Would you ever purchase a used mattress? In an informal poll, we found that less than 10% of people would buy a used mattress. Surprisingly however, a ton of people try to sell used mattresses all of the time. We looked at the volume in which people were selling used mattresses: We found Mattresses were the 4th most listed furniture type behind Chairs, Tables, and Beds. Due to how people tend to categorize their furniture, it’s unclear how to make the distinction between bed frames and mattresses, but the data clearly shows that they’re a popular second-hand item listed to be sold. It seems likely that people were much more inclined to purchase a used table. In fact, in the same informal poll 100% of people said they would buy a used table. It’s clear that there is a strong difference between buying a used table and a used mattress. When asked about the reasons behind not buying a used mattress, it came down to concerns over cleanliness (let’s call it differences in uses) for the two furniture items.
Using Google Trends we found that new mattresses are listed roughly 2x as often as used mattress on the internet. Again, this is surprising data because we found that only 10% of customers are interested in used mattresses. There are two probable realities for this difference in the data: August is the most popular month for both used and new mattresses. The second most popular month is January. This lines up with industry experts’ suggestion of buying furniture in August and January due to new furniture entering stores. New furniture releases mean sales and clearance pricing. Many people attempt to sell their used mattress, but not as many people are interested in buying used mattresses. This means that there should be a ton of supply for used mattresses, which should drive prices down. If you’re trying to sell a used mattress… you’re not going to get much for the mattress, due to the simple fact that it’s used. To help increase your chances, try to increase the perception of it being as new as possible.
If any of the following is true, add it to your listing to increase your odds of selling! You’ll want to avoid the competition from furniture stores that comes in August and January. If you’re one of the 10% of people who don’t mind buying a used mattress… you’re in a buyer’s market! Be tough when negotiating with sellers, and don’t be afraid to shoot for a low price. Odds are, they aren’t getting many offers from anyone else. Many people will be looking to take advantage of the pricing deals, therefore getting rid of their old mattress. Take advantage of this! It’s hard to pinpoint an exact value without knowing the details about the mattress. You can run the different attributes through Blue Book for Furniture to get an estimate of its value, but the real market value is probably even lower. The most typical mattress price in the secondhand market is $250. Once the mattress has been taken out of its protective seal, it’s going to lose value similar to how a brand new car loses value after driving off the lot.
We’d suggest a healthy dose of low expectations when forecasting the future value of your mattress, otherwise you may be sorely disappointed.3 New Ways to Sell Furniture (for People Who are Skeeved Out by Craigslist) Ashley & Bryan's Northern Comfort (Image credit: Samara Vise)When it comes to selling your old gear, it's never been so easy to connect with strangers. But that's kind of the trouble, too, yeah? It's really easy to connect with unsavory stranger-danger types on Craigslist, especially if you're unsavvy about how to use it safely. Thankfully, these three web-based services get right in the middle of you and any interested buyers, removing some of the skeeviest parts of selling your used gear in online classifieds. Think of them like a Craiglist concierge. (While we're focused on the seller experience here, each of these services are a great resource if you're looking to buy used furniture, too. Just click through to their sites and see what treasures await!)
Take a photo of your furniture and send it to Move Loot with an asking price. Move Loot does an appraisal within 24 hours and, if they decide to sell the item for you, wraps it and picks it up for you. Once it's back at the warehouse, Move Loot takes pro-level photos of your stuff and posts them to its online marketplace within 7 days. When it sells, you split the profit with Move Loot; you usually get 50%, but it varies (Move Loot tells you the breakdown before they pick it up). After 30 days, the price can be marked down, and after 60 days unsold, you have the option to donate your furniture or have it returned to you for a small fee. Locations: New York City, Atlanta, various cities in California (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Jose, Marin County and Peninsula) and North Carolina (Raleigh, Durham and Charlotte) It starts out similar to Craiglist: With AptDeco, you create an online listing for the each piece of furniture you're looking to sell. A buyer submits an offer to buy through AptDeco, and you have 24 hours to accept it (AptDeco keeps 14%-19%, depending on the sell price).
When it's time to exchange goods, though, AptDeco can step in and pick up the item from you and deliver it to the buyer–eliminating no-shows and cancellations. Payments are handled by AptDeco, processing when they pick up the item and posted to your account within 24-48 hours. Locations: New York City, Washington D.C. and surrounding areas Trove is like a mix of Craiglist and Tinder (this is good thing, somehow). Post a listing of your used furniture through the Trove app, and buyers in your community can swipe through what's available around them (which means more eyes on your stuff). You'll be notified of any offers, and you get to choose the best one based on their price and the buyer's historical reviews and performance (everyone keeps a Trove profile). You never have to exchange personal contact information, and payments can be made via credit or debit in the Trove app. You still exchange goods in person, but the buyer has an opportunity to review the item before clicking in the app to release the payment.