Some people prefer to buy secondhand beds. George Doyle/Stockbyte/Getty Images Most people buy furniture at some point in their lives, but it can be quite pricey. To save money, many consumers opt to buy used furniture that is still in good shape--as long as it is functional and looks nice, it can be difficult to tell a new piece of furniture from secondhand merchandise. Selling secondhand furniture can be a good way to make extra money on a full- or part-time basis, but before jumping into this business, there are many things you will need to do. Determine the niche for your secondhand furniture store business--doing so will allow you to target a specific customer base and not worry about stocking a huge amount of furniture. For instance, you can specialize in children's furniture, vintage pieces, upscale and name-brand furniture or bedroom sets. Get the permits and licenses needed to operate a retail business in your state. Depending on where you live, this may include an assumed name certificate, resale permit, sales tax permit or Employer Identification Number (EIN).

Your local small business development center or Small Business Administration office can inform you of what documentation is required. Rent or purchase a truck or trailer to haul your inventory and contact your state's department of transportation to see if you will need a commercial driver license for your business. If you plan to use a warehouse, you can leave your truck there; otherwise, you should also make plans to find a parking space or garage for your vehicle. Lease or buy a warehouse or retail storefront for your secondhand furniture store. If your store will be open to the public four or more days per week, it is best to get a building that is zoned for retail activity. If you plan to only be open a few days each week, a warehouse may be more suitable and less expensive. But you will have to work a bit harder to advertise your business since you will not have the advantage of foot traffic. Source inventory for your store. There are many ways you can obtain merchandise, including the following: placing online and print classified ads seeking gently used furniture;

attending storage auctions, garage and estate sales; accepting pieces from customers and the public for consignment. Establish operating hours, policies and procedures for your secondhand furniture store. For instance, you can offer free delivery or charge a fee, create a return policy or set hours for those who wish to stop by and sell their furniture to you. Organize your merchandise in a safe, logical manner, ensuring you leave plenty of space for customers to walk around. Arctic Cat 700 Super Duty Diesel Top SpeedFor example, living room furniture could be in one area, dining room furniture in another and accessories, such as mirrors and lamps, can be displayed on wall shelves. Puppies For Sale LondonderryPromote your furniture store. Bobcat And Truck Combo For Sale

List your store in online and print business directories, launch an informational website, open social networking accounts, consider buying radio ads or place fliers in complementary businesses, such as home decor shops, storage facilities and home improvement stores. Contact the interior designers, decorators, home-stagers and realtors in your area and let them know about your secondhand furniture store--these professionals regularly buy furniture in their line of work. It is also a good idea to give them a discount on anything they purchase to encourage repeat business. Warning References Entrepreneur Business Idea Center: Used Furniture StoreFamily Time: How to Sell Used Furniture Photo Credits George Doyle/Stockbyte/Getty Images Suggest an Article Correction 18th Street 16-Piece Dinnerware Set Modern and restrained in form, expressive and rustic in glaze. The artisan's hand is authentically reproduced in this stoneware pattern designed exclusively for Crate and Barrel by ceramic artist and designer Kathy Erteman at her 18th Street studio in New York City.

A contemporary matte black exterior contrasts the rustic beauty of a shiny, speckled white glazed interior ringed with the subtly raised spiral associated with hand-thrown pieces. A raised clay rim features a sandy glaze that evokes the feel of exposed terra cotta. To capture the artisan look of this dinnerware, Erteman modeled prototypes to true scale by hand with her original glazes as reference for production. In the words of the designer, "When making tableware, I consider design and the rigors of daily use. The spirit of my hand in these pieces is modest, to harmonize with and act as a support to the prepared ingredients." 18th Street 16-Piece Dinnerware Set: four 4-piece place settings. StonewareDishwasher-, microwave- and oven-safe to 300 degreesMade in Thailand We offer many types of pillow stuffing for projects such as pillows, teddy bears, and more. These do-it-yourself hard to find components will help you create the perfect product.Be sure to visit our lining fabric page for proper fabrics to use with each pillow stuffing.

Pillow stuffing made from small curled polyester fiber is sometimes referred to as a "down alternative." These tight little balls of polyester fiber make excellent pillow stuffing. This is a loose fiber great for making pillows, "fake snow", and is fine for use inside or outside. 1 pound fills 1 cubic foot.Cushion stuffing is done by adding cluster fiber to your existing back cushions. Use this cushion stuffing to fill flattened back couch cushions. Simply unzip the case and then slit a small hole in the worn out back cushion channels and then use this cushion stuffing fiber to refill each channel. We offer this service. You may simply bring them in and we charge a flat labor of $20 plus however many pounds of stuffing are required. Please allow a few hours for us to do this. Scrap Polyester Pillow Stuffing Scraps of polyester batting that can be used to fill any large sacks or products. It's the least expensive pillow stuffing you can buy. Shipping charges can be more than the product costs.

1 pound fills 1 cubic foot. Shredded Foam Pillow Stuffing This pillow stuffing is light weight. A few pounds goes a long way. Made from new scraps of polyurethane foam. Perfect for restuffing a bean bag chair. 1.5 pounds fill 1 cubic foot. Please note: The 25-pound bag of shredded foam includes shredded foam skins/crusts. Shredded Memory Foam Pillow Stuffing This pillow stuffing is much heavier than shredded foam. Its conforming quality makes it unique for teddy bears. 4 pounds fill 1 cubic foot. Shredded 100% Natural Latex Pillow Stuffing This pillow stuffing is made by shredding 100% natural latex foam. 100% cotton batting makes great pillow stuffing. It's a heavy weight material; Batting is approximately 3/4" thick and 27" wide. Just cut with scissors or rip with your hands and fold square to get your ideal thickness and firmness, then you're ready to stuff it into its case. Not for use outside. Kapok is a 100% natural and organic pillow stuffing.

This natural fiber is found inside the seeds of the kapok tree. It is super soft and silky. It's a hollow fiber and was once used as the pillow stuffing inside old school orange life saver vests. This is an ideal pillow stuffing for making outdoor cushions and pillows. For outdoor applications, use our non-woven lining or 100% polyester material. Cotton blends will mold outdoors. 2 pounds fill one cubic foot. Organic Wool Pillow Stuffing Easily make wool pillows such as our wool bed pillows by folding organic wool batting and stuffing the case with the folded batting. This is wonderful certified organic pillow stuffing. It is 88" wide and approximately 2" thick. It will easily compress to 1/2" with pressure. It weighs approximately 2.54 lbs/yd or 1.85 oz/sqft. Organic Wool with Organic Cotton Backing This is organic wool batting with organic cotton muslin attached to one side. Wool Scraps Pillow Stuffing Silky soft organic wool batting scraps also make excellent pillow stuffing.

Wool Scraps with Cotton Fabric Organic cotton/muslin wool pillow stuffing scraps are the same as above but with organic cotton fabric still stitched to the wool. These scraps come from the organic mattresses that we make. You can cut the fabric off yourself and save money. Down and Feather Pillow Stuffing Build your own down pillows and cushions. Buy grey duck or white goose down feathers by the pound (1 lb = 0.45 kg), or save even more by buying a full bag of down (18 lbs = 8.2 kg, 20 lbs = 9.1 kg).Pillow stuffing with down and feathers is soft and wonderful. Since geese and ducks are mostly covered in feathers, the higher the down percentage the greater the pillow stuffing cost. The greater the down percentage the less likely feathers will be able to leak and poke through. You can always expect some leakage with down and feather blends. You just get less leakage with higher down percent. We recommend at least 25/75 gray duck or better. If you prefer white goose, we recommend the blend 50/50.