What is the best app to sell furniture in the UK?

Which app is built for a sofa, a bed, or a wardrobe?

Measure the item before you pick an app. Height, depth, weight and whether it comes apart decide if it can be posted at all. Gumtree's online payment for delivery stops at £250 on eligible items, so a dearer sofa can be listed but not paid for through that delivery checkout. Facebook's UK help page does not state a furniture fee. It says: Purchase Protection isn't available in your location right now.

eBay can suit a smaller piece that is eligible for Simple Delivery, or a collection with a code. The collection page says returns are still handled as they are for a posted item.

Gumtree's online-payments page, dated 16 September 2026, says secure payment for items with delivery enabled is available on eligible items up to £250. A higher price can still be listed, but online payment is not available. For collection with online payment, the seller enters the buyer's 6-digit Collection Code and the funds release then. That step cannot be reversed. Source

Gumtree's fees page, dated 30 October 2025, says there are no seller fees or costs when you use payments on Gumtree. Source

Gumtree's fees page, dated 30 October 2025, says Gumtree’s Buyer Protection fee at checkout is £0.70 plus 5% to 10% of the item price, depending on value and category, and that the buyer pays delivery. The Buyer Protection policy, dated 30 July 2026, states the same £0.70 plus 5% to 10%. A delivery article dated 20 November 2025 repeats 5% to 10% in the checkout steps, and a highlight on that article also says £0.70 + 5%. Use the figure at checkout. Source

Facebook's UK help page, “How Purchase Protection works on Facebook Marketplace”, says: Purchase Protection isn't available in your location right now. Source

eBay's private-seller fees page, last updated 30 September 2026, says selling is free for UK private sellers, excluding Cars, Motorcycles and Vehicles. Those sales do not pay a final value fee or a regulatory operating fee. You get 300 free listings a month, then 35p for each extra listing that month. Optional upgrades and delivery outside the UK have their own fees. Source

eBay's collection page says that once the handover is confirmed with the collection code, the sale is complete, and return requests are handled in the same way as if you had posted the item. Source

What should the advert say about access and payment?

State the room it is in, the stairs, and how many people are needed to carry it. Say if the legs come off. A buyer who arrives in a small car cannot take a three-seater, however polite the chat was.

Gumtree delivery, where the item qualifies, uses an Evri label and asks you to ship within 7 days. Collection with Gumtree online payment uses a 6-digit code that releases the funds and cannot be reversed. Facebook local pick-up is arranged in messages. "Is this still available" is not a booking.

