10 Tips for Listing Your Refinished Furniture for Sale on Facebook Marketplace

Ready to list your refinished furniture item for sale on Facebook Marketplace? Here are some of the tips I've learned that can help with a quick turnaround time from listing to purchase.

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While I've started relying more and more on my business Facebook page, my Instagram account, and word of mouth to market my available refinished pieces, I still find myself creating listings for each piece and posting them to Facebook Marketplace.

If you don't have a brick and mortar retail shop, or if you are just beginning your refinishing journey and are busy growing your brand and social following, this is a great place to start when you're ready to make your pieces available to the public for sale.

Below, I've included a list of my top 10 tips for listing pieces on Facebook Marketplace, tips I've incorporated (after some trial and error, mind you) and have found to be most successful in leading to a quick sale.

Tip #1 - Well-Lit Photos are Key

Think about it, when you're looking to purchase an item online, what likely draws you in first is the product image, right? Of course price and the tagline or title catch your eye as well, but you want to entice potential buyers with a clear, well-lit photo of the furniture piece you've just (most likely) worked hours on refinishing.

For most of my full-shot photos, I rely on my trusty DSLR (a Nikon D3400, which, although an older version of the D3500, still takes amazing quality photos). For my close-up detail shots, I simply select the portrait mode on my iPhone 12 and capture the details and best angles of the piece (again, not the newest iPhone version, but the camera works just fine!).

MY GO-TO ITEMS FOR PHOTOGRAPHING MY FURNITURE PIECES

Take note: natural lighting, whenever possible is preferred! You'll be amazed at how much clearer your pictures appear when you're utilizing a space that has great natural lighting when photographing your piece. While I photograph each of my pieces in my garage, on cloudy days or for pieces I may have to photograph inside, my softbox lighting kit is my lifesaver.

In my experience, the better my photos showcase my piece, the quicker I receive inquiries on them, which typically lead to a faster sale. At least in my experience. Notice, I keeping using the word 'photos' too - meaning, the plural form of photo.

MULTIPLE PHOTOS PROVIDE POTENTIAL BUYERS WITH MORE INSIGHT

Including several photos of your well-lit, well-staged furniture piece is going to give potential buyers an opportunity to see the overall angles and quality of the piece, before even seeing it in person. It's also going to cut down on some back and forth messaging requests for more information or additional photos (e.g. "can you send me a picture of the inside of the drawers?") of the piece. Which leads me to my second tip:

Tip #2 - Provide a Detailed Description

Now, some might disagree with me on this tip, but I have found the more information provided, the better. There are certain items I'll include in each of my listings, including related dimensions and the price of the piece. This will prevent potential buyers from having to reach out to you with an inquiry vs. reaching out to you to inform you that they are interested in purchasing it because all their questions have already been answered.

I keep a Google Doc in my drive for my Facebook Marketplace postings and make a copy from the template each time I have a new listing. While my descriptions of the furniture pieces vary each time, there are certain items that are constant. Here's an example of the verbiage I include with each listing, setting a clear understanding of what is expected from the potential buyer.

When it comes to setting your price, my advice is to do your research accordingly and find out what prices are reasonable in your area for certain styles. Also be sure to weigh your costs (including your time and labor) when setting your listing price. I do NOT recommend listing your piece for $1 - this opens you up to negotiation right from from the get-go. Some might say listing it for $1 requires the viewer to open the listing and read the description, but I like to be straightforward right from the start. Which is a perfect segue for my next couple of tips!

Tip #3 - Include Multiple Keywords

Thinking of yourself as a potential buyer, you'll want to include multiple keywords in your listing title. Be as descriptive as possible in the space allotted. If your piece includes a prominent makers mark, you will definitely want to include this information in your title, as buyers often search for items by manufacturer name. Additionally, if your piece boasts a specific style (e.g., MCM or French Provincial) or a desirable element (e.g., dovetail drawers, solid wood, tiger oak, etc.) this is a great place to make note of that detail.

Tip #4 - Be Honest

I feel like this is a no-brainer, but still worth a mention. Since nearly all of the pieces I refinish are vintage, some even on the realm of being considered an antique, I like to be upfront with my potential customers. There's nothing better than repeat customers or being referred to someone by a previous customer - and repeat business can most certainly be attributed to being an honest businessperson.

In each of my listings, I include a detailed description of the products I've used to refinish the piece. I make note of what is original to the piece and what has been repaired or added for function or aesthetics. I also make sure to add an addendum at the bottom of my listing to highlight the fact that the piece is used.

