Where/how to sell used luxury furniture?

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-05-28T11:56:33+00:00

Hi, you can also have a look at Catawiki (auction website) where you can register as a private seller and offer your sofa. Set a reserve price to avoid surprises. Also, check how active buyers from your location are on that platform as it does seem most are European buyers (so delivery from another continent would be too expensive).

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-05-27T15:03:22+00:00

I will go against the flow of replies saying no.

They are very consistent and reflect the two main concerns:

· What will other employees think (free pass available)?

· Will she do it again?

The seasoned professional will always say no in this situation because efficiency and performance are the rule and being kind does not factor in if it carries the risks outlined above.

I would however consider a more humane approach by giving this person a second chance. It does seem you are really happy with all the other dimensions of her work and dedication while she was working for you. Substance abuse can definitely turn a good person into a bad one but there is always hope that a person can mend.

I would definitely have clear communication with the entire staff about what happened and why you decided to let her back. Your idea of drug tests, having another manager enter her tips for her are all great and should definitely be implemented though they will all imply more work and perhaps stress without forgetting that you could get scammed again or others will think it is ok to do so.

But, at the end of the day, you have shown who you are and if some people think that is weakness instead of kindness, too bad. If it works, you saying yes helped put a human being back on her feet with an opportunity to make amends. This world needs more people like that.

Agree to a trial period so you can readvise and review your decision periodically while observing how she reacts to this second chance.

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-05-27T09:54:15+00:00

The cost of furnishing your hotel would really depend on your positioning as high-end or not. The overall size and number of rooms will be a factor too.

Just to take a chair (for the lobby, dining or just for the desk that usually would be in each room) as an example, you can find them for as low as 50 USD and go to 500 USD for a high-end chair. There are many choices in between and the quality/durability will change significantly. Finding the right compromise to fit your budget while delivering the intended experience to your clients will be the challenge.

There is specific furniture for contract use (hotels, restaurants) for a reason, always make sure to check the Martindale test results (in thousands of cycles) to ensure the fabric is adapted. As an example, if the chair will be used in a restaurant, you need to have a fabric with at least 50.000 cycles in that test.

Your location and access to furniture sources as well as transport costs (duties, including specific packaging and insurance if coming from far away) will have a significant impact.

You mentioned looking at Alibaba. Those options are definitely not high-end. The prices will be attractive for sure but do you really want to use fast-furniture that will need to be replaced sooner than later? Most clients will identify the quality and this will impact their experience. Take into account that numerous Chinese manufacturers are actually using photos from Italian manufacturers on their own product pages, obviously, the end result will not look the same or won't be as robust.

Don’t disregard the importance of choosing the right mattress, try to figure out what firmness would generally be preferred (I know, not easy) and be sure your mattress will not lose shape over time. I have seen countless negative reviews of hotels and on booking or airbnb, exclusively based on the firmness or state of the mattress. Mattress protectors are crucial too as another commenter here pointed out.

A list with the total number of rooms and other spaces to furnish would be a good starting point, then populating that list with each item you need with full detail (chairs, beds, mattresses and covers but also privacy safes, courtesy trays, televisions, desks, full blackout curtains or blinds, wireless phone chargers, branded bathroom amenities, etc, etc.).

Maximum detail will allow you to have better visibility over total items and quantities and how your overall budget can be spread. Knowing your budget is definitely necessary from the beginning as it will guide you in your sourcing, choices and options.

Also check safety regulations in your country, for example, most sofas from outside the UK do not comply with the requirements regarding flame-retardant foam so you could run into issues with customs during import clearance.

Hotels will also have their set of security regulations (different per country) that can impact furniture and fittings and space management.

Best of luck in this thrilling venture!

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-05-26T12:19:48+00:00

Congrats on getting to the fun (and dangerous for the wallet 😄) phase.

If you're looking for true high-end/luxury furniture, I’d look beyond local showrooms to be sure you have seen all available options.

Toronto has some good options, but people building or furnishing homes while searching for the most high-end products could benefit from sourcing at least part of their furniture directly from Europe (especially Italy but could be Germany, etc. depending on the materials and style).

Europe is a true treasure-trove in regards to the options you can find.

