Your options, ranked by speed

1. The SA Thrift deal board — free, local, today. Post your piece in minutes, no fees, no algorithm — your listing goes straight to San Antonians hunting deals. Posting is free, and furniture moves fastest here because buyers are already in hunting mode. Best for: everything from IKEA to solid wood.

2. Facebook Marketplace. The biggest buyer pool in town. More eyeballs, more flakes — expect "is this available?" messages from people who will never show up. Best for: mid-range pieces where volume of buyers matters. Meet in public or have someone home with you.

3. Consignment shops. They sell it for you and take a cut (usually 40–60%). Slower, but zero effort — drop off, wait for a check. Best for: quality brand-name or vintage pieces worth the wait. Call ahead: most are picky about what they accept.

4. Estate sale companies. If you're clearing a whole house, not a couch, an estate sale company runs the entire sale for a percentage. Best for: full households, not single pieces.

5. Donation (Goodwill, Salvation Army). Fastest of all, $0 revenue — but the tax deduction sometimes beats what a worn-out piece would fetch. Best for: pieces that won't sell at any price. Many offer pickup for large donations.

Pricing: the 50-30-10 rule

Used furniture depreciates brutally. A rough guide to what actually sells:

• Like-new, brand-name (Pottery Barn, West Elm): ~50% of retail. These move fast because buyers know the brand premium.
• Good condition, no brand: ~30% of retail. This is where most listings land — price here and it moves within the week.
• Worn but solid: ~10% of retail, or free. A scratched IKEA dresser isn't a $80 item; it's a $15 item or a curb alert. Price it to disappear.
• Solid wood, vintage, mid-century: ignore the rule — check what similar pieces actually sold for (not listed for) and price 10% under. These buyers know values.

The #1 reason furniture doesn't sell: priced like it's new. Every week it sits, it sells for less — price it to move on day one.

Photos that sell (5 minutes, phone camera)

• Daylight, no flash. Pull it near a window or shoot outside. Flash photos scream "basement" and kill interest.
• Stage it minimally. Clear the clutter off and around it. One clean photo of the piece beats five photos of your living room that happens to contain a couch.
• Show the flaws. Photograph the scratch, the wobble, the stain — honestly. Buyers who discover flaws in person walk away; buyers who saw them online show up ready to buy.
• Include measurements. "Couch, good condition" gets ignored. "84\" sofa, 38\" deep, fits through a standard door" gets messages. Tape-measure photo optional but powerful.
• First photo = best angle. Most buyers never swipe past photo one. Lead with the money shot.

Safety for local pickup

• Don't share your exact address until a buyer is en route. Cross streets or neighborhood in the listing; full address by message when they're coming.
• Have someone home. Or move the piece to the garage/driveway so buyers never enter your house.
• Cash or verified payment before it leaves. Cash is king for local sales. For digital payments, confirm the money is actually in your account — not just a screenshot of a "sent" screen.
• Daylight hours. Schedule pickups during the day. It's safer and the buyer can actually inspect the piece.

When to just donate it

Some furniture costs more in time than it's worth: particle-board pieces more than a few years old, stained mattresses, broken recliners. If you've relisted twice with no bites, that's the market talking. Donate it, take the tax receipt, and reclaim your weekend — the donation pickup services will even haul it away.

Flipping the other direction? The weekend estate sales are where the best used furniture in San Antonio changes hands — and the thrift store guide maps the everyday hunt.

Prices and buyer behavior vary — these are guidelines from how San Antonio's secondhand market actually behaves, not guarantees. Every listing on the deal board is posted by a real San Antonian.