Sell the furniture you do not want to move

The desk fits the room you have. It may not fit the room you are moving to—or the van you have booked. A clear-out is easier to manage when you decide what can leave before packing takes over.

Start with one piece you know you will not need: a desk, a side table or a set of shelves. Your job is to help the next owner decide whether it will work in their home and whether they can collect it.

Measure the thing, then the way out

Give the overall width, depth and height in centimetres. For a desk, add the space underneath if drawers or a fixed shelf reduce the room for a chair. For shelving, an inside shelf measurement can be more useful than the outside width alone.

Then look at the collection route. Does the furniture need to come down stairs? Is there a tight turn or a narrow doorway? State what the buyer will encounter without posting your exact home address publicly.

If a piece can be dismantled, check the manufacturer's instructions or the actual fixings before promising it. Agree who will do the work and have the right tools ready. Put screws and fittings in a labelled bag that travels with the item.

Show the details that save a wasted journey

Photograph the whole piece in decent light, then its surfaces, corners and any marks. Open a drawer for one photograph if that shows its condition. A close-up of a scratch is useful alongside a wider picture that shows where it is.

Keep the description specific. “Used” tells a buyer very little. “Small scratch on the top, shown in the fourth photo; drawers open and close” gives them something to assess. Only include those details if they are true of your item.

Be equally clear about the sale: desk only, or desk and chair? Shelves with storage boxes, or without them? Remove unrelated objects from the main photograph where possible.

Make the collection plan part of the advert

Here is an example structure to adapt with your own facts:

White desk, 120cm wide × 60cm deep × 74cm high. Small mark on the back corner, shown in the photos. Desk only; chair not included. Ground-floor collection from [town or neighbourhood]. Legs can be removed using the original fixings. Collection available [your actual times].

This is a writing example, not a real listing or a suggested item value. Measure your own furniture and describe the collection arrangements you can genuinely offer.

Ask the buyer to check their vehicle and the space at their end. If the item needs more than one person to move it, say so before they travel. Do not promise help lifting unless you can provide it.

Choose a price and a deadline

Compare similar furniture where you can, allowing for size, condition and the effort of collecting it. The price you paid new is background information; it does not establish today's second-hand value. Other adverts show what sellers are asking, rather than proof of a completed sale.

Decide which matters most for this item: the amount you receive, keeping it until the last minute, or having it gone comfortably before moving day. That decision helps you respond consistently to an offer.

Set a review date while you still have alternatives. If selling stops being worthwhile, decide whether you want to keep it, offer it free or arrange an appropriate donation. Confirm that the recipient can accept and collect it before relying on that plan.

Keep the address private until you agree collection

Place Keys lets you show your town or neighbourhood publicly and discuss the details in account messages. Check the listing rules, and share the full collection address privately once the arrangement is agreed.

Let the buyer inspect the furniture before payment and follow the local-sale guidance. The collection record lets you both confirm the handover; it does not process or verify the payment.

Ready to make some room? Gather the measurements and photographs, then start a home and furniture listing. Aim to have a workable collection plan as well as a price.