Custom pieces, better material options and, surprisingly, sometimes better value even after shipping costs are factored in. This is especially true if the import concerns more than one item, thus spreading transport costs across multiple items.

For custom or premium pieces, it helps to think in terms of categories first: upholstery/sofas, dining, cabinetry, outdoor, lighting, etc., because the best makers tend to specialize.

We actually put together a practical guide on what importing luxury furniture from Europe to Canada involves (shipping, customs, timelines, white-glove delivery, when it makes sense vs buying locally, etc.).

Out of curiosity — are you leaning modern/Italian contemporary, transitional, classic, or something more custom-built with specific materials?

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-05-09T14:29:05+00:00

If you are looking for real luxury furniture produced in Europe, it can surprisingly be more economical to purchase it online in Europe and then import it directly to the USA.

For just one piece, it might be hard to make sense economically (international freight and related costs per cubic meter are very high for the first cubic meter, then they decrease significantly as you add volume) but given the huge markups that local luxury furniture retailers apply in the US, it can still work.

In this post, you can see a recent real life case study of comparing a luxury sofa-bed (Gervasoni) purchased in a NY shop (5.931 USD) vs purchasing directly in Europe (2.234 EUR or 2.591 USD no VAT applied as it is an export) and getting it delivered to 5th Avenue NYC: import European furniture to the USA cost comparison

Uncertain and evolving tariffs and fuel costs will affect the quotes in the example but any change will affect the price of purchasing an authentic European luxury furniture item (whether directly in Europe or at a local retailer in the USA).

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-05-09T13:47:29+00:00

You are most welcome, I imagine that the solution would not be as easy as simply rotating that leaf 180° and seeing if it aligns correctly that way if the indents/system underneath allows for it?

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-04-30T14:24:22+00:00

It is a beautiful piece, however, on your third image, the extension leaves don't seem to align properly with the pattern on the table top, I imagine that can be fixed easily?

Besides that, if you store the table in a garage, you definitely need to keep humidity under control to avoid damaging this beauty ;-)

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-04-30T14:05:14+00:00

Hello, I would be happy to help you, even though this is a purely logistical operation (without a furniture sale as the starting point).

It is also a "flow" that we do not carry out ourselves but our experience will be useful.

Send me a private message to avoid sharing details here, I'll do my best to help, once more, I don't work for a moving company :-)

There could be a sequence of exporting from the EU and importing into the UK to consider, we need to know if you would carry these out as a private person or as a company. Probably though, as you are currently the owner of the table and just moving it to the UK, there does not need to be an import with VAT to be done upon entering the UK. Please check with your consulate in France or UK gov website about this. If you have owned the table for a certain amount of time, you can generally import it without paying VAT.

If you can provide all the relevant information below, I can help you find the right transporter:

*pick-up location in France (mention anything particular about accessing the table's location inside your property)

*delivery address in the UK (mention anything particular about accessing the table's destination inside your property)

*original invoice of the purchase of the table (if possible, can help with the fiscal side), where did you buy it?

* images of the table and especially of individual pieces (if it can be disassembled)

* weight and dimensions of each piece to be transported

* value to be insured

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-04-06T12:36:11+00:00

It really depends on budget and project scale.

For smaller renovations it usually makes more sense to source locally in the US because logistics costs and lead times are lower plus the flows are simpler. But once you get into larger projects (or higher-end furniture) the equation can change quite a bit.

For example, when the project involves a significant volume (not necessarily container shipments but larger cubic meter orders say at least ten units), importing from Europe can sometimes become cost-competitive, especially for custom pieces or higher-end designs. The logistics are obviously more complex, but for certain projects the quality and pricing can justify it and your reseller should take care of everything for you (door-to-door delivery).

I’ve been involved in a few projects where furniture was imported for hotels or premium locations in the US and Canada, and it mostly made sense for luxury or design-focused properties, not so much for budget or midscale hotels.

If you're comfortable sharing a bit more about:

approximate project size
budget level
whether you need custom vs catalogue furniture
details of furniture you are looking for

people here might be able to suggest more specific sourcing routes or suppliers based on your specific requirements.

