Furniture Flipping How-To (2024) - UpFlip (2024)

Do you love painted furniture and crafty furniture makeover videos you’ve seen on social media? If yes, you might enjoy furniture flipping.

Jennifer Beck burned out from being the number one seller in a corporation. She started Saved by Design to escape the rat race and turned her passion into a six-figure furniture flipping business—without taking on any debt.

In this article, you’ll learn about the most profitable furniture to flip and how to use the cool videos you’ve seen to refinish coffee tables, chairs, dressers, and other quality pieces people want to buy.

Read all her advice, or click on any of the links above to jump straight to the section that interests you most.

What is furniture flipping?

Flipping furniture is a process where you find old furniture, improve it by fixing any damage and adding new hardware, stain, paint, or fabric, and then resell it for a profit.

Jennifer told us:

What is the best furniture to flip?

The best furniture to flip depends on your skill set. A furniture flipper might focus on end tables, dressers, shelves, couches, and chairs. Jennifer shared the simple key to a worthwhile furniture makeover:

Check out our interview with her below.

Is flipping furniture profitable?

According to business research firm IBIS World, the furniture restoration industry makes $1.8 billion per year. The firm estimates furniture restorers spend 42% of their revenue on wages, purchases, and rent; the other 58% of revenue could be comprised of marketing costs, tax payments, and profits.

According to Jennifer, Saved by Design was profitable immediately, and it has remained so every month for five years.

But how profitable is it?

Where to find furniture to flip

Places to find used furniture include thrift stores, garage sales, auctions, yard sales, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and friends and family. You can even grab unwanted furniture from the side of the road.

Be careful when grabbing furniture from the side of the road, though, because it could have bed bugs or other critters in it.

How to start a furniture flipping business

Starting a furniture flipping business can be a creative and profitable venture. Here are steps to help you get started:

1. Research the market.
2. Create your business.
3. Get furniture-flipping supplies.
4. Source furniture.
5. Do a furniture flip.
6. Establish the price.
7. Create a sales strategy.
8. Market your furniture flips.
9. Provide great customer service.
10. Keep detailed records of each furniture flip.
11. Reinvest in the business.

Get ready to learn all about flipping furniture for beginners.

Step #1. Research the market

Before you decide to flip furniture, you should research the market. You’ll want to:

1. Identify the type of furniture to flip.
2. Identify your target audience.
3. Perform competitor analysis.
4. Write a business plan (optional).

Identify the type of furniture to flip

Decide what type of furniture you want to focus on. You might narrow it down by the furniture piece or style.

We discussed standard furniture pieces earlier, but the style might be vintage, modern, Victorian, or custom.

Jennifer explained:

Identify your target audience

You’ll want to identify your ideal customer to simplify selling furniture. If you don’t know who might like a piece of furniture, it may be harder to make extra cash on it.

Jennifer explained:

Perform competitor analysis

Jennifer stressed the importance of paying attention to furniture flipping trends. She researches major retailers and listens to her customers’ demands.

Create a business plan (optional)

When you write a business plan, you’ll want to have at least the following sections:

1. Mission and vision statement
2. Budget and financials
3. Marketing plan
4. Operational plan

Mission and vision statement

Tell people why you do what you do and how you do it. Even though Jennifer never wrote a formal business plan, she still knows her mission clearly:

Budget and financial projections

It helps to estimate your startup costs, ongoing expenses, and projected revenue.

For Jennifer, taking on debt was never a consideration:

Marketing plan

Outline how you will market your business, including how you’ll create your online presence, use social media, and the software you’ll use to accomplish your goals.

We’ll talk more about marketing later, but Jennifer explained:

She also explained that much of today’s word of mouth occurs on social media.

Operations plan

You’ll want to detail the day-to-day operations, including sourcing furniture, refurbishing, and sales.

Jennifer had numerous furniture-flipping tips when it came to managing operations. First, you need to:

Jennifer stressed the importance of setting designated to work on your furniture flipping business—it’s important to have a life outside of your business.

How does she manage her furniture revamps?

Next, you’ll want to create the business.

