Reselling Goodwill Furniture

 

I think a vast majority of the population are looking for bargains, but also looking for REAL furniture, i.e. not particle board Ikea and China bullshit. Hitting the thrift stores gives an opportunity to find real wood furnishings and fine craftsmanship that one person grew bored of, but didn't see the potential - 

These chairs (above) I got for $7 each. They still had their crisp new "Lazy Boy" tags underneath. They were sturdy, in great condition, strong, and had a cool mid century vibe to them.

For years, I've been looking at white shag fur chairs for my Nordic-influenced Scandinavian-design renovation. They go for a large sum. Here's one from Overstock that goes for $218 on sale.

I went onto Amazon and ordered the white shag fur and recovered the chairs myself. Each chair costs a total of $7 plus $10 fur ($17 total per chair). 

If I wanted to resell this pair, I'd go for $250 for the pair, giving me a $216 profit! Recovering these chairs took me about 4 hours total. 

I got enough that I could recover a couple toss pillows and even make a white fur bikini for my goal weight loss bikini shoot. 

The trend to flip furniture is a popular one and for good reason. There is something about finding an item you don't see it in every mall and warehouse, but makes its own statement. Sand off a veneer, hammer on some tin, slap on a coat of paint, staple on a few fabric and BAM! You get something uniquely your own for very little cost and happy profit.

The Mid Century trend is not going anywhere and with good reason; it's a pretty universally loved look of Danish Modern. More often than not, the fabrics on the furnishing are definitely dated and a new textile and the furnishings look completely different. Lately, a big trend has been using canvas drop cloth fabric. This is cheap and really does give a cool industrial vibe.

There are some great channels on YouTube showing how to do it and to inspire. I really like DIY Wife and Jamie and Sarah. 

Lamps are another popular redo. I turned one of my dead floor lamps into a bohemian planter by removing the cord, lining the "bowl" with plastic, painting the bowl chalk white, filling with soil, rocks, and aloe vera, and hot gluing rope and twine to the base- 

When you look at every time as a resource, you start to see them perhaps not as a dresser, but as a storage unit or planter. Enjoy using textured textiles to give some Bohemian vibe or brighten dark items by sanding or pickling the wood.

Places like NextDoor.com and Facebook's Marketplace are ideal locations to sell from. The physical activity, thrifty creativity, and artistry will benefit you, and your pocketbook will also benefit greatly!