Furniture Consignment in Melbourne: How It Works and What It Costs

Quick summary: Furniture consignment means a business sells your piece for you and you are paid when it sells. Design Consigned says it forwards 75% of the sale to the seller, or 70% with storage. HFOC quotes a net payout, typically 33% of the original purchase price (not a commission rate). Both focus on designer furniture. Before you sign, check the contract length, when the price drops, who pays for transport and storage, and exactly when you are paid.

Furniture consignment in Melbourne lets you sell pre-owned furniture through a specialist consignor without managing the listing, enquiries and delivery yourself. But what does it cost, and how much do you actually receive? The explainers we found quote a single commission range and are written for the US, so we read the seller terms of two consignors that take furniture from Melbourne sellers: Design Consigned, based in Melbourne, and Home Furniture on Consignment (HFