In the past two decades, technology has helped brands replicate the in-person shopping experience online, paving the way for even more furniture businesses—and more choice. And there’s still room in the market for those looking to launch a furniture business, selling directly to consumers without the showroom. Ahead, hear from experts in the home goods industry to learn how to start a furniture business of your own—everything from sourcing products to managing inventory to marketing your brand. Transform your idea into reality with this step-by-step guide to building your own online furniture store.
How to start a furniture business in 12 steps
- Choose your business model
- Finance your furniture business
- Build your furniture brand
- Source furniture (for designers and resellers)
- Set up shop (for furniture makers)
- Manage furniture inventory and storage
- Learn to photograph furniture and home décor products
- Set up your online furniture store
- Expand your selling channels
- Market your furniture business
- Set up shipping, returns, and customer service
- Read the fine print.
Let’s walk through the first steps to launching your furniture brand and starting a business online.
1. Choose your business model–
There are multiple ways to launch a furniture business and sell home goods online and in-person. The avenue you choose will depend on a number of factors, such as your skill level, startup budget, and storage availability. Before you develop your business plan, let’s review the different business models.
Furniture maker
This type of business involves designing and building furniture by hand in your own workshop. A furniture maker business requires that you have technical skills, specialized tools,budget and a dedicated workshop space.
Furniture designer (working with a manufacturer)
Rather than actually building the furniture on your own, you can choose to design it and work with a builder or manufacturer to create the products for you. You may require some specialized drafting skills and an understanding of materials and construction so you can communicate effectively with factories.
Curator and reseller
In this model, you would sell a number of items from different brands or makers, curating collections that are unique to your brand. While you aren’t designing and making the items on your own, there is a need for creativity in building a cohesive brand and for using storytelling, photography, and customer experience to sell products. In this case, you would purchase items wholesale from other brands and ship them directly to customers. An understanding of trends in the furniture industry would be essential for success.
Dropshipper
This method is the same as the one above, but is a hands-off option if you aren’t able to store or ship the items yourself. Look to work with makers and brands that are willing to ship directly to your customers on a dropshipping model, cutting yourself out of the supply chain.
Vintage reseller
This is another curator/reseller model that focuses on one-of-a-kind vintage or antique pieces. You’ll need a knowledge of the vintage market to identify what pieces have resale value and what’s in demand. It’s also helpful to have skills in furniture repair and refinishing to be able to restore vintage finds. Generally, vintage and antique furniture dealers will require a significant amount of space for inventory, unless you opt for a consignment model.
2. Finance your furniture business
How much does it cost to start a business selling furniture online? Well, that answer depends on what business structure you choose.
⬇️ On the low end: It’s possible to get started with a few hundred dollars if you plan to dropship, as there is no need to hold inventory. A custom or made-to-order furniture business can also have low startup costs—that’s if you already have a hobby workshop. This model will allow you to buy materials as you go, so there’s no need to invest much upfront.
⬆️ On the higher end: If you don’t already own the necessary tools and equipment to start a maker business, expect to spend tens of thousands of dollars to set up a workshop. Also consider the cost of space rental (if applicable), utilities, and safety equipment (like proper ventilation). Resale businesses can also be costly to start, as you will be required to buy and hold inventory.
It’s possible to start a furniture business from home if you have a suitable space (basement or climate-controlled garage) for storage, but forecast out what the costs might be to scale to a dedicated space or work with a warehouse partner.
3. Build your furniture brand–
Once you’ve conducted market research and niche, put it to on paper. Make a clear statement about what you have to offer, then layer on your mission, brand values, and brand promise. Now that you have clear brand guidelines, you will continue to reference them as you design your site and curate your collection.
4. Source furniture (for designers and resellers)–
How you source suppliers or manufacturers depends on the type of furniture business you plan to start.
Designers
For furniture designers who do not plan to make the furniture themselves, look for a trusted manufacturer. “The closer you are to your production and your supply chain, especially in the beginning,” , “the easier it will be to build and forge partnerships with whoever’s making your products.”
