What your furniture is actually worth used — for selling, moving and insurance claims
| Category | Yr 1 | Yr 5 | Yr 10 |
|---|
Furniture has two prices — the emotional one (what you paid, minus nothing) and the market one (what Facebook Marketplace will actually bear), and every seller, mover and insurance claimant collides with the gap. The curves are category-brutal: upholstery loses half its value at first sit and flat-pack barely survives disassembly, while solid wood cruises and real mid-century appreciates. This tool prices your piece honestly for the three moments the number matters: selling, moving, and claims.
| Category | Year 1 | Year 5 | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sofas & upholstery | 45% | ~32% | Hygiene psychology — buyers price in strangers' years |
| Mattresses | 30% | ~10% | The hygiene discount squared; many states regulate resale |
| IKEA-class flat-pack | 35% | ~25% | Survives one assembly; buyers know |
| Solid wood | 60% | ~50% | Durability reads in photos; refinishing extends forever |
| Designer/mid-century | 70% | 90%+ possible | The exception: Eames, Knoll, quality Danish teak trade UP — check sold listings before any donation |
The hygiene discount: buyers can't unsee strangers-sat-here, so upholstery prices like used bedding regardless of brand. Condition photos soften it slightly; nothing repeals it. Sell fast after deciding — it only depreciates.
Solid hardwood case goods, premium office chairs (the used-Aeron market is famous), quality outdoor teak, and genuine designer/mid-century pieces — the last category APPRECIATES. Labels underneath matter: five minutes of checking sold eBay listings has rescued many '$40 donation' Knoll chairs.
Facebook Marketplace dominates local furniture (volume + no fees); Craigslist secondarily; AptDeco/Kaiyo-style consignment in big metros for premium pieces (they take 30-50% but handle logistics); eBay only for shippable designer items.
Max value: +20% list, weekly 10% drops, patience of 3-6 weeks. Quick (moving deadline): price AT the tool's value with 'priced to move this weekend' — velocity is honest. Free-at-curb is the final markdown and sometimes the rational one.
At fair-market (thrift-store) value — roughly this tool's output at 'fair' condition — IF you itemize (most don't; see the Itemize tool). Over $500 of non-cash donations needs Form 8283; get receipts and photos regardless.
Replacement-cost coverage: new-equivalent prices (buy this coverage). Actual-cash-value: this tool's depreciated numbers — a $12,000 household of furniture pays out $3-4k. The pre-loss photo/video inventory is what makes either claim smooth.
Yes — every figure computes locally in your browser.
Price the piece like a buyer, list with daylight photos, and check the label before donating anything old enough to be cool again. Furniture forgives sentiment at purchase; the resale market never does.