How Much Is My Furniture Worth? Free Photo Value Check

Mid-century modern is the strongest resale category in furniture, period. Original Herman Miller Eames Lounge Chairs from the 1970s in good rosewood condition routinely clear $4,500-7,500 on eBay and 1stDibs; pristine examples with original down cushions exceed $9,000. The reason isn't nostalgia — it's that Herman Miller still makes the chair new for $7,495, so a verified vintage example with patina is priced against a brand-new comp rather than a depreciating curve. That price floor is unusual in furniture.

Authentication is the entire game in this category. For Eames Lounge Chairs, the underside should carry a Herman Miller medallion (round metal disc, pre-1972) or black oblong label (1972-1990s). Pre-1971 chairs have five-ply backrests with rubber shock mounts; 1974+ chairs have seven-ply with plastic mounts. Brazilian rosewood was discontinued in 1991 — any "rosewood" Eames after that year is suspect. For Saarinen Tulip tables, the underside should have an etched Knoll Studio mark plus Saarinen's signature; the base is a single-piece cast aluminum (not stamped sheet). Womb Chairs carry a Knoll oval label sewn into the underseat upholstery plus a designer signature on the steel frame. Authentic provenance commonly adds $1,500-3,000 to comparable-condition prices.

Specific maker marks to verify before pricing: Herman Miller round medallion (Eames era, riveted to chair base), Knoll oval black-and-white label (sewn-in fabric tag), George Nelson Bench tags on Herman Miller benches, and Florence Knoll Credenza brass plates inside the cabinet door. Reproduction sellers ("Eames-style," "in the style of Saarinen") flood Facebook Marketplace, and unsuspecting heirs price authentic pieces at knockoff levels — buyers know this and pay full market for documented originals.

Shipping math hurts large pieces. An Eames Lounge Chair ships via furniture freight for $200-400 and the value justifies it. A Saarinen Tulip Dining Table is $400-700 freight and still profitable. A Florence Knoll Credenza or full Womb Chair + Ottoman is $500-800 freight, which is where buyers start preferring local pickup and the seller pool shrinks to driving distance. The Eames Lounge Chair sells nationally; the credenza sells regionally. Price your listing accordingly — a credenza listed in a major metro (NYC, LA, SF, Chicago) clears 20-30% above the same piece in a secondary market.

Antique furniture splits into two distinct resale markets and pricing differs by a factor of 5-10x between them. Collector buyers want documented provenance: signed Stickley pieces with the original red decal or branded "Als Ik Kan" mark, Victorian sideboards with maker stamps inside the drawer rails, Danish credenzas with a Møbelfabrik tag and designer mark (Arne Vodder, Hans Wegner, Johannes Andersen). Decorator buyers want the look — they'll pay $400-800 for an unsigned 1880s mahogany sideboard because it fits the dining room, regardless of who made it.

Gustav Stickley originals are the highest-value Mission pieces. A signed Gustav Stickley Morris chair with original leather sells for $3,500-8,000; the same form unsigned ("attributed to Stickley" or "Stickley Brothers") sells for $400-900. The red decal under the seat or branded mark inside the rail is the difference. L. & J.G. Stickley pieces (different brothers, same era) sell at roughly 60-70% of Gustav prices. Roycroft and Limbert command similar premiums for marked pieces. Always photograph the maker mark in your listing — buyers searching "signed Stickley" filter by it.

Danish modern teak credenzas, sideboards, and dining sets are having a strong 2026. Pieces by named designers (Arne Vodder for Sibast, Hans Wegner for Andreas Tuck, Johannes Andersen for CFC Silkeborg) carry maker labels burned into the underside or stamped into the back panel and routinely clear $2,000-4,500. Unmarked Danish teak credenzas of similar quality sell for $700-1,400 — still strong money. Look for the round "Made in Denmark" control mark and brass-plate maker tags. Restoration counts here: refinished teak with new Watco oil sells for 30-40% more than dry, scratched originals.

Victorian and French Provincial are decorator-driven. A Victorian mahogany sideboard (1860-1890) with serpentine front and original hardware sells for $700-1,800 locally. Shipping kills the deal at this price point — the piece is too heavy and bulky to freight economically, so the buyer pool is geographic. French Provincial bedroom sets (Henredon, John Widdicomb, Baker — the mid-century American makers, not actual 18th-century French pieces) move steadily at $1,500-3,500 for a 4-piece set in cream lacquer or fruitwood. Authentic 18th-century Louis XV pieces are a different market entirely and need auction-house appraisal before listing — guessing wrong on a real Louis XV commode costs $20,000+.

Restoration Hardware's Cloud sofa is the single most predictable furniture resale on the modern market. New retail is $5,000-12,000 depending on configuration; used resale on eBay and Facebook Marketplace runs $2,800-6,500 for sets in good condition, dropping to $1,800-3,000 for heavily used units with stained slipcovers. The price stability comes from RH's pricing strategy — they almost never discount Cloud past 25% even in member sales, so buyers comparing used to new see a real gap. Cloud slipcovers are replaceable through RH ($800-1,400 per slipcover); listings with confirmed replaceable covers sell 15-20% above damaged-cover comps.

The Maxwell leather sofa (RH's second-tier classic) sells at $1,800-3,500 used vs $5,000-7,000 new. Distressed leather actually helps resale here — buyers want the worn-in look, and a 5-year-old Maxwell often photographs better than a new one. The Lancaster sleeper sofa (queen-size sleeper, retail $8,000-10,000) sells for $2,500-4,200 used. Watch for the RH brass plaque inside the bottom of the frame — that's the authentication mark and missing plaques signal a non-RH knockoff or a heavily reupholstered piece.