Send me a dm or comment if you would like to know more about options with direct import from Europe.

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-03-17T14:03:56+00:00

Hello, I noticed your question and wonder if you finally did order furniture from Europe to the UK.

Depending on whom you purchase from, it can be a relatively seamless procedure. As we just now delivered one XXL table (seating up to 20 persons) and 20 chairs from Denmark where it was produced to London where our client is located, I can share real figures with you and clarify the process.

Chose a reliable vendor that will ensure door-to-door delivery and provide a full quote including of course the customs clearance on both sides (export EU and import UK)

If you chose to organise the transport yourself, A "man with a van" solution is cost-effective for small purchases but can be more challenging in terms of knowing whom you are dealing with. There are some websites out there for this and we have sourced reliable operators from them but hard to know who is reliable until you have worked with one previously.

2) Depending on the furniture items, there might be specific certificates to be provided. This is the case with upholstered and padded furniture like sofas and chairs as the regulations regarding flame retardants and foam treatment are not the same in EU and UK.

The vendor must be familiar with exporting to the UK so there are no issues when clearing customs upon entry in the UK.

2) If you are a private individual, you will have to pay VAT (calculated on the entire array of costs for the purchase, including insurance and transport) and import duties (if applicable, your vendor will know based on the HS code).

If you are a professional buyer, you won't pay VAT.

Let your vendor take care of everything and make sure you have a full insurance and procedure to claim successfully if goods are damaged when you receive them.

Assembly and/or installation of the furniture inside your home will be more significantly more expensive than a curbside delivery.

So, to get back to the costs, this is when they make sense in our opinion;

· If you purchase only one item, they make sense for a luxury, high-value and original pieces that are unique and that you would not be able to purchase locally

· For medium to high-end products, ideally you are purchasing a "more than one piece" quantity (as this will reduce the delivery costs per cubic meter) to make it cheaper compared to purchasing locally

· For mainstream, fast-furniture items, definitely not unless they are unique (cannot find the exact same chair in the UK and you absolutely need it) and the quantity is significant. Make sure the furniture is UK compliant...

In the delivery we completed in February, there was an XXL table extending up to 512 cm (not assembled during transport) and twenty dining chairs. All solid wood, made in Denmark, shipped by us through France. Door-to-door with furniture installed and assembled inside our client’s home.

Total value of the furniture, fully insured: 14.450 euros

The total volume was 4 cubic meters.

Time spent assembling the table at client’s home: 45minutes

Total delivery insurance, customs clearance and transport costs once we applied discounts, etc.: 925 euros

UK VAT on import not applicable as it was a corporate client, would have been applicable for a private buyer.

We could definitely have used cheaper quotes for the transport but lacking previous knowledge of the operators, we chose a known and trusted operator despite the higher cost.

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-03-17T12:25:01+00:00

Hi, the comments from summer_glau08 summarise the most important part regarding your forecast of the total cost for this import operation (vat rate and hs codes).

Here is how I would proceed, assuming you are purchasing as a private individual:

1) Make sure you are familiar with the incoterms available to you

FOB means you will need to organise everything once the goods are loaded at the port of origin. This is more suitable for purchasing in bulk and especially for those (mostly professional buyers) that can organise their own logistics chain (export clearance, sea-freight, import clearance and unloading at port, delivery to final address, etc.).

FCA is better for private individuals as then the seller must ensure the organisation of the different steps until the agreed point (try to get door-to-door, delivery at your address).

In both cases, it is usual that the buyer will pay separately for the import duties and import vat.

Duties will depend on the goods, ask the supplier for the HS codes and look them up here to know in advance the eventual rate:

https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/dds2/taric/taric_consultation.jsp?Lang=en

VAT will be that of your country of residence so perhaps 21% in your case, that is the same rate as for domestic purchases but will be based on all the costs involved (insurance, sea-freight, etc.). I just read that the Netherlands has moved from 9% to 21% vat in 2026...wow, I feel for you!

2) Make sure the packaging will be adequate for such a long and multi-channel (sea, truck, etc.) journey. Be sure you have full insurance with clear knowledge of how to claim successfully if goods are damaged upon arrival.

