Where to Sell, Donate, and Get Rid of Furniture in NYC

Everyone (well, mostly everyone!) likes to update furnishings in their Glenwood apartment from time to time. Whether it involves updating seasonal decor or swapping out pieces of furniture to compliment your design theme, you may find yourself wondering what to do with unused pieces of furniture. Follow along as we explore where to sell, donate, or get rid of furniture in New York City!

Selling Unwanted Furniture: AptDeco

To put a twist on a popular cliché… One person’s used sofa is another person’s perfect find! AptDeco is a dream site for New Yorkers. You can list your unwanted pieces on the site, and once they have sold, the company will pick up and deliver your items in any in of the five boroughs.

This is ideal for New Yorkers everywhere between the East Side and West Side of Manhattan, as most of us don’t own a truck large enough for moving things. Along with letting you list your pieces for free at a price you feel happy with, AptDeco has insured delivery and a coordinated payment process – directly depositing earnings in a few business days. You can also schedule the pick-up and delivery times, making it work for both the buyer and seller!

Delivery fees are straightforward: $35 for small items, $65 for medium (like a couch), and $119 for extra large items, such as a vintage china cabinet.

Donate Your Furniture with Free Pickup: Housing Works

Another New York City based company, Housing Works, is a non-profit fighting the twin crises of AIDS and homelessness. Among their many services, they offer free pickup for furniture donations, which they then sell to raise money for their charity. Not only are you getting a bulky piece of furniture out of your home for free, but you have the added benefit of knowing you are supporting a local good cause that directly impacts your community!

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NYC Apartment Moving Checklist

So you decided to move to the Big Apple, eh? Congrats, and welcome to the city! Your first order of business is to find a place to live. Keep our apartment moving checklist close at hand to easy your search!

To Dispose of Your Furniture: Department of Sanitation

If you don’t want to take the time to try and sell or donate your furniture, New Yorkers have the free and somewhat convenient option of leaving large items on the curb for the city’s Department of Sanitation to pick up. As you’ve probably noticed walking around the city on garbage day, anything can be left curbside for the collectors to scoop up and carry away. However, before you start hauling things curbside, a few rules need to be followed to prevent any fines:

• Make sure items are on the curb on the correct day – otherwise you’re at risk of facing a fine from your building and the city. Collection days can be found based on your address here. You’re allowed to place items on the curb as early as the night before pickup, after 4pm.
• Be aware of any special instructions for what you’re disposing. The most important is that mattresses need to be fully enclosed within a sealed plastic bag. You can find special instructions for how to correctly dispose of all items from batteries to books, here.
• While it’s free to dispose of your items curbside, you still need to figure out a way to get it there! Many of Glenwood’s buildings have staff who may lend a helping hand on their personal time. This is not part of their job, so it can’t be done during their working hours.

Work out a “tip” in advance for their assistance, and make sure your renter’s insurance covers injuries and damage in the (however unlikely) event something happens.

Or, you can find a freelancer on a site like TaskRabbit, a site which lets you hire people directly for a specific job you have and pay an hourly rate. Again, make sure you renter’s insurance covers any damage or accidents.

Good To Know

Check with your building manager, and see if the requirements for moving a few pieces of furniture in/out are the same as when you moved in. For one, you’ll need to check to see if you need to reserve an elevator. Second, see if the building requires the charity or service moving the pieces out of your unit to have insurance, similar to what moving companies have when doing a job. If so, alert the company in advance. Without it, you could be held liable for any damage they may cause.

Are you redecorating or reorganizing your NYC apartment this season? How will you get rid of unwanted furniture? Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter to share ideas!