Step #2. Create your business

You aren’t required to report flipping furniture on your taxes until you make over $600, but if you’re trying to make substantial money reselling furniture, you should probably create a business.

That means you’ll need to:

1. Create a business structure.
2. Register your business.
3. Comply with tax laws.

Create a business structure

Decide whether you want to operate as a sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), or corporation. Most small businesses opt for an LLC or S-Corp. You can learn more in our guide to business structures.

It’s helpful to consult a legal professional to choose the best option for your situation.

Register your business

You must register your business name and obtain any necessary permits or licenses. You may need state, county, or municipal registrations. Each state is different, so check your secretary of state’s business guide for what you’ll need when selling used furniture.

Comply with tax laws

You must understand tax obligations, including federal and state income, payroll, and sales taxes. There are over 13,000 tax jurisdictions in the U.S., so if you furniture flip in multiple jurisdictions, you might want to use the tax resource Avalara.

Once you’ve created your business, it’s time to flip furniture.

Step #3. Get furniture-flipping supplies

You’ll need tools and materials to perform a furniture makeover. Each piece of furniture is different, so you’ll need to research what is required.

You can choose power tools or hand tools. Hand tools require more elbow grease, and Jennifer doesn’t mind using a little elbow grease. She explained:

At a minimum, you’ll probably want the following items for wood furniture:

• Sandpaper
• Paint
• Brushes
• Stain

As for acquiring a physical workspace, Jennifer told us:

Step #4. Do a furniture flip

For each furniture flip, you’ll need to:

1. Acquire furniture.
2. Take before and after pictures.
3. Repair the furniture.
4. Find a buyer.

Find furniture

You’ll want to find quality furniture reasonably priced that you can flip. People commonly look for a coffee table, end table, chair, couch, shelving unit, or dresser.

Flippable furniture can often be found at a thrift store, garage sale, Craigslist, OfferUp, Facebook Marketplace, or on the side of the road.

You’ll want to look for relatively good-quality furniture, but you can repair it to create the perfect piece.

Take before and after pictures

Flipping old furniture usually requires some marketing to sell it. That means you need to take some before pictures of the piece to show what it looked like before you gave it new life.

After you finish, you’ll want to take some well-lit pictures that provide a perfect example of how someone might use the new furniture in their house.

You can also record a video of yourself sanding, applying paint, and performing other repairs.

Repair the furniture

You’ll want to develop a style or signature touch that separates your furniture. This could be a particular finish, color palette, or design element.

How to create painted furniture

One of the trends that a lot of people love is painted furniture. You just sand the original finish off the wood, add a little paint, and maybe change the hardware, and it’s ready for a resell.

How to flip a dresser

Dressers are one of the more challenging flips because they have drawers. If the drawers aren’t in working condition, your dresser flip will require replacing hardware, which will add to the cost of your dresser makeover.

Other than that, the procedure is the same as different furniture makeovers and flips.

How to flip couches

Flipping a couch is entirely different than most furniture makeovers. You will most likely be working with fabric or leather instead of (or in addition to) wood. That means you’ll need additional tools.

Most couch-flipping blogs focus on finding sellers, buying the couch cheap, and cleaning it up.

You might also consider reupholstering couches if you can get them for a steal. Check out Family Handyman’s reupholstering guide for couch-flipping tips.

Now that you know how to flip a couch, let’s discuss finding a buyer.

Step #5. Establish the price

When you establish your asking price, you’ll want to consider your material costs, time you spent, and desired profit margin.

Jennifer prices her items based on market value, the time the flip takes, and the cost of the materials. Her profit margins tend to be higher when she sources the furniture herself.

She usually does 12 pieces per month, nine of which are her selections, while the other three are commissioned. She makes about $1,000 per piece.

Step #6. Create a sales strategy

Decide where you’ll sell your refurbished furniture. Venues could include online marketplaces, your website, local consignment shops, or even your own showroom.

Jennifer mainly uses word of mouth to make money flipping furniture, but she includes social media in the “word of mouth” category. She explained that she didn’t know much about how to make money flipping furniture when she started:

Fortunately, you can learn from her mistakes before you start flipping furniture. Learn how she markets her business now.

