Consignment or Craigslist?

[Truckman]

We're moving next month into a smaller place, and we need to get rid of some of our furniture. Just wondering which route may be better. Just on the $$ side, certainly Craigslist since our local consignment place takes 50% of the sale price, and the sale price drops considerably every 30 days it's there. However, they come and take it, and it's out of our way while we're packing up. And we won't have to do anything as far as pics, arranging showings, etc...

For the mustache record, we're saving $200 in rent, and our utilities should be cut in 1/2 at least, if not as much as 2/3!

[Bruised_Pepper]

Craigslist is a little more work, but remember that individuals don't have strong knowledge of the secondary market for goods, thus you'll likely be able to charge more.  Maybe even a little more than what is fair, depending on how you feel about that sort of thing.

In my experience, small furniture doesn't do well on Craigslist.  If you've got couches, arm chairs, bed frames, etc. I'd try to sell there.  Maybe just take your end tables to the consignment shop. 

By the way, are you moving closer to your work?? 

[Truckman]

Craigslist is a little more work, but remember that individuals don't have strong knowledge of the secondary market for goods, thus you'll likely be able to charge more.  Maybe even a little more than what is fair, depending on how you feel about that sort of thing.

In my experience, small furniture doesn't do well on Craigslist.  If you've got couches, arm chairs, bed frames, etc. I'd try to sell there.  Maybe just take your end tables to the consignment shop. 

By the way, are you moving closer to your work??

OK, thanks for the advice. That sort of thing doesn't usually bother me, I don't force anyone to buy.  No, not moving any closer to work. That's not going to happen. However, I have started car-pooling, and saved $50 in gas this week!  Currently looking for a beater commuter car that'll get me good gas mileage, too. Currently driving a 16mpg Jeep brick with a windsail. And in January my schedule will change cutting my commute in half.  So, if everything aligns as planned, I'll be cutting my fuel bill by 7/8! (if I did the math right)

[NataliaDuma]

You can probably sort out what you could send to the consignment shop and what you could send to Craiglist. Not everything does well in Craiglist and consignment shops like there are specific items that are usually bought from those. So for me one way to make money from those items from your house is through sorting them.

[Kaikou]

Try offer up too.

[ShaneD]

Consignment is easier but less lucrative; Craigslist is more lucrative but more work. (Mostly fielding the jerks and scammers.)

Which is more valuable to you right now: money or time?

We're moving in a few months as well. We chose money for some things, time for others. Once we get down to the wire, though, we'll switch over to time for anything that wouldn't cost extra to move with us and sell later.

[Dicey]

I've used both extensively, plus I know how to organize a very profitable estate sale. CL takes time, which is at a premium in your life right now. I find that consignment stores can often command a higher price, so my half is often close to what CL might net me, without the hassle. Interesting that your consignment store will pick up your stuff free. That is not done around here. I do notice that my store looks things up on the internet to determine the most competitive prices. They also have a regular clientele base.

Once we consigned a glass table and chrome director's chairs that were my MIL's and probably came from a garage sale somewhere. I thought they priced it too high, but figured, "What the hell?". After a week, they called and asked if they could sell just the four (mismatched) chairs. The guy was willing to pay almost as much for the chairs as the whole set. We happily said yes. The table never sold. It was donated to Habitat for Humanity and we received a receipt. Our half of the proceeds from just the chairs was more than we ever would have considered listing the set on CL for. If the guy hadn't seen the chairs in person, there's no way he would have spent that much on them. Win-win.