Guide to Buying Furniture on Etsy – Why you should try it!

Did you know that Etsy is an online marketplace that is like shopping at your local flea market? It is a good place to find ton of furniture and the prices are affordable. Buying furniture that an Etsy seller has made or repurposed is a great way to add handmade items or vintage pieces to your own home.

I was recently on the hunt for something to use for a TV stand. I looked at every web site where I like to shop for living room furniture, but I didn’t find anything I wanted to buy.

When I tried out a virtual design company, Modsy Design, see my review in a previous post, one of the furniture choices I liked was the wood TV stand they suggested from Pottery Barn. I liked everything but the price, which was $2,000. I’m not ready to drop that kind of cash on any piece of furniture right now.

I went in search of something similar to this:

I was cooped up in a hotel room so I had plenty of time to search on Wayfair, Overstock, Target, Ikea, West Elm, CB2 and more. Then I had a light bulb moment.

I searched google for exactly what I wanted “aged black tv console” and “painted black Media cabinet”. Several Etsy shops showed up with similar items but the products were more unique than my favorite furniture stores that sell only new furniture. It turns out Etsy is one of the best places to find unique home decor, vintage items and distinctive pieces of furniture.

What I found when I searched on Etsy

I started searching directly on Etsy for “painted wood furniture” and so many incredible stores came up. Here’s what shocked me:

1. I contacted sellers and shocker, the shop owner emailed me back within an hour. A real person who actually offered to answer any more questions and responded within minutes.
2. Many of them offered free shipping.
3. The shop that didn’t ship free came back with shipping quotes to my zip code immediately. The piece I bought was expensive to ship BUT the piece itself was 60% less than the piece I wanted from Pottery Barn.
4. You can find ONE OF A KIND, vintage furniture, handmade furniture and made-to-order items without paying one of a kind prices. These days when you search on Wayfair you may find the same exact pieces on other web sites. It is possible on Etsy to find furniture that no one else will have.

How to Find Reputable Sellers and Etsy

First, the best way to find exactly what you are looking for is to put in the style of the furniture piece plus the type of furniture in the search bar when you are in home & living. For example, farmhouse coffee table, mid-century dresser or modern coffee table.

Second, once you find a piece you like, click through to the sellers “store”. Are there lots of things for sale, which would tell you they know how to ship furniture?

Third, you should look at the seller’s reviews. I don’t recommend buying a large pieces from a seller with only one or two reviews or even one or two items for sale. It’s a good idea to go for someone who has at least 20 reviews because not everyone leaves reviews so you know this person has sold a fair number of pieces.

For example, I bought my first piece from RedheadRefinishings. I looked at her reviews and they were all amazing. She also clearly had sold a lot of furniture, not just one or two pieces.

Here are a few other sellers I found that looked like places I would be comfortable buying a large piece of furniture. If your style is not the same as mine try putting a keyword in front that matches what you are looking for like industrial, midcentury or modern furniture.

Farmhouse Style Sellers

VintageMillWerks – They have many pieces that are “farmhouse” or rustic and over 440 reviews.

ColorfulHomeDesigns – They have 132 good reviews and they’ve been on Etsy since 2012. You can also request a custom order. If you are looking for something specific you can tell them and they will try to find a similar item and refinish to your specifications.

Eclecitichomeliving – They have furniture and art (not a fan of the art) and over 126 great reviews.

Mid-Century Sellers

Modernmidcenturyfurn – This seller has 89 good reviews and over 400 sales of furniture on Etsy since 2012.

Fishintheatticstudio – This seller has 185 good reviews.

How Much Does it Cost To Ship A Coffee Table?

You might find that the cost to ship furniture on Etsy is high compared to a web site like Wayfair. That’s because they build the cost of shipping into the cost of the item. If you shop on Etsy you have to compare the total cost of your purchase (the piece plus the shipping) to what you will find on other sites.

I could go on, but I must stop shopping on Etsy and get to work. Have you bought furniture on Etsy? What was your experience like?