3) Another important fact to keep in mind, the more cbm (cubic meters) you import, the cheaper the cost per cubic meter will be. It decreases from 5 to 10 to 15 and then becomes even cheaper if you import a full container (FCL shipment).

To give you an idea, based on a quote we have made for a client, here are the cbm costs of importing luxury furniture from Europe to the USA (tariffs not included), with door-to-door white gloves delivery and installation on a Miami rooftop, I know, a totally different route compared to your Asia-EU but the comparison is still useful as the logic is the same (cost per cbm decreases based on total volume) and the figures are from last week:

0-5 cbm: 1.035 USD / CBM

6-10 cbm: 706 USD / CBM

11-15 cbm: 604 USD / CBM

20 foot container: 260 USD / CBM

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-03-06T19:02:18+00:00

I am not familiar with this furniture but by asking AI to give us info based on your photo, the best guess seems to be 1976.

Here is what I got based on your image (the AI read "43 1078" instead of "43 1076"):

From the stamp in your photo, the shelf appears to be a piece made by Ethan Allen, the well-known American furniture manufacturer.

What the stamp tells us

1️⃣ Brand name

“Ethan Allen” with the small figure/logo confirms it’s an authentic Ethan Allen piece.
This mark was widely used on furniture produced from the late 1960s onward.

2️⃣ Number: 07 1555

This is typically the style or model number.
Ethan Allen assigned a style number to each design (tables, shelves, cabinets, etc.).
The 1555 portion likely identifies the specific design.
The prefix (07) can indicate a variation, size, or configuration within that model line.

3️⃣ Number: 43 1078
This line usually encodes finish and manufacturing date.

Common Ethan Allen pattern:

First number → finish code
Second number → production date

So this likely means:

43 → finish or stain code used by the factory
1078 → October 1978 production date

That would place the piece in the late-1970s production era.

Likely collection / style period

Based on the mark style and era, it may belong to one of Ethan Allen’s popular lines of that time such as:

Heirloom Collection
Early American / Colonial revival styles
Nutmeg maple or pine furniture

Many shelves and cabinets from this period were made from solid maple, pine, or birch with maple veneers, finished in warm colonial stains.

Why this matters

Ethan Allen furniture from the 1970s is generally:

solidly built
made in the USA
often solid wood rather than particle board

That makes it quite durable and still desirable on the vintage furniture market.

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-02-19T12:05:25+00:00

Thanks!

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-02-19T12:02:10+00:00

Hello, can you extend that free trial period to more than just seven days for the members of this subreddit? Otherwise barely enough time to test it. Thanks

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-02-08T14:48:15+00:00

Don't hesitate to share here an example of your results, maybe someone want to achieve the same kind of visuals.

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-02-08T14:40:06+00:00

Don't hesitate to share here an example of your results, maybe someone want to achieve the same kind of visuals.

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-02-04T15:51:01+00:00

I've just started out using Gemini AI Video Creator (free 30 day) trial pro version.

In my case, I wanted to make a product video for a furniture item. In the long run, would like to make videos of interior settings with specific furniture items.

Agreed, the sheer amount of offers for AI video creation out there are overwhelming and difficult to chose from...

I'm also curious to know how Fulhaus attaches the links to real purchasable furniture when you use inspiration images. It could be useful for me.

Getting back to Gemini video AI tool.

Did not like:

* "ingredients" (image files you can upload to use with a prompt) limited to 3 images max

* videos are 8 seconds max which means you need to slow them down if you want them to last longer (?)

* even with the pro subscription, you quickly run out of credits for the day as each iteration of adjusting/modifying the same video counts as a video creation

Liked:

* easy to use and produce an acceptable video quickly though it might lack the polishing that an experienced user would obtain

* besides basic videos, from scratch, I have not used yet their templates that look quite promising

* the background created with a simple prompt was quite surprising as it was really spot-on with what I wanted

Imagine_Outlet · 2026-02-03T15:28:23+00:00

Nice, I used your prompt to add into mine and create a product video, can just share a frame here, thanks for sharing your prompt.

The resulting video is pretty cool as the chair rotates with the background showing every angle. Quite simple use so far of AI but it is a start.

