Moving into a new place and want to give it that Scandinavian vibe with some simple but functional furniture pieces? Or thinking of finally getting started on that long-overdue home design update that youâve been putting off for years?
Of course, a huge part of what gives your home that âlookâ is hand-picked furniture pieces. If youâre like me, you may have spent hours and hours pinning posts on Pinterest under âMy Dream Homeâ or âHome Design Inspiration,â or browsing through IKEAâs catalogs and just oohing and aahing at all those trendy and room seating.
But when you look at the price tag of that marshmallow-soft Norsborg two-seater or that lovely Kivik sofa that you want to just plop into after a long, tiring dayâoh, the heartbreak! It costs more than youâre willing to spend plus the nightmare of assembling every new piece – that’s hours of additional work for something you already paid full price for.
But donât fret just yet! There are other ways you can make your home look like a secluded sanctuary straight out of Central Park South â without breaking the bank. Read on to find out where and how you can hunt for the furniture of your dreams for less â or even for free!
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1. Look For Great Deals Online
Are you a member of an online community or forum? If yes, check if there are sections where member can swap, trade, or sell itemsâor maybe even give away and get stuff for free.
Online coupon sites, gift cards, online communities offering free stuffâthe Internet is awash with ways to get your furniture for free or at a discounted price. Here are just some of them:
Browse Listings on Craigslist
From an email distribution list to friends started by a lonely San Francisco newbie, Craigslist has grown into a massive online classifieds site reaching over 700 cities and 70 countries. The âFor Saleâ section features a dizzying array of ads for furniture items from all over the United States.
Fancy furniture items that come with an interesting (and sort of sad) back story? Check out this âMoving On is Hard To Do Saleâ ad, featured in Best-of-Craigslist (and is still up as of our last check).
A cool feature under Craigslistâs âfor saleâ section is the bartering tool, which allows you to offer your gently used items in exchange for another owner’s unwanted stuff.
Planning to do some serious furniture-diving on Craigslist? Here are a few tips to maximize your time:
- Use quotation marks when you want to search for an exact phrase. For example, searching for âvintage armoireâ will lead you to results containing that exact same phrase. Otherwise, I would recommend using broad keywords like “baby car seat.”
- Use a vertical bar as a stand-in for âorâ when youâre searching for keywords. For example, you can type âNordic | Scandinavianâ to help broaden your search.
- Craigslist will disguise both you and the sellers’ email using a relay system. It’s fair game to ask if the item is available first before asking (if the owner replies) if they’re flexible about the price. Most craigslist users are flexible unless stated otherwise on the listing.
- Craiglist listings last for 7 days so get the deal sealed in 7 days or you will lose the information on the listing. Remember to screenshot the listing just in case if it’s a larger or pricier purchase and you need proof of condition described.
- Look at the item details by cross-checking on Amazon or other review websites. Sometimes it’s just a bad quality product and you should go with another brand even if it’s cheap on Craigslist.
- If the item is free, time matters since it’s usually first come first serve so email the owner and get the location to pick up.
Search eBay Local Listings
Browse local eBay listings and take advantage of their alert settings. This is a feature that Craigslist does not have. If you are on the market for something and are willing to wait, eBay would be a valuable asset in your search.
More experienced bargain hunters prefer to shop for vintage items, wooden furniture on eBay. Although the prices are higher (because of exchange and payment fees), the quality of furniture items on eBay tend to be on the higher end too, so youâre sure to get your moneyâs worth.
Shop From Home on Wayfair
When Wayfair says they have âa zillion things home,â they are not kidding. This online store has a home item for every style and budget. Aside from their Daily Deals section, donât forget to check out their clearance items for even greater bargain deals.
- Take the Wayfair reviews very seriously. Every time I’ve shopped at Wayfair I’ve found their customer reviews on products to be dead on. If there are no reviews, take a look at the brand’s other pieces and overall reputation online.
- Even though Wayfair does have a decent 30-day refund policy (as long as they’re not clearance or personalized items etc) the big downside is return shipping isn’t free.
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Check Out Deals on Amazon
Ottomans, bar stools, baby cribs, shag rugs, kitchen islands, even kidsâ furnitureâname it, and this online shopping giant has it. And for cheaper too. Many of the items in the online Amazon world are cheaper than your run of the mill furniture store where their overhead includes hiring furniture staff and store rent.
