide to selling safer products
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, A safer generation of cribs
- Federal Trade Commission, Selling stuff online? Here's how to avoid a scam
- Federal Trade Commission, What's a verification code and why would someone ask me for it?
- Facebook Help Center, Shopping safety
- Facebook Help Center, Sell something on Facebook Marketplace
- Meta Transparency Center, Restricted goods and services
This is general information, not legal advice. Product safety rules and Marketplace policies change, so check the CPSC recall list and Meta's current policies before you list something you're unsure about.