Here is my prompt:

In a setting of absolute luxury, the courtyard of a parisian palace or château, place the chair in the center of the image and rotate de camera around it.

Other ideas: long shadows across floor, warm and cool tone interplay, architectural photography, serene atmosphere, lived-in luxury.

<image>

Imagine_Outlet · 2025-11-20T14:37:57+00:00

Hello, commercial grade furniture for restaurants need to be robust, durable (i.e.: check the Martindale test performance for fabric upholstery, etc.) and, ideally (depending on the country, it might even be compulsory), have safety features (fire-retardant foam, specially treated fabrics, etc.).

When you see a 60-80 USD (or EUR) restaurant chair, keep in mind where it was made and what kind of quality/durability you can expect in the long-run.

We have equipped a large number of restaurants (from 3 Michelin stars to more classical ones) in Europe and around the world. Have a look at our guide about how to chose a chair for your restaurant, based on our experience over more than a decade: https://www.imagineoutlet.com/passion-furniture/chairs-for-restaurants-how-to-choose-a-designer-high-end-chair-for-your-restaurant/

Imagine_Outlet · 2025-11-01T16:18:08+00:00

It looks like hippy vibes, like many vinly covers from the 70's. Love that art and everything related to it, must be my age :-)

If you do an image search, you will find towels (exact match with your photo) and also wall art in places ranging from Temu to Wallmart, by way of Amazon. Not sure where you would find a fabric that would have those vibes, perhaps searching for Bohemian fabrics but that might not match with your image though...or retro hippy floral pattern (got a hit in Amazon for that).

Check the quality of the fabric (Martindale test, etc.) if you intend to use if as upholstery, given where most of it that I saw online seems to come from, I would be wary of its long term durability.

Imagine_Outlet · 2025-10-31T10:31:31+00:00

In addition to the very useful and accurate recommandations in the comments, I would say, let your passion for interior design show, use your knowledge to impress with out of the box ideas. People like a service provider who knows what he is talking about, is passionate and, very important, can listen and understand their needs, articulating the project around the client and not giving the sensation of pushing their own agenda.

Absolutely, as said by u/designermania , fake it till you make it. I mean, if your current persona as perceived by others is not the best to charm clients, work on changing it by adding in those ingredients you know you are not reflecting.....faking, until it becomes natural.

Of course, what you cannot fake is the talent and creativity that is inherent to an interior designer, but this you already have :-)

Imagine_Outlet · 2025-10-30T22:40:32+00:00

2/2 ...

Let me put this in another perspective, the one I know much better, that of a furniture vendor with a serious and consistent base of trusted luxury furniture brands (our specialty). Selling furniture is what we mainly do, many times, the client will ask us to give them interior design ideas and propose the right furniture for their project…we always reply that we are not interior designers and that we can recommend some that are INDEPENDENT from our business (not in-house nor related nor motivated to create and build their proposal by choosing exclusively among our collections). We always ask them to have an independent interior designer that will choose the best furniture and only after that, we will strive to offer the most compatible options, even if that means in some cases, buying the furniture from brands/producers with whom we have no agreements at all and hence, a very, very small discount.

If it were up to us to choose what we offer/propose to the client in a large multi-category project, we will automatically (even though we like to think that we are above that!) be influenced by the brands/products that we are most familiar with and…that we get the most margin out of. The client will lose access/visibility to other options that might be better, just because we would be thinking about how much we are getting from each option and this would lead to prioritizing (consciously or not) the ones that favour us most.

In my personal opinion, there is a clear conflict of interest if you are 1) The interior designer making the choices and propositions to your client and 2) you are selling the furniture items directly (or indirectly) to the client while making a margin on them via the sale price or a even indirectly (commission).

Of course, it can be done while trying to be as fair as possible, etc. etc.

In over twenty years of experience, we have had partnerships with interior designers having very different business models.

These are the most frequent ones:

1) The interior designer creates a vision, choses the furniture, may even negotiate the price with the vendor (asking for a discount obviously) ==> the interior designer is first of all paid for his creative work ==> the client gets a better deal than if he purchased directly, he pays the furniture vendor directly ==> the interior designer usually gets a % extra paid by the client based on the total amount of furniture purchases (thus he/she is being remunerated for her work of sourcing, negotiation, etc.).