Shopping for low-priced furniture pieces is definitely easier with Amazon. No pushy salesmen and instant price comparisons. You can search by price range, brand, material, and color. You can search by condition too.
- For even greater bargains, click on âusedâ and ârenewedâ on the left side of the screen when looking for items.
- The quality highly varies because Amazon is a third party business. Shipping fees and return policies greatly vary too so be careful purchasing items with little to no reviews (or unverified reviews).
- Whenever there are more than 25 real reviews on an Amazon furniture item, I feel more confident in the purchase. From experience, the more established the Amazon seller / more popular the items, the more they’ve worked out the kinks that you don’t have to work out for them (like customer service, replacement tools, missing parts, or rain/water damage products.)
Look Up OfferUp (App)
Another marketplace worth checking is OfferUp, an online âgarage saleâ that makes buying (and selling) stuff easier by matching you up with people within your own neighborhood. If you have a mobile or tablet, you can download the app.
OfferUp has recently teamed up with Goodwill, making the nonprofitâs thrift-store items available via OfferUpâs app and online store platform. Yay for more bargain finds!
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Browse Offers on Facebook Marketplace
If youâre on Facebook a lot, you might already be familiar with the social media giantâs buy and sell feature, which has been around since 2016. It works pretty much like OfferUp does, by letting you search for items on sale in the neighborhood via its location tool. (You can search according to new listings too.)
Visit Reddit Forums
No, Reddit isnât just an online pub for snarky geeks. Thereâs actually a treasure trove of informationâand great dealsâwaiting to be had in one of its many forums if you know where to look. (For instance, check out this thread of where to find inexpensive furniture online. You can thank us later.)
Try visiting Redditâs Barter community, where youâll find plenty of âIâll trade my Amazon gift card code for such-and-such serviceâ posts. Feeling lucky? Browse posts under r/FREE, the place for all things free.
While weâre on the topic of free furniture, make sure to be as specific as possible when youâre looking for free furniture online. And be patient. Use a bunch of keywords that share similar meanings. If you’re looking for a baby bassinet it could also be under baby cradle, basket, crib, or cot. Look on Thesaurus for similar names.
Join a Buy Nothing Group
Hereâs another spot on the web that may help you find furniture without the consumerist guilt.
The Buy Nothing Project is not an online trading place, itâs a social movement that allows you to âpay it forward.â As the name implies, nothing is for sale here. Everything is freely given.
In exchange, all it asks is that you return the favor, whether thatâs in the form of giving away stuff you own but donât need or volunteering to offer your time (like helping a member pick fruits).
Sign Up for Freecycle
Have a sofa thatâs not necessarily ugly but is giving you major negative vibes (maybe because it reminds you of an ex)? Instead of tossing it out, why not trade it with another personâs better-looking chaise?
Freecycling is a grassroots movement of people who are shunning the âbuy, buy, buyâ mentality by promoting âreduce, reuse, and recycleâ instead. Itâs a win-win for everyone involved: you get to give away stuff you donât need in exchange for another personâs stuff, and Mama Earth is happy since thatâs two items you keep from getting tossed in the landfill.
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2. Traditional Methods
Newspaper Classified Ads
If your online search doesnât get you any leads, try going the traditional paper route. Local newspaper classified ads sometimes yield the best deals, including vintage furniture from your tech-averse Luddites.
Scour Through Thrift Stores
Nothing compares to the thrill of finding a treasure buried among a pile of kitschy secondhand items.
Whether youâre looking for antique or retro-themed furniture, quirky home decors, offbeat bedcovers, or books to fill your library, thereâs a thrift store round the corner that will surely yield some interesting finds for your home.
Some thrift stores (like Goodwill or Salvation Army) partner with charities too, so you not only score a deal when you buy, you earn some good karma too.
You can sign up here to see what offers are lurking in your neighborhood.
Salvation Army Furniture Vouchers
The Salvation Army offers furniture vouchers to people in extreme need (like fire victims or disaster survivors, who could really use some help getting back on their feet again).
If this sounds like you, go to your local Salvation Army branch and donât be afraid to ask for help.
NOTE: The Salvation Army is a nonprofit that helps those in greatest need. I would suggest going this route only if youâre in dire straits or if youâve really hit rock-bottom.
Visit Church Yard Sales
Read church bulletins to keep updated on their fund-raising events. Some congregations occasionally sponsor yard sales or free-store events for members of the community in need. You could also try being more proactive and reaching out to your local church office to ask if they could host a free-store event for people like you.