1. Gumtree's fees page, dated 30 October 2025, says there are no seller fees or costs when you use payments on Gumtree. https://www.gumtree.com/info/safety/p/payments/how-fees-and-selling-costs-are-charged/
2. Gumtree's fees page, dated 30 October 2025, says Gumtree’s Buyer Protection fee at checkout is £0.70 plus 5% to 10% of the item price, depending on value and category, and that the buyer pays delivery. The Buyer Protection policy, dated 30 July 2026, states the same £0.70 plus 5% to 10%. A delivery article dated 20 November 2025 repeats 5% to 10% in the checkout steps, and a highlight on that article also says £0.70 + 5%. Use the figure at checkout. https://www.gumtree.com/info/safety/p/trust-safety/buying/buyer-protection-policy/
3. Gumtree's delivery article, dated 20 November 2025, says eligible ads can be sent with an Evri label, delivery can be switched off for collection only, and the seller should ship within 7 days. It says funds are released 48 hours after delivery if no dispute is raised, or when the buyer confirms they are satisfied. Mangopay holds the payment until then. https://www.gumtree.com/info/life/p/gumtree/delivery-on-gumtree/delivery-on-gumtree-everything-you-need-to-know/
4. Gumtree's Buyer Protection policy, dated 30 July 2026, says Buy Now paid through Mangopay can cover an item that does not arrive, is significantly not as described, or is damaged in transit. It does not cover a change of mind. https://www.gumtree.com/info/safety/p/trust-safety/buying/buyer-protection-policy/
5. Gumtree's Buyer Protection policy, dated 30 July 2026, says that if nobody reports a problem within 48 hours of confirmed delivery, the order is treated as accepted and payment is released to the seller. https://www.gumtree.com/info/safety/p/trust-safety/buying/buyer-protection-policy/
6. Gumtree's online-payments page, dated 16 September 2026, says that for collection with online payment the seller enters the buyer's 6-digit Collection Code, the funds release then, and that step cannot be reversed. https://www.gumtree.com/info/safety/p/payments/how-payments-work-for-items-eligible-for-delivery-on-gumtree/
7. Facebook's UK help page, “How Purchase Protection works on Facebook Marketplace”, says: Purchase Protection isn't available in your location right now. https://mbasic.facebook.com/help/228307904608701?locale=en_GB
8. Facebook's Marketplace safety help recommends meeting in a public, well-lit place, and sharing the meeting plan with a trusted friend or family member. https://mbasic.facebook.com/help/1156544111079919?locale=en_GB
9. eBay's private-seller fees page, last updated 30 September 2026, says selling is free for UK private sellers, excluding Cars, Motorcycles and Vehicles. Those sales do not pay a final value fee or a regulatory operating fee. You get 300 free listings a month, then 35p for each extra listing that month. Optional upgrades and delivery outside the UK have their own fees. https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/selling-fees?id=4822
10. eBay's seller page on the buyer charge says eBay’s Buyer Protection fee is added to the item price and paid by the buyer to eBay. It excludes Cars, Motorcycles and Vehicles, Classified Ads and Property. The fee is £0.10 per item, plus 7% of the price up to £20, 4% of the slice from £20 to £300, and 2% of the slice from £300 to £4,000. The page says a £10 listing pays the seller £10. Its £20 example is a £1.50 fee, so the buyer sees £21.50 plus postage. https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/getting-paid/seller-capital?id=5595
11. eBay's Simple Delivery page says it is the only delivery method for private sellers listing eligible items on eBay.co.uk. Eligible items are £750 or under. Some phones priced above £300 are not eligible. Opting out is limited to specific light categories at £20 or under, and that £20 is the item price excluding eBay’s Buyer Protection fee. There is no extra cost for the programme, and no transaction fee on its label. https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/posting-items/simple-delivery?id=5575
12. eBay's money-back page says that if an order has not arrived, or is not as described, there is no extra fee, and an eligible case can include the purchase price and the original postage. https://pages.ebay.co.uk/ebay-money-back-guarantee/
13. eBay's money-back page says the buyer should contact the seller within 30 days of the actual or estimated delivery date if an order has not arrived, or is not as described. People often search for this as INAD. https://pages.ebay.co.uk/ebay-money-back-guarantee/
14. eBay's collection page says that once the handover is confirmed with the collection code, the sale is complete, and return requests are handled in the same way as if you had posted the item. https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/shipping-items/setting-shipping-options/local-pickup?id=4181

How do you avoid a wasted collection?

Agree the price before they travel. Ask what vehicle they are bringing. Keep the item where it is until they have paid in a way you can check and have looked at the scratches you described.

Do not take a deposit into a personal account on the promise that someone will arrive later. Read marketplace scams if the message offers a courier and cash.

Which furniture sale suits which app?

Match the app to the item in front of you. Look at the fee on that order, how the item will travel, and what the help page says if it is not as described. A large wardrobe audience and a doorstep collection are different jobs.

SilentSale® is a UK marketplace for private individuals, and it is one option beside the apps in the table. Buyer and seller each contribute £0.30 + 3% of the item price to SilentCover® (£0.60 each on a £10 item), a discretionary protection service. Stripe processes the payment and holds the funds until the order is completed. Tracked Shipping has 72 hours after delivery to report an issue. PIN Pickup means the buyer pays in the app, inspects in person, then shares a 6-digit PIN. There is no cash, and there is no dispute step after that PIN.

Use Gumtree payments for an eligible item within £250, or for a collection code when the advert offers one. Use Facebook Marketplace for a local collection. Facebook's UK help page says: Purchase Protection isn't available in your location right now. Use eBay when the piece is small enough for Simple Delivery or you want the collection code with the return rule eBay states. Read Gumtree vs Facebook Marketplace for the fee detail.

There are no listing costs. The standard seller contribution to SilentCover® is deducted after a successful sale; review your earnings preview.

Stripe processes payments and holds funds until the order completes.

For Shipping, report problems within 72 hours after confirmed delivery, or the collection scan for a locker or parcel-shop order. Confirming receipt closes the window early, so inspect first.

PIN Pickup is an in-person handover. The buyer inspects the item before sharing their six-digit PIN; the seller enters it in the app to complete the order. The PIN is acceptance. There is no shipping, tracking or post-handover dispute window.

What should you read before you list a bulky item?

Put the measurements in the first lines of the advert. Then read collection-only items, sell locally without cash, can I sell without meeting the buyer and SilentSale® vs Gumtree.

SilentSale® vs Facebook Marketplace covers the local pick-up difference. Electronics in the same clear-out are in best app to sell electronics UK.

Check the live order in the app you opened yourself before you post a parcel or hand an item over. A chat message, a screenshot or an email is not the order.