Can I Still Sell Furniture? Using AI to Stage My Furniture Flips — prettydistressed (2024)

I’m back with an exciting challenge: flipping furniture for profit on Facebook Marketplace after taking a year-long break. If you’ve been following me on YouTube, you know I’ve been giving furniture makeovers since 2014. However, last year, I stopped selling my furniture flips because YouTube became my main source of income. I have a whole video about that if you want to check it out. I got burned out from constantly flipping and selling furniture, so I started donating my pieces to local shops and friends.

Fast forward to this year—I slowed down on furniture flips and experimented with other types of content. I had three unfinished projects sitting in my garage. So, I decided to challenge myself: can I still sell furniture on Facebook Marketplace after a year off? And if so, what has changed in the year I’ve been away? Here’s my journey back into the world of furniture flipping, complete with tips on how to make your furniture more marketable and how to use AI to make the process easier!

The New Age of Selling: AI Staging Tools

One significant change since I last sold furniture is the rise of AI in staging. In the past, I hauled my furniture into the house, positioned it against a well-lit wall, and took photos. While this worked, it was time-consuming. I had to move my kitchen table out of the way, and my husband had to help me move the furniture, which wasn’t ideal. As I started flipping a piece every week, we created a faux wall in the garage with flooring options to make the pieces look like they were staged in a real home.

But let’s be honest—staging still took too long, and I often overthought it. Enter AI staging tools! Now, you can stage your furniture virtually with apps like PhotoRoom or even for free on Instagram Stories. It takes some time to get the perfect look, and sometimes the AI adds weird details like extra legs, but with enough tweaking, you can get a great result without having to physically stage the piece.

Creating Engaging Listings on Facebook Marketplace

To make your furniture more appealing to buyers, I recommend creating a quick vertical video to share in your listing. Facebook Marketplace seems to favor listings with videos, and I think it helps potential buyers visualize what the piece will look like in real life. The staging doesn’t have to be overly complicated—just get tight shots of the drawers, hardware, legs, and top of the furniture. Keep the video short, around 15-20 seconds, and add a quick voiceover or some background music.

For listing, I still use Facebook Marketplace because it’s the easiest place to research who is buying from you. You can check out their profile to see if they are a real person, see if you have friends in common, and review their Marketplace rating. If a profile looks new or lacks information, I usually skip that offer, even if it’s for full asking price. Safety first!

What’s Changed in the Market?

Not much has changed in how I list my furniture to sell online, but I noticed a few shifts in buyer behavior. I always repost my listings to local for-sale groups because most of my buyers come from there. It’s essential to use good keywords in your title and description to help the right buyers find you. You can also pay to boost your listing to reach more people, but I prefer not to spend extra money on ads since my profit margins are already tight.

The Results: What I Sold and for How Much

Let’s dive into the details of the three furniture flips I recently sold:

1. Flip #1: The Green Desk

   • This little desk had been sitting in my attic for a while. I decided to give it a makeover with a beautiful deep green color and updated hardware. I staged it in the garage and also created some AI shots to show how it would look in a child’s room. I listed the desk for $150 and sold it in 4 days! Since I got the desk for free and only invested in the hardware and wallpaper, my profit was $105.

2. Flip #2: The Blue Buffet

   • This blue buffet was a hit on YouTube, garnering over 1.2 million views! I figured it would be easy to sell because of its popularity and versatility. I used AI to stage it as a changing table, bar, coffee bar, or entryway piece. It sold in 6 days after I dropped the price from $399 to $350. I paid $50 for this hutch, and after factoring in the cost of the wallpaper and hardware, I made a profit of $260.

3. Flip #3: The Solid Wood Dresser

   • I overpaid for this dresser, buying it for $200 during a thrift store trip. It’s a solid wood piece without veneer, which is rare. I listed it for $899 but had to relist it at $699 after little interest. Even then, it took some time to sell, but I eventually found a buyer.

Pricing Tips and Final Thoughts

When it comes to pricing furniture, I’ve moved away from the spreadsheet method I used when I first started flipping. Now, I rely on my experience and knowledge of the local market in Tennessee. I compare current listings and inventory to come up with a fair market value. It’s essential to be realistic in pricing—don’t aim to be the most expensive, but also don’t undersell your work.

If you’re currently flipping furniture and selling successfully, I’d love to hear what’s working for you. Share your tips and experiences in the comments, and who knows, maybe we can collaborate on a future video!

Thanks for following along on my journey back into furniture flipping. Whether you’re a seasoned flipper or just starting, I hope you found these insights helpful. If you would like to watch the full conversation on my YouTube channel- you can find that here.

Until next time, happy flipping!