. . . and Preferably at the End of the Day
Speaking of yard sales, make sure to make the most of your visit by dropping by at the âzero hour.â What do I mean by this?
During the first few hours of a yard sale, sellers are usually pretty upbeat about clearing out all their items. This is not the best time to name your price.
Instead, save your offer for the last few minutes of daylight, when activity slows and they are more likely to be open to price negotiations. Try your hand at wrestling a BOGO offer evenâwho knows, they might take you up on your offer!
Ask Your Landlord
Many a landlord or landlady usually keeps the stuff their previous tenants leave behind, including unwanted furniture. Ask them if they have anything you can use. Iâm sure theyâd be glad to free up space in their own rooms.
Check Out Announcements on the Bulletin Board
Make it a habit to regularly check the bulletin board for your apartmentâs tenants. Those who are moving out soon might post a note calling for takers of furniture theyâre leaving behind.
Donât have a bulletin board? With your landlordâs permission, set up one in a spot where everyone can see it.
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4. Ask Your Friends
What are friends for? Getting you free stuff, of course!
Have a friend whoâs been helping herself to your fridge and pantryâs contents every time she visits? Nowâs the time to ask her to return the favor!
Kidding aside, friends can be a great source of free furniture (an added bonus: they also know your style).
Here are some ideas you can tap your friends to help you get stuff for your space:
Reach Out to âJust Marriedâ Friends
Know anyone thatâs just recently said their âI dosâ? Newlyweds that are going to share a home (or are planning to move into a new one) might have old furniture to spare or might be selling wedding gifts at a low price.
Borrow Furniture
Why not try asking friends to let you borrow some of their spare furniture (that may be lying unused in a shack or storage unit) while youâre still raising funds to buy your own. Who knows, they might even agree to just give it to you at no extra cost!
Organize a Furniture Swap
Have an extra rug just laying around? See if you can trade with a friend for something you could use at home. The trick here is to be upfront: Let your friends know what you need or what youâre willing to offer in exchange for stuff theyâre ready to give up.
Arrange a Friendly Barter
Got plenty of free time on your hands? Why not put that time to good use by offering your expert services in exchange for some of your friendâs items. A friend might be willing to part with a bedside table if you offer to watch their kids on the weekends.
Have a Housewarming Party
Hereâs another great way to use your âdial a friendâ card: You can organize a house-warming party and, instead of asking guests to bring in food, why not ask them to bring something to help you fill up your home instead?
Host a Declutter and Chill Day
Instead of Netflix Night or a Wine-and-Cheese Party, gather your group of friends for a night of Show-and-Tell: De-Clutter Your Home Edition. Have each one bring a home item or two that they no longer need, and see if you or anyone else in your circle would like to give it a new home. Anything else that doesnât get a second chance can go to charity.
Offer To KonMari Your Friendâs Space
With a friend, take turns asking âDoes this spark joy?â a la Marie Kondo out of stuff they have lying around at home. See if you can find joy in some the things your friend has discarded and vice versa.
5. Sign Up for Item Registries
Tying the knot soon? If moving into a new place is on your horizon, signing up for an item registry is a great way to build your nest for freeâand a great excuse to invite plenty of guests to your wedding.
Here are some tips to make the most of your gift registry:
- Register at two or three locations. Consider registering with an online store as well as a physical retailer, to give your guests options.
- Register early. If possible, have your gift registry in place as soon as youâve created your wedding website.
- Donât hold back. Eyeing that rose gold Kitchenaid mixer but think itâs too pricey to put in the list? Donât worry: Friends can chip in!
Financial Freedom Starts With Saving:
Personal Capital: Sign up and use their net worth calculator for FREE. They are a free financial service platform that helps you analyze your portfolio, retirement, and financial health all on one simple & secure account
Ibotta: I thought this app was overrated before trying it myself. The âany itemâ promos instantly save you money after scanning your grocery receipt. Ibotta also hosts promos and contests for your team to save more by working together. You can get $10 free if you sign up.
ThredUp: The only online recycle clothing store I currently shop and sell with. Great mission statement, company model, customer service, prices, and selection. Sign up with our invite link and you can get $10 free in ThredUP credit.
Survey Junkie: Survey Junkie is one of the few survey companies that are 100% legit, user-friendly, and great for making extra money. Earn up to $1,000 a month doing surveys online. You can make anywhere from $5-$20/day in your free time.
