Guest post by Lena, Furniture Bank Volunteer
Most basic bedroom furniture and accessories can either be sold or donated. Here are some options on how to best dispose of them.
Furniture
Bedroom furniture which are in good to very good condition, such as bedroom suites, tables, chairs, mirrors, rugs, artwork and lamps, can be:
- Sold privately using Kijiji or Craigslist. This can be a very time consuming option for many people but could yield the highest price on your items
- Sold via a consignment store or auction seller. Consignment or auction sellers will take a percent of sale. Generally these can run anywhere between 20-50% of sale price of your item. There are various consignment stores and auction houses throughout the the Greater Toronto Area such as the Singing Lady and Transition Squad.
- Donate to a non profit and/or charitable organizations who will redistribute or refurbish your old items. Here’s a list of charities that will accept gently used furniture and housewares in Toronto. Here’s a link to all furniture banks operating in Canada.
- Furniture items which are in poor condition can be disposed of via city curb side waste disposal. Check out the City of Toronto’s Solid Waste Management System for more information.
Clothing
Items, including shoes and accessories, which are in good to very good condition can be:
- Sold via consignment stores. These are generally not the same stores that sell furniture. Check your local yellow pages or Google for locations near you.
- Donated to Thrift stores such as ValueVillage, Salvation Army or GoodWill
- Donated to shelters for both men and women. Ernestine’s or Interval House will accept new and gently used clothes
- Donated to charities such as Dress for Success and Windfall helping low income people succeed in the business world
- Clothing in both good and poor condition can be donated for recycling and reuse. Clothing drop boxes can be found throughout the GTA.
Jewelry
Items that are of high quality and condition can be sold to collectors and jewelry resellers. Costume jewelry can be donated to thrift stores or shelters.
A few places to check out for jewelry and gold resell include:
Linens & Towels
Items of good condition and quality can be donated to thrift stores and shelters. Items which are in fair to poor condition can be dropped off to recycle clothing bins across the GTA.
Thrift stores and shelters to donate your linens and towels include:
Best of luck on your journey to get rid of your old bedroom furniture and household items. Here’s a link to the type of beds, mattresses and bedroom furniture Furniture Bank accept for donation.
