Six creatives share the best vintage furniture they’ve scored from Marketplace
image via @alliedaisyking/INSTAGRAM
words by fashion journal
Search and you will find.
For those in the know, Facebook Marketplace is a treasure trove for secondhand finds – especially when it comes to homewares and furniture. Whether you’re after a cheap wardrobe to supplement your lack of wardrobe, a coveted vintage lamp or a piece of furniture made from actual wood (no vinyl here), chances are someone, somewhere is selling what you’re after.
Inevitably, as platforms grow in popularity, so too does demand. Prices can jump, pieces sell out. All that’s to say is that in the case of Facebook Marketplace, it pays to be quick.
For more on vintage finds, head to our Pre-Loved section.
You can approach a platform like Marketplace in one of many ways. You might prefer to go in blind, scrolling your feed leisurely and saving listings as they come. Or you could go in with a mission, using strategic search terms, setting alerts and training the algorithm. For some inspiration, we reached out to six creatives known for their stylish interiors to find out what tactic helped them secure their dream piece of vintage furniture.
Sarah Godden, creator of Soft Focus House
Ever since Melbourne Design Week last year, I’ve been obsessed with lighting, particularly unique pieces using a grid-like pattern and made of interesting materials. Elementi Shop in L.A have the most gorgeous in-house collection, using wire mesh and resin-coated paper, and I guess they were in the back of my mind a few months ago when I was sourcing on Marketplace (I do this for work!).
Good lighting is often tricky to find on there, but my well-worn search terms (‘floor lamp’, ‘tall lamp’, ‘1980s light’, ‘post modern’, ‘shell light’) must have worked some magic because this beauty popped up on my feed (thank you well-tuned marketplace algorithm). I think it was $60, and I had to drive to Dingley to pick it up. It was way taller than I anticipated (around two metres), and the shade is actually made out of a very thick paper covered in a mother-of-pearl grid pattern.
When I started Soft Focus, I was very organised and methodical about sourcing vintage, setting alerts, using very specific search terms (like ‘mid-century’, ‘post-modern’ or the names of certain designers) and being online almost all day long to catch something special at a great price. These days, I’m more relaxed and trust that the right thing will come at the right time if it’s meant to be.
I also find more unique pieces come through when the search term is broader, as a lot of sellers don’t have time to write a fancy listing or title. I’ve found the most incredible vintage chairs by just searching ‘chair’ or ‘dining set’. Try to think how your grandma would list a piece of her furniture and type that in!
Josepheine Ainscough, online creator
I think my holy grail Marketplace find has to be my wooden bed frame. I found it over five years ago on Facebook Marketplace when I was moving house and thought I’d see if the Koala bed frame I had my eye on was being sold secondhand. The timing was perfect, and I managed to snag it for half the price of buying it new.
Five years on, it’s held up incredibly well. It packs down into slats, so it’s been through multiple bedrooms, and I’ve even taken it across state lines. The pine wood is such a great neutral and has worked with every phase of my bedroom styling. Koala don’t even sell it anymore, so I think I’ll hold on to it forever.
My tip for Marketplace is to search by material or do a bit of brand research. People have really cottoned on to buzzwords like mid-century, so I’m more inclined to search terms like ‘chrome side table’ or ‘vintage Kartell’ instead. Marketplace definitely rewards those who put in the time (scrolling for hours but you can think of it like a game). You can also set up notifications for your key search terms so you can jump on things quickly.
Nicole Williams, photographer
I was on Marketplace looking for a wardrobe for my new room when I spotted this striped wardrobe for $150. I immediately messaged the seller, and only heard back a day or two later because a sale fell through, which felt like magic. I found an amazing Air Tasker named Tolga, and messaged him straight away to see if he could pick it up. Lucky for me, it was delivered to my house within the day. I now have his number saved!
I feel like there are some hellish stories from Marketplace. Nothing burns more when someone outbids on a couch you’ve already put a deposit on, but my tip would be to always check in and be fast. Some days, there is so much magic on there, and you need to jump on it.
Sophie McIntyre, creator of Club Sup
I got my dining table for free from Facebook Marketplace after training my algorithm for weeks – the only catch was that I had to wrangle my partner into driving us to Daylesford to pick it up. When we got there, the lady told me that there had been four of these exact tables made for her and her friends, so for a long time, they all had the same dining room table.
It has scratches and wear, but that’s okay with me. The thing I love the most is that it’s wide and fits six people, or eight with a push, leaving enough room down the middle for lots of food. It fits exactly perfectly in my dining room, and if we ever move, the new place must fit this table! In my experience, the best way to approach Marketplace is to just stalk forever until you get what you need.
Allie Daisy King, online creator
Before I moved out in December, I had spent the better half of nine months planning and plotting the decor within an inch of my life (Canva hated to see me coming). I was checking Marketplace every 20 minutes or so for many months, and when this chrome chair popped up, I knew I’d found the perfect piece for my abode. I wanted chrome accents to ground my candy-coloured oasis, and this fit the vibe to a tee!
I got it for $100, which I think is the perfect price for a good quality piece of vintage furniture that makes me happy. For Marketplace hopefuls, I would recommend searching for specific pieces and saving things you like the look of (even if they’re not within your price range or the wrong size). I’m of the belief that this trains the algorithm to show you the pieces that will speak to you!
Daisy Henry, writer
There’s almost no better feeling than scouring the feed and entering as many variations of a search term as possible in search of a dream item, and finally having the stars align. I’ve found my dining chairs (a dream pair of chrome Cesca-style twins), the most comfortable leather armchair, a set of chocolate Kartell coffee tables, and plenty more on there. Sometimes, it’s by pure chance. Other times, it’s from methodical, rigorous searching.
One of my most cherished pieces, though, is my wooden bookshelf. I’d been looking for one for months, trying to find a good balance between the style I was after and my budget. Eventually, this one came up. My partner drove almost two hours out of Melbourne to get it and lugged it up a flight of stairs to get it in my lounge room. Seeing it now brings me endless joy.
For more tips on navigating Facebook Marketplace, try this.
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