Step #7. Market your furniture flips

There are many ways to market your work. Jennifer uses two main methods. To follow her path, you’ll want to develop an online presence and get referrals to sell your work.

Create an online presence

You’ll want to build a website and create profiles on social media platforms. Check out all of Saved by Design’s web assets.

Jennifer’s website uses a simple one-page design, but she also does a lot on social media. She told us:

It should be noted that Jennifer has other streams of revenue, including:

• Consultations: Jennifer advises people on how to flip furniture for a rate of $100 per hour with a 15-minute minimum.
• Affiliate links: She also sells products to paint furniture on Amazon using affiliate links. Learn more about affiliate marketing.
• Etsy: Jennifer also makes additional revenue by selling gallons of paint on Etsy. The colors for painted furniture range from neutral shades to bright yellow and Tuscan red.

Word of mouth requires a great product and excellent customer service, which we’ll discuss next.

Get referrals

You can get referrals by handing out business cards, asking for customer reviews, or running an affiliate program. The goal is to get people who have already benefited from your furniture flip services to spread the word (which means you have to do a good job).

Step #8. Provide excellent customer service

Customer service can make or break companies. Jennifer explained how to flip furniture and provide excellent customer service. She started with a little about her history:

Jennifer explained that she takes this approach from the first time someone reaches out to her about a project. She’ll use an email or script that says:

Something as simple as that helps build trust with customers, even if she has to reject certain requests. She explained:

In the rare instance that Jennifer has an issue after completing an order, she has an excellent way to handle that, too!

Sometimes, that just isn’t enough, and you must be more creative. Jennifer explained:

Another piece of customer service Jennifer and her daughter employ is personally delivering the furniture themselves, further building a relationship with the customer.

Step #9. Keep detailed records of each furniture flip

As a small business owner, you must track expenses and income. When flipping furniture for profit, make sure to document:

1. The cost of the furniture piece.
2. The mileage to pick up and deliver it.
3. The time it takes you to do the makeover.
4. The cost of paint, varnish, and anything else went into the redesign.

Use accounting software, like QuickBooks, to track income, expenses, and payroll. You might also want an accountant to help you automate your record-keeping and audit your books quarterly.

Step #10. Reinvest in the business

You’ll want to expand your business as you go. This may mean investing in more tools, moving into a store, advertising, hiring employees, or adding new revenue streams.

However you decide to expand your business, Jennifer recommends reinvesting profits. She told us how she handled hers:

Pro Tip: You can make a profit, and a business still fails. Imagine your cost of running a business is $2K per month. You make $3K per month, but your living expenses are $5K monthly. Are you paying all your bills? Nope. When calculating the cost of doing business, include your cost of living by adding up all your bills and multiplying by 2.5.

How much can you make flipping furniture?

The sky is the limit. People spend over $243.8 billion annually on furniture, with an average of $767 per person. That means there is plenty of room for you to expand, especially if you focus on living room furniture.

The most significant percentage of the spending is on living room furniture, like coffee tables, end tables, and couches.

When is the best time to buy furniture?

The best time to buy furniture from a store is during the end of the summer or winter seasons because that is when retailers shift their stock the most. During those times, you are likely to save money.

What is the best way to find free furniture near me?

If you hope to find free furniture to make extraordinary profits, you should look at online marketplaces. While you can sometimes find free pieces on the side of the road, people moving will often include words like “sold immediately” in posts that you can find with an easy search.

Valuable resources for furniture flippers

• Furniture Flipping Teacher: Want to take a course on furniture flipping? Blogs typically recommend Furniture Flipping Teacher. We have not audited the course to see if it is applicable. We suggest watching their YouTube videos first.
• Dave Does Carpentry: Check out the YouTube channel on carpentry.
• Home Depot: Home Depot does lots of DIY videos.
• Business book: Try reading Jennifer’s favorite business book, Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey

Start flipping furniture yourself

Now you know how to start furniture flipping. It’s up to you to create creative ideas that will look amazing in people’s homes. Then find people who want the redecorated furniture. What kind of furniture revamps have you done?