In most categories delivery is a detail. Here it is part of the price, and pretending otherwise is how sellers lose money on their own balance.
Settle delivery first
A piece that must be collected has a smaller room — local buyers only — and should be priced for that room. A piece that can be posted has a bigger room and a real cost attached to reaching it.
Decide which, say it in the listing, and price accordingly. How delivery is charged.
Then the piece
- Material — solid, veneer, laminate
- Maker, if there is one
- Condition of the surfaces that get used
- Whether it is a set, a pair, or one of something
- Vintage, reproduction, or neither
Where to start
Everyday homeware: low start, quick pace, lots for small items. Good room-builders.
Furniture: start sensibly. The room is small and local for anything collection-only, so a low start on a quiet night has fewer people to catch it. A reserve is worth having.
Pairs and sets
A matched pair is worth more than two singles — say whether a pair is matched or made up. A part of a set should say it is a part.
Questions people ask
Should I price against a shop?
Know what new costs. Price the gap honestly on age, wear and the fact that the buyer must move it.
Is collection-only a disadvantage?
It is a smaller room, and often the right one. It is also the honest answer for anything large.
Do I include delivery in the price?
Say the position clearly either way. The one thing that hurts is leaving it vague.