Flipping Furniture for Profit

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Wondering if you can make some side money flipping furniture for profit? In this post, I’ll show you how I paint and sell furniture as a side job and how you can, too!

Flipping furniture for profit is a really fun way to make some side income and have fun doing so.

If you love to be creative, work with your hands, and don’t mind a little work, flipping furniture could be a great side job for you!

I’ll show you how I paint and sell furniture as a side job, some inspiration pieces, and how you can get started.

Getting to be creative, work with my hands, and make good money all makes for a great side job in my book.

Painting and selling furniture can be a great money maker and a great hobby at the same time.

I’ve been flipping furniture for profit for about 3 years now and have learned a lot along the way! And today I’m sharing all that with you!

What you need to refinish furniture as a side job to make extra money:

Places to find furniture for cheap
A place to work on furniture (garage, workshop, extra room in your house, outside)
Paint and supplies (and somewhere to find these as cheap as possible)
Time and creativity
A place to sell your items (keep reading for ideas!)

Learn how to make a DIY headboard bench with this step by step, easy tutorial and plan. Take an old headboard and repurpose it to a bench!

Related Post: How to Make a DIY Headboard Bench

How I find furniture to flip:

1. Craigslist/Online Buy, Sell, Trade Site

Check the FREE page first, then the furniture section. Your best deals are obviously the free ones! Under the For Sale section, there is a Free section. Check that as often as possible.

There are a lot of ads for random things, a lot of junk, but sometimes great finds! Some people just want things gone from their house, and just want to give them away.

Weed through the junk and scams, and look for great finds like:

Old, outdated, but still sturdy furniture – this is the good stuff! If you can get this for free, whatever you sell it for, after supplies, is pure profit!

Mirrors – look for mirrors with a frame that aren’t the super cheap plastic type.

Windows and doors – These can be sold as is or painted and sold.

Outdoor furniture – Metal items that can be spray painted are great finds!

2. Yard Sales/Garage Sales

Yard sales can be a great place to find cheap items to refinish and sell for profit!

Take a truck and look for sturdy furniture. You’ll find a lot of cheap furniture, like the kind you put together yourself. Skip those pieces and look for the older stuff that is super sturdy, but also super outdated.

For small tables, I try to spend about $5 – $10 at most. For larger furniture, you may spend up to $30-$40 for a large desk or dresser.

And always ask for a lower price if you feel comfortable doing so. Most people want the stuff gone!

3. Consignment Stores

Find out what days they have extra discounts, and go early. Again, look for great, sturdy pieces.

Some pieces at these stores aren’t as great of a deal, so be sure to shop on discount days, or go for the bigger pieces that you can’t get more profit from.

4. Friends, Family, Coworkers

Casually let people know that you are refinishing furniture and to keep you in mind if they have any pieces they want to get rid of, or have you refinish for them.

5. Dumpster Dive

If you happen to drive by and see a piece of furniture by the dumpster and you could refinish it and sell it for a profit, don’t be afraid to grab it! We’ve found a couple small tables this way.

Related Post: DIY Armoire Makeover

How to find cheap paint and supplies to refinish furniture:

Obviously to make the most profit, you want to spend as little as we can on the pieces we plan to sell.

Regularly check your local hardware stores for discount paint (like the ones people mix wrong), use coupons at craft stores, and look for paint at yard sales and moving sales.

If you stick with one color for several projects, you can develop a “signature look” that saves you both time and money.

Your process won’t take as long, since you already know how to achieve the look, and you can use the same supplies on multiple projects.

In my experience, white is the safest color to do this with. It’s popular, sells well, and is easy to photograph.

I love to use chalk paint since you don’t have to sand the furniture first, or I just buy a gallon on white satin interior paint if I plan to distress the furniture.

Related Post: DIY Yard Sale Dresser Makeover

Best Tips for Flipping Furniture for Profit:

Stick with classic designs

I know there are a million ides on Pinterest and in magazines that you would like to try, but I would suggest just sticking with classic designs.

Especially starting out. Incorporate trends in a small way, like a distressed finish, or funky knobs. Sticking with classic paint colors and classic furniture pieces are your best bet for a quick and profitable resell!

Keep profits in mind

There are a lot of great pieces out there that would make a beautiful project piece, but the price is not always right for resell.

Consider how much work and money you will have to invest to refinish the piece and what you can sell it for before you make a purchase.

Know your numbers

Have numbers in your mind of what you would pay for a piece, and how much you can sell it for.

This can take some experience to figure out.

Here is what I have come up with:

For small tables, I aim to pay $5-$15 and sell these for $20-$50 depending on the quality of the table.

For a coffee table, I aim to pay no more than $10 and can usually sell these for $40-$100.

Desks can bring more money. I will pay up to $40 for a desk and try to sell these for $100-$250.

Dressers can also sell for more. I will pay up to $50 for a nice, solid dresser and aim to sell these for $150-$250.

More unique pieces can be a little tricky. You have to consider if there will be many buyers for a piece like it. Sometimes you get really lucky and sometimes these take longer to sell.

This will vary depending on the area you live in and what you have access to, but this is what I have found.

Related Post: DIY Desk Makeover

Where can you sell your refinished furniture?

1. Craft shows

Set up a booth with refinished furniture and handmade home décor. Small items will help fill the booth, and might be easier to sell than the larger pieces.

2. Facebook Groups and Facebook Marketplace

Search for buy/sell/trade groups, handmade/craft groups, or local resell sites. Post pictures of your item, the measurements, and the price. Make sure to meet people in public!

I have had better luck with Facebook Marketplace, but try both to see what works for you!

3. Craigslist

Set up a listing for your item under the Furniture section. Include pictures, measurements, and the price. Make sure to meet in a public place to sell your item.