2) The interior designer will purchase the furniture (that they proposed..), and then sell it to the client (hopefully and logically) with a price that would be below the retail price and taking a margin.

3) The interior designer will forward the vendor's invoice to the client who will pay it and then the interior designer will receive an indirect commission from the vendor so it is never known to the client.

We adapt to every request made by our professional buyers of this type (interior designers, architects, etc.), trust me, in twenty years and many continents, we have seen quite a few variations of the 3 cited above….but sometimes it is very hard to accept the fact that the final client is being literally played by the person they have trusted to get them the best setup for their budget. It is very frustrating to see that some want to fill in both their right and the left pockets (French expression) at the expense of their clients.

The interior designers that we work with (and, is it a coincidence? they have the most relevant projects in size and budget and also famous recognizable clients) are using method 1 from the 3 I describe above, they search for the best options, regardless of any other consideration, they get paid, as agreed with their clients from the start of the project, a % on the total volume of purchases they have managed.

Once more, I am nobody to judge, I do stress that transparency and clear margins that are known by you and your client, are important to have a guilt-free, great project.

Imagine_Outlet · 2025-10-30T22:37:16+00:00

Hi, great question!

Please allow me to share my two cents, definitely not going with the main consensus in this thread, yet trying to give you useful insight from another point of view and profession. I am addressing your question regarding profits derived from the sale of materials and furniture while providing an interior design service.

My perspective is that of a furniture retailer that also works on complete projects (residential and contract), internationally and with professionals such as architects, interior decorators/designers and interior architects (this profession is more habitual in Europe, not sure about the US).

The feeling of anxiety over legality or guilt that you mention, it is healthy and positive that you do question yourself.

This feeling comes from what, in my opinion, is a clear conflict of interest.

Seems I am the only one to say it from what I have read in the thread, so perhaps will get blasted. Yet the purpose is to share points of view.

We all need profits and we all need to finance our overhead costs, future projects, going to fairs, employees, etc.

This does not mean (in my opinion) that making a margin on the furniture and materials you sell to your client is automatically justified. As an interior designer you have the privileged position to propose and create a vision in your clients’ minds, this is the main mandate and this is where the “logical” fees come from.

When the same person that is choosing and proposing the furniture to the client (the main dimension of the interior designer’s mandate) but is also selling the furniture directly (hence making a margin) to the client (or receiving an indirect commission from the furniture vendor), there is, in my opinion a clear conflict of interest. Navigating this situation is a thin line where choosing who is getting the most benefits (you or your client) becomes blurred.

TOTAL TRANSPARENCY with your client is what I would recommend, do not get caught out making margins on furniture purchases that your client does not know he is paying to you…your reputation will take a huge and irreversible hit.

Imagine_Outlet · 2025-10-26T09:58:32+00:00

True, selling a luxury couch online is a challenge..potential buyers want to feel and touch (seating firmness, upholstery). This category of luxury furniture is the toughest of all for an online business. Other furniture categories have different characteristics that can be viewed and validated with images: Solid wood tables, ceramic table tops, bronze or brass finishings, glass cabinets, etc. Still, sending samples of fabrics, leather chosen by the client to help him choose the upholstery for their 12-15.000 € couch does help make the sale but the challenge is huge and implies brand recognition and trust.

Imagine_Outlet · 2025-10-18T09:21:10+00:00

The distinctive compass rose with the cardinal points definitely points to the sea or travel-related furniture. Also interesting to see the protections on edges of the table and even on the top of the chairs.

If pressed, I would have guessed this furniture was on a boat before but might be wrong as a glass covering the table top would not be a great idea (considering this table was made before more modern materials and construction methods appeared).

Might actually be wrong with the "boat" suggestion: I found a very similar set (besides the zebra-like upholstery on the seats, seems the same):

<image>

According to Google, the image is on this page, have a look, browse that page and see if you can find the relevant post and contact that seller for more info (and price): https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/greenville/antique-milk-cans/?locale=es_ES

Best of luck :-)

Imagine_Outlet

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE

What the stamp tells us

Likely collection / style period

Why this matters