6. Visit a Free Store
A free store? That sounds a bit like an oxymoron, doesnât it? However âtoo good to be trueâ it may sound, free stores are apparently a thing.
Also called free shops, give-away shops, or swap shops, free stores get stuff off the hands of people who no longer need them and into the hands of those who do.
One of the earlier free stores to pop up are those in Baltimore and Portland. Thereâs also one in Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina.
7. Look for Cash Coupons
Okay, so maybe you wonât get free furniture from extreme couponing (like you would groceries). But donât pass on those cash coupons you get in the mail or in your inbox either. Remember: every single penny you save helps.
Department stores like Kohlâs give cash coupons when you buy from them, which you, in turn, can use on your next furniture purchase. Other stores like Target and Walmart offer similar deals too. You can also check out the virtual coupon sites like Groupon to see if your favorite furniture store is offering discounts.
8. Earn Gift Cards
Tip: Some stores offer gift cards which you can use with their sister brands, so make sure to save every gift card you come across.
9. Visit a Furniture Bank
If you need money, you go to a bank. If you need furniture? Ta-daaah, thankfully there are furniture banks! Yes, furniture banks exist, and they give free furniture to people in need. They also offer low prices on used but still functional furniture. You can check out FurnitureBanks.org to find a furniture bank nearest you.
10. Apply as a Furniture Tester
It sounds like a strange career path to get into, but yes, furniture product testers do exist. The good news? Some companies will even let you keep the stuff they send you to review.
What does it take to become a product tester? Youâll need to have a strong social media presence (weâre talking followers in the thousands range), as well as a whole lot of persistence and diligenceâhunting down stuff to test doesnât come easy, you know.
11. Join Spring Cleanup Events
Spring Cleanup events, where people drop off items they want to give a second home, is a great way to score free stuff and also get to know people in your neighborhood or community. Maybe try hosting one yourself. You might be surprised by how generous some people can get.
12. Make Other Peopleâs Trash Your Treasure
You know the old saying, âOne manâs trash is another personâs treasureâ? Thatâs often literally the case when you look at some of the stuff people throw away. Here are just some ways you can get free (often valuable) stuff in the most unlikely places, like dumpsters and black garbage bags:
Watch Out for Roadside Specials
Regularly jog or drive by the more affluent parts of your neighborhood. If youâre lucky, you just might chance upon furniture with a âfree to a good homeâ sign next to it.
Go Dumpster Diving
Rummaging through other peopleâs garbage might not be the most glamorous way to come upon your next furniture, but occasionally youâll hit pay dirt if you look hard enough. Perfectly functioning TV sets, house plants, coat racks, mattresses, and bed posts are just some of the real-life stuff weâve salvaged from dumpsters.
Check College Dorms At Year-End
Check out college dorms at the end of a semester or school year, as they can become a goldmine of free furniture. Graduating students often donât care to take along their stuff with them once they move out, leaving them next to dumpsters or in the care of dorm custodians.
Look Out for Furniture during âHeavy Trash Dayâ
Find out on what day your neighborhood schedules heavy trash pickups, when people are most likely to toss out furniture items along with other trash.
13. Reach Out to Mom and Pop
Mom and Dad (and your older siblings) may have furniture pieces they no longer need. Give them a call and see if the lava lamp youâve oohed and aahed at as a child is still around.
14. Check With People Who Are Moving Out
See a U-Haul van parked outside a friend or neighborâs yard? Tell them youâll be happy to take care of any furniture theyâre planning to leave behind. You might be dealing with slim pickings, but beggars canât be choosers, eh?
15. Get Chummy With Apartment Mates
Do you live in or near an apartment, or are planning to move into one? Good news! There are plenty of ways to come across other peopleâs furniture. If you have the opportunity to meet with your padâs former owner before settling in, have a chat with them and let them know your hands are wide open for any furniture theyâre planning to leave behind. Apartment dumpsters are also great to go furniture hunting because it’s relatively clean and people drop their stuff straight there.
16. Upcycle Your Own Stuff
Have an oversized drawer? You can turn it into a bedside table or a planter with just a few changes and a fresh coat of paint here or there!
Channel your inner Martha Stewart and find a way to give new uses to old stuff you have lying around. With upcycling, your creativity is the limit!