Crate & Barrel and Room & Board sit in a different tier — solid resale but lower absolute numbers. A C&B Lounge II Petite sofa (retail $2,200-2,800) sells used for $700-1,200 in good shape. Room & Board Jasper or Hess sofas (retail $2,500-3,500) clear $900-1,500 used. CB2 modern pieces depreciate harder — a CB2 Gather sofa drops from $2,200 retail to $500-900 used within 3 years because the buyer base is younger and apartment-bound (they sell when moving, creating constant supply).

Three things kill premium-modern sofa resale: pet damage (cat scratches on linen are visible from across the room in photos and buyers pass), down-cushion deflation (Cloud cushions need fluffing every 2-3 years; saggy cushions deduct $400-700), and missing original feet/legs (RH sofa legs are proprietary and impossible to replace from third parties). Always photograph the underside frame, the cushion tags, and the leg attachments — these three shots determine 80% of buyer interest.

West Elm Harmony is the new American sofa benchmark. Retail at $1,800-2,400 for the 92" version; used resale runs $700-1,100 on Facebook Marketplace in major metros, dropping to $400-700 in secondary markets where shipping costs eat margin. Performance-fabric variants (eco-weave, performance velvet) sell faster than linen because parents and pet owners filter for it explicitly. The Harmony Pearl color sells fastest; orange/rust colorways sit for 60+ days before dropping price. Watch for the West Elm tag stapled to the underside dust cover — present-and-legible adds buyer confidence.

Pottery Barn dining tables hold value better than PB sofas. A PB Benchwright or Toscana farmhouse dining table (retail $1,800-2,500) clears $700-1,200 used regularly. Sofas depreciate harder because of upholstery condition concerns, but wood dining tables and case goods (PB Sausalito desk, Farmhouse media console) hold 40-50% of MSRP for 5+ years. The brass PB tag is screwed into the underside of tables — missing tags don't kill the sale but reduce premium.

IKEA is the surprise resale category in 2026. The Hemnes 8-drawer dresser was discontinued and then reissued multiple times with supply gaps, and a 2024 Star Tribune piece documented secondhand Hemnes selling at $200-350 against $250 retail — net positive depreciation. Kallax 4x4 units list at $160-220 used vs $200 new. Poäng chairs go for $40-80 used vs $129 new with cushion. The dynamic: IKEA buyers don't want to assemble, so an already-built used unit at 80% of retail beats a new flat-pack at 100%. Disassembly history matters — pieces that have been moved/reassembled multiple times have stripped cam-lock holes and sell at deep discounts.

What hurts mid-market resale across the board: anything that requires shipping. West Elm and Pottery Barn pieces are designed for retail logistics (heavy MDF cores, particleboard frames) and don't survive a second cross-country freight move. List local pickup only, price within 30 miles of your city, and expect a 2-4 week sale cycle on Facebook Marketplace. eBay listings of these brands almost always lose money to shipping costs once the buyer files a damage claim. Stick to platforms that match the freight profile of the piece — Facebook Marketplace for sofas/dining tables, OfferUp for IKEA, eBay only for small case goods under 50 lbs.

The Herman Miller Aeron is the most resale-active office chair in the world. Classic Aerons (1994-2016 production) sell for $350-600 used; the Remastered Aeron (2017+) sells for $700-1,000. The size designation (A small, B medium, C large) is critical — buyers know their size and refuse to compromise. List the size visible on the under-seat label. Fully adjustable models (PostureFit SL, adjustable arms, adjustable lumbar) sell for 30-40% more than basic configurations. Casters, gas cylinders, and arm pads are wear items; chairs over 12 years old commonly need $80-150 in parts, and savvy buyers price that in.

Steelcase Leap V2 is the Aeron's direct competitor on the used market. Refurbished Leap V2 sells for $475-575; as-is examples from corporate liquidations clear $150-300. The Leap is heavier and shipping is brutal — $80-120 to ship a single chair via UPS Ground in a custom box. Most Leap V2 sales are local pickup or commercial reseller pickup. Herman Miller Embody (the high-end Eames-collaboration chair) is the premium tier at $700-1,200 used, but the buyer pool is small — programmers, designers, and remote pros who research chairs obsessively. The Embody's back pixelated cushion can split; check it before pricing.

Vintage Brown Jordan and Tropitone cast-aluminum patio sets are the resale dark horse of furniture. A 1960s-70s Brown Jordan "Calcutta" or "Tamiami" 6-piece set with original sling fabric sells for $1,800-3,500. Even rough frames with rotted slings sell for $600-1,200 because the cast-aluminum frames are essentially indestructible and worth $250+ each to restorers. CFR Patio and similar restoration shops actively buy distressed vintage Brown Jordan as inventory. Look for the cast Brown Jordan name on the underside of armrests — that's the authentication mark.

What hurts office chair resale: bricked pneumatic cylinders (chair won't hold height — replace before listing, $30 part), torn mesh on Aerons (real deduct of $150-250, hard to repair), and stained fabric on Leaps. What hurts patio resale: rusted iron frames (cast aluminum doesn't rust, but wrought iron does — Brown Jordan made both, and wrought iron sets sell at 40% of cast aluminum prices in equivalent condition). Restoration is real money: a $400 rough Brown Jordan set becomes a $2,200 finished set with $300 in sling material and a powder-coat refresh. Buyers who do the work themselves filter for "needs restoration" listings and pay accordingly.