This is the wording I include to make it clear that this item is not, in fact, new and individuals are welcome to come view the piece in purchase prior to making a decision to purchase.

I also make note of the importance of allowing a piece to cure fully for up to 28 days, being careful not to place decor items that could scratch or damage any newly painted furniture.

Tip #5 - Direct Viewers to Your Other Platforms

Early on, a fellow refinisher offered me this tip involving my Facebook Marketplace listings and I have always been so thankful for it because it has directed new followers to my social media accounts. On each listing, I direct viewers to my business Facebook page, along with my Instagram profile. I can also point viewers to my commerce profile on Facebook, which shows my previous listings and lends credibility to the professional end of my work.

While the listed piece might not exactly be what a viewer is searching for, following my other social media platforms allows prospective buyers to stay in touch with current projects and inventory. I've often had viewers follow my other platforms and request insight into my other available pieces by employing this tip.

Tip #6 - Cross-Post

There are so many Facebook groups in your area that you might not even be familiar with - be sure to search for all the buy, sell, trade groups in your area, along with local yard/garage sale and classified groups to cross-post your listings.

Facebook Marketplace allows you to post your listing in up to 20 other groups, which allows your listing to potentially gain a lot more views based on the following of each of those particular groups. I like to cross-post my listings in larger local buy, sell, trade groups - typically ones with at least 5K members. Speaking of views...let's take a look at tip #7...

Tip #7 - Boost Your Listing

One of the best Facebook Groups I stumbled upon when I started listing my pieces on Facebook Marketplace was "Boost Your Furniture Listing" The admin are fellow furniture refinishers and understand the impact your listing views can have on the algorithm, under the presumption that the more views a listing has, the better your chances are for your listing to appear closer to the top of the Marketplace feed with relation to how you categorized your listing (i.e., furniture/dressers, etc.). Once you've joined this group, you can add a post with a link to your Facebook listing where other refinishers can view, comment, ENGAGE, etc. Just be sure that you reciprocate the love and view or boost other refinishers listings as well in the process!

Tip #8 - Be Wary of Scammers

Unfortunately, while Facebook Marketplace is booming, it also seems to be riddled with scammers these days. More often than not, with each listing, I'll receive a couple inquiries from individuals posing as interested buyers, but are really just scammers seeking to gain access to my information. Meta has a great resource for identifying and protecting yourself from scammers. I recommend reading this along with other pertinent information (basically just Google "Avoid Getting Scammed on Facebook Marketplace") prior to listing your furniture on the platform.

You'll want to be wary of anyone who requests to take a conversation off of Facebook Messenger. I've had several scammers request to take a discussion about my listing off Messenger and communicate via phone or e-mail. Stick to Marketplace Messenger, where you can track and archive your conversation. You can also block and report scammers. Anyone phishing for your personal contact information (especially within the first few minutes of listing your piece) should most definitely raise a red flag alert.

In a nutshell: Always take precautions to be safe whenever interacting with potential buyers or customers through Facebook Marketplace and any other buy/sell site or network.

Tip #9 - Always Respond to Inquiries ASAP

Respond to inquiries about your listed items as soon as possible, even if it's just the scripted, "is this piece still available?". If you are not going to be able to respond quickly, you might consider waiting to list your item until you can be available to respond. Typically, you'll receive inquiries soon after your item has been posted. Take advantage of these because buyers are online and interested in your piece. If they do not hear back from you fairly quickly, it's likely that they'll continue their search and may even stumble upon another listing with a seller that responds before you are able.

Also, the algorithm likes engagement! The more back-and-forth your listing has the more likely it will place higher in the search queue among other listings. Take advantage of those early inquiries, my friend!

Tip #10 - Be Patient

Finally - Tip #10 - and this might be the most challenging tip of all. Take heart: The right buyer is out there for your piece. Let me repeat - the right buyer IS out there for YOUR piece!

Just because it doesn't sell in a day, a week, or even a month does NOT mean the piece will not sell. The key is to be patient. If you have listed a beautifully refinished piece of furniture and have priced it appropriately after doing your research.

Resist the urge to drop your price too soon. Truth be told, I had a piece listed for 8 months and was just about to re-stage the piece for new photos (and was also considering repainting it entirely in a different color).

But thank goodness I held off - because after renewing the post, I received an inquiry and within a day it was sold!

Ready. Set. Sale.

Facebook Marketplace is a great way to sell your refinished furniture items. These 10 tips have helped me find success with dozens of my pieces. I hope it will help you too! I'd love to hear your tips or success stories - share them in comments so we can all find success together!