17. Repair Broken Furniture
Itâs easy to throw away broken stuff and just buy new ones when you have wads of cash lying around. But when youâre in a pinch, you all of a sudden realize the value of mending and repurposing the stuff you already have.
A chair with a weak or broken leg can still be made useful by repairing or retrofitting it. So donât be quick to throw out run-down home items.
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18. Try Your Luck At Sweepstakes and Giveaways
While studies suggest that you have a better chance of being struck by lightning (twice) than you do winning the sweepstakes, heyâyouâll never know if you donât join, right?
A quick online search of âfurniture sweepstakesâ will yield about a hundred or so results. The more applications you fill out, the better your chances of winning. But be sure to do a background check on companies and retailers offering sweepstakes and read the fine print before you join.
UK & Canadian Furniture Suggestions
These services do not operate within the US as of 2019 but they are popular for the UK, Canadian, and International based furniture deal hunters.
Try FreeGive
FreeGive is a UK site like Freecycle that links people with stuff to people who need it. Search for a FreeGive group near you and see whatâs available.
Visit Preloved
There are a lot of good free furniture sites for UK residents. Prelovedâs mission is to share the âJoy of Second Hand,â and the website includes a large âFreelovedâ section to help spread that joy.
Search Gumtree
Weâve got one more UK site for you: Gumtree. Itâs another classified ad site with a large free section where you can find furniture, appliances and more.
Look at Kijiji
If youâre Canadian, you might already be familiar with classified ad site Kijiji. If not, itâs time to see what free furniture people are offering.
~
Whew! Was that list exhaustive or what? Try following any one of these tips and let us know which ones worked for you.
Financial Freedom Starts With Saving:
Personal Capital: Sign up and use their net worth calculator for FREE. They are a free financial service platform that helps you analyze your portfolio, retirement, and financial health all on one simple & secure account
Ibotta: I thought this app was overrated before trying it myself. The âany itemâ promos instantly save you money after scanning your grocery receipt. Ibotta also hosts promos and contests for your team to save more by working together. You can get $10 free if you sign up.
ThredUp: The only online recycle clothing store I currently shop and sell with. Great mission statement, company model, customer service, prices, and selection. Sign up with our invite link and you can get $10 free in ThredUP credit.
Survey Junkie: Survey Junkie is one of the few survey companies that are 100% legit, user-friendly, and great for making extra money. Earn up to $1,000 a month doing surveys online. You can make anywhere from $5-$20/day in your free time.
most of our porch furniture came from the curb. who would pay real money for something made of wicker anyhow? our kitchen table was on the curb on trash day too. it has a real swedish modern feel.
Would love to see a picture of your second hand swag!
Another source to find cheap or free furniture is Nextdoor.com, it’s a neighborhood craiglists where your neighbors post items that they are giving away for free or for a good price. We bought a good of number of baby stuff on there but also see furniture being listed on there as well.
OH yes I totally forgot about that one! Need to add it. Thanks Kris!
Ottomans, bar stools, baby cribs, shag rugs, kitchen islands, even kidsâ furnitureâname it, and this online shopping giant has it. And for cheaper too. Many of the items in the online Amazon world are cheaper than your run of the mill furniture store where their overhead includes hiring furniture staff and store rent.
I noticed that too! Even if you include shipping, it’s sometimes 10-15% cheaper than if you went to a furniture store. The only downside is returning items (return shipping is usually paid for by the buyer.)
Awesome guide! Brand new furniture from a furniture store is just absurdly expensive. Just a note on the second-hand/used options: I’m generally wary about mattresses and upholstered stuff like sofas (even more so if they’re on the side of the road or from the dumpster). The risk of introducing bed bugs into the house isn’t worth it for me.
Have you gone to thrift stores for mattresses? All of the thrift stores and second hand stores like Goodwill near us have really good deals on mattresses. Plus they do clean up on those and make sure there’s no bed bugs before they accept it for sale.
This is the perfect blog for anybody who wishes to find out about this topic.
You realize so much its almost tough to argue with you (not that I personally would want
toâŚHaHa). You certainly put a fresh spin on a subject that
has been written about for decades. Wonderful stuff, just excellent!
I lurrrvvveee my Facebook marketplace! So many fancy people constantly redecorating ? great list!
Hehe absolutely SC! On the flip side I tried selling with Facebook marketplace, lots of bites but people are flakey! Still safer than Craigslist though đ