When you’re getting started and you don’t have familiarity with manufacturing, it’s recommended that you find a manufacturer that will allow you a lot of oversight and who will work with you as a partner in your business.
Resellers
If you’re looking to resell products by others, you can hit the pavement and approach makers and brands to ask about wholesale pricing and terms. There are also wholesale marketplaces that allow resellers to browse vendors who are actively looking for retail partners.
Vintage sellers
Vintage sellers source furniture in a number of ways. Due to the nature of the business, you’ll need to be consistently on the hunt to ensure you have inventory.
Dropshippers
Furniture dropshippers can browse a number of dropshipping suppliers and directories, like AliExpress. It’s also possible to set up dropshipping terms on an individual basis with select furniture brands. For example, GFURN has a dedicated page highlighting its dropshipping program.
5. Set up shop (for furniture makers)-
For furniture makers, starting a furniture business can be costly if you don’t already own tools or have a dedicated workshop, you can start with the basics and expand your toolbox as your business grows.
6. Manage furniture inventory and storage–
If you’ve decided to make or resell furniture and are not dropshipping or making to order, be sure to consider your space needs. it’s important for new business owners to be close to the full supply chain in the beginning. Only after managing this aspect yourself can you understand what you’re looking for in a warehouse partner. Warehousing and storage solutions for furniture:
- Dedicating a room inside your home for this purpose
- Renting a climate-controlled storage space (best for overflow inventory that you don’t need to access regularly)
- Working with a warehouse partner who also handles shipping and order fulfillment
- Renting/buying your own dedicated office and warehouse space
7. Learn to photograph furniture and home décor products
As with clothing, furniture is very personal. Without a fitting room or showroom, it’s up to online businesses to replicate as much of the in-person buying process as possible. Scale and size, texture, and detail are all important aspects to capture when photographing furniture and home accents.
8. Set up your online furniture store
Before you actually launch your furniture business to the world, take time to play around with your online store builder. Launching a simple landing page at this stage, along with your social accounts, can help you build an email list so you can make a big splash at your official grand opening.
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9. Expand your selling channels
Other than your online furniture store, consider additional sales channels to get your products in front of customers in a crowded market. If you’re a maker or designer, can you reach other geographical markets by wholesaling your products? If you’re an online-only furniture brand, this may be an easy way to dabble in retail.
10. Market your furniture business
As part of your business plan, a marketing plan lays out your marketing approach and core channels. A good rule of thumb is having the right message in the right place at the right time. Those factors will depend on who your customer is and where they hang out. Is it more worth your time and money to invest in email marketing or in Facebook ads? Should you try content marketing or Google Ads? Testing is your friend at this stage.
11. Set up shipping, returns, and customer service
“Shipping is a massive challenge, ”When you’re just starting out, you may be managing order fulfillment and shipping yourself.
- Work with the right partners. “Find a shipping company that has good reviews and build a relationship with them. Make sure you can get quick quotes based on weight and dimensions ahead of time so you can factor that into your price.”
- Invest in packaging. “Package or crate your product really well. This way you have the peace of mind that your beautiful dining table looks as it should when it reaches your customer.”
Returns can be very tricky when you’re dealing with oversized items. Be sure that your return policy is very clear. If you do not accept returns, this information should be clearly presented to the customer at the checkout stage and even on the product page. If you’re willing to accept returns, establish the terms with your shipping partner upfront and let the customer know who will be responsible for the return shipping charges—which may be substantial.
12. Read the fine print
Before you start selling furniture online, check in with legal and insurance professionals to see if your business requires any additional protection due to the size and price of the items you’re delivering.
You’ll want to protect yourself from loss, such as items damaged in transit. But you should also consider protecting your customers. Will you sell extended warranties? Do you need commercial insurance? There are several types of business insurance, so it’s important to do your homework to ensure you’ve put the right protections in place before you start selling.
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