Calculate Costs, Research Markets, and Set Margins: A Guide to Pricing Upcycled Furniture for Top Dollar
Upcycling and refurbishing old furniture into new creations is growing in popularity. This sustainable method gives new life to old pieces. However, knowing how to properly price upcycled furniture items can be challenging. Set prices too high, and sales will be slow. Set the price too low and profit margins suffer.
So what is the best way to price upcycled furniture pieces?
The most effective pricing approach involves carefully calculating your costs, researching fair market values, setting reasonable markups, and competitively aligning with comparable listings. Adjustments may be needed over time based on sales patterns and feedback.
This comprehensive guide will provide tips on calculating costs, researching pricing, setting profitable margins, and competitively aligning prices. Follow these best practices to optimize pricing for maximum profits on upcycled furniture.
Carefully Calculate Your All-In Costs
The very first step in pricing any upcycled furniture piece is tallying up precisely what you have invested in acquiring and restoring the item. Be sure to factor in:
Purchase Price
- What you originally paid for the piece (if sourced secondhand)
- Delivery fees if applicable
- Any taxes on the purchase
Supply Costs
- Refinishing supplies like paint, stain, brushes, rollers, sandpaper, etc.
- Hardware like knobs, pulls, hinges, screws, etc.
- New wood, glass, tile, upholstery materials, etc.
- Equipment rentals or purchases like sanders, saws, clamps, etc.
Labor Costs
- Your time spent refinishing at an hourly dollar rate
- Assistance from subcontractors like upholsterers
Keeping extremely detailed records on every upcycling project is crucial here. Use apps like Freshbooks or QuickBooks for tracking hours, invoices, expenses, and payments. Break costs down by materials and labor per piece. Know exactly what you have invested so you can aim to recoup those costs and turn a healthy profit.
Online reclaimed furniture pricing calculators can help crunch the numbers. Plug in your total costs for the piece, then input your desired markup percentage to calculate a minimum pricing threshold to cover expenses and earn income. But typically doubling or tripling costs is just the starting point…
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Conduct Thorough Market and Retail Value Research
In addition to covering your costs, you’ll want to price your upcycled furniture competitively within the current market demand. Here are some tips for researching current fair pricing ranges:
Check Sold Listings
Review the sold and completed listings for comparable refinished or upcycled furniture pieces on sites like eBay, Etsy, Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, etc. Filter specifically for sold/completed listings only, and those in your local geographic area whenever possible.
This shows you what pricing levels actually converted to sales recently for similar upcycled items, which provides a solid baseline for competitive pricing.
Join Reselling Discussion Groups
For market insights, join reseller discussion groups and forums. Post questions asking experienced resellers what pricing has been working on comparable upcycled pieces. Peruse existing threads for advice.
Groups like the Reseller Lounge on Facebook have over 75,000 members openly sharing insights. Connecting with these communities provides real-time market pricing intel.
Research Retail Brand Values
If you are upcycling and refinishing a genuine antique, vintage or name brand designer piece, do some research on typical resale values. Look up the current and historical retail pricing ranges for that specific furniture brand, line and model using market valuation sites like Chairish.
This gives you insight into the inherent baseline value and demand to factor into pricing. Don’t undervalue rare designer finds.
Ask Local Resellers
Network locally and pick the brains of owners of reuse boutiques, vintage shops and antique dealers in your area. Ask what pricing levels they suggest for pieces similar to what you upcycle based on their local market experience and typical resale margins.
Related articles:
- How to Start an Upcycling Furniture Business From Home
- 10 Best Places To Buy Old Furniture To Upcycle
Set Pricing Markups and Profit Margins
Armed with your cost data and market research, you can now strategically set your pricing markups and profit margin targets.
“Popular industry guidance has typically been to double or triple your costs as a 100–200% markup baseline. However, many professional resellers actually price upcycled and refurbished furniture even higher, at quadruple to sextuple their costs, to earn hefty 200–500% profit margins.”
Building in larger markups gives you more flexibility to run sales and promotions or negotiate on pricing with interested buyers. Buyers also tend to perceive higher price points as conveying more value and quality.
The ultimate income upside depends on the costs you invest. For example:
- A $50 dresser purchased from a thrift store for $50 in materials to upcycle at a 400% markup would retail around $250 for 400% gross profit.
- Whereas that same $50 dresser purchased for $5 at a garage sale then upcycled with $50 materials could retail around $250 for 1000% gross profit at a 500% markup.
Price Competitively Within Current Market Rates
When setting your refinished furniture price points, you’ll want to align closely with current fair market rates – competitive but not drastically under or overpriced. Some tips:
Browse Comparable Listings
Frequently browse the current listings for similar upcycled and vintage revived furniture pieces within your local market. Check Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, eBay, Etsy, etc. Compare your pricing to these active listings, adjusting to stay competitive.
Match Your Market Positioning
Consider where you want your furniture to be positioned in the market in terms of perceived value. Pricing high can work well if you target a higher-end clientele focused on unique designs, premium materials, and flawless execution.
Price lower to target buyers wanting an affordable, clean look on a budget. Align pricing with your brand’s image and audience.
Run Promotional Sales
To attract buyers, periodically run limited-time sales, marking your prices down 20–25%. This converts fence sitters and clears older inventory. Just ensure your base pricing builds in enough margin to profit even at discounted sale price points.
Factor in Additional Services
When establishing pricing, start by determining a base price that covers the refinished furniture piece itself along with standard local delivery within 10-20 miles.
Then establish additional charges for further services based on time, materials, and mileage:
- Long-distance delivery beyond 20+ miles
- Installation like hanging lighting or assembling items
- Photography and excellent listing presentation
- Rentals for events, sets, or commercial settings
- Custom builds, modifications, or upholstery add-ons
Clearly detail what is included in the base price and outline your pricing for premium add-on services like these when advertising inventory. This avoids confusion and provides buyers with full transparency on costs. Be sure to factor in the time and costs involved in your rates.
Adjust Pricing Strategy Over Time
Be prepared to continually tweak and adjust your pricing approaches over time as you build experience and sales data. Here are some strategies to try:
Price Test
If pieces aren’t garnering buyer interest at your listed price points, systematically adjust down by increments of 5–10% until interest is sparked. Just make sure you don’t go so low that you lose money.
Analyze Sales Data
Track pricing and sales data over time. Look at which specific price points your items actually sell for after negotiations or promotions. Watch for patterns that reveal the ideal amounts to drive conversions.
Offer Flexible Discounts
Be open to offering one-time discounts in exchange for buyers willing to pick up items themselves or pay cash upfront rather than finance. Discounts off listed prices also help push hesitant buyers to decide.
Maximize Profits Long-Term
Avoid the temptation to price gouge in the short term when sourcing ultra-low-cost pieces. Keep long-term profitability in mind. If you overload buyers with high prices when supply is limited, it can damage customer perceptions of value over the long term.
Key Takeaways for Pricing Upcycled Furniture
In summary, the key to optimal upcycled furniture pricing is aligning closely with what buyers in your local market are actively willing to pay. Pricing too high will stall sales. But pricing too low will leave profits on the table.
Carefully calculate all your costs first. Research comparable prices locally. Aim for at least a 100% markup, but 200–500% is often possible. Routinely check other local listings, adjusting prices to stay competitive. Be open to discounts to incentivize buyers.
With the right pricing sweet spot, upcycling and reselling refurbished furniture can be highly lucrative. Use these tips to maximize profits on your unique creations. Armed with this pricing playbook, it’s time to start selling your upcycled furnishings successfully.
