The short version
- Typical range: £60 – £800 — see the full antique furniture value guide
- What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
- Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
- Category: Art & Collectibles
Before you photograph it
Ten minutes here is worth more than anything else you will do. Buyers are deciding between your listing and someone else’s, and preparation is what visibly separates the two.
- Examine the construction: hand-cut dovetails, irregular saw marks and original hardware all indicate age.
- Measure height, width and depth, and check whether the piece comes apart for transport.
- Do not strip, wax heavily or refinish. Original surface is much of the value and refinishing destroys it.
The photographs that sell antique furniture
Four photographs do almost all the work. Shoot in daylight, near a window, with the item against something plain — and do not use the flash, which flattens texture and hides exactly what buyers are trying to see.
- The whole piece from a three-quarter angle in daylight
- A drawer removed, showing the dovetails and the runner wear
- The back and underside, which are rarely faked and show true age
- Any maker’s label, plus all damage, repairs and replaced hardware
Photograph the flaws too. It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover. Buyers who can see the damage stop imagining something worse.
Writing the title and description
Period, item and wood: “Georgian Mahogany Chest of Drawers, c.1810, Original Handles”. “Original handles” and “original finish” are phrases this market searches and pays for — use them only when true. Include the dimensions in the title if there is room, since buyers have a space in mind.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- Approximate period, and the evidence for it
- Wood or woods used, and whether solid or veneered
- Height, width and depth, and whether it dismantles
- Originality of handles, feet, glass and finish, plus all repairs and replacements
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about antique furniture. Answering them in the listing itself removes the back-and-forth, and answering them well when they do arrive is what turns an enquiry into a sale.
Look for even patina and wear in the places hands touch. Say honestly whether it has been refinished — collectors pay a substantial premium for original surface.
Remove one and look for extra holes or fresh timber behind. Replaced handles are common and acceptable when disclosed.
Check the back, underside and any unfinished timber. Old inactive flight holes are common; fresh dust means active infestation and must be declared.
Pricing it so it actually sells
Start from the honest condition grade rather than the price you hope for. WishThrift listings use five grades — New with Tags, Like New, Good, Fair and For Parts — and what each grade means is worth reading before you choose, because grading up is the most expensive mistake sellers make. It does not raise the price; it produces a buyer who arrives expecting something else.
The antique furniture value guide prices all five grades for this item. Pick your grade, take the figure, and if you sit between two grades price toward the lower one. Items priced honestly sell faster than items priced hopefully, and on a free platform there is no fee eating the difference anyway.
What you keep, compared
On a £430 sale — roughly the middle of the range for antique furniture — here is what the commission-charging platforms would take, and what you would keep on each:
| Where you sell it | Fee | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| WishThrift | £0 | £430 |
| Poshmark | −£86 | £344 |
| eBay | −£58 | £372 |
| Mercari | −£43 | £387 |
| Etsy | −£28 | £402 |
Seller-side rates verified 26 Jul 2026 — Poshmark: 20% commission on sales of $15 and above; eBay: 13.6% final value fee, plus a per-order fee; Mercari: flat 10% selling fee; Etsy: 6.5% transaction fee, plus a listing fee and payment processing. Percentages are applied to the sterling figure above; the fixed per-order and processing charges those platforms add are quoted in their own currency and are not included here, so the real deductions are slightly larger. Full breakdown: marketplace selling fees compared.
Timing and getting it to the buyer
Steady with a specialist market. Brown furniture is out of fashion and prices are modest, but good original pieces with documented age still find buyers.
Collection only in practice — heavy, fragile and irreplaceable. Say which floor it is on, whether it dismantles, and whether you can help carry it.
WishThrift does not process payments or arrange delivery — you and the buyer agree both directly — so confirm payment has cleared before the item leaves your hands, and keep the conversation on the site so there is a record of what was agreed.
Ready to list it? It takes about two minutes, costs nothing, and there is no commission when it sells — create a free account or see how selling works.
Frequently asked questions
Is antique furniture worth anything now?
Prices for general brown furniture are much lower than a generation ago, but good original pieces with documented age, maker’s marks or unusual design still sell well. Condition and originality matter more than ever.
Should I refinish antique furniture before selling?
No. Refinishing removes the original surface that collectors specifically want, and typically reduces the value substantially. Clean gently, photograph honestly, and leave any restoration to the buyer.
What is antique furniture worth?
Typically £60 to £800 for general pieces, with fine or documented examples far above. See the antique furniture value guide.
See also: what a used antique furniture is worth · browse live art & collectibles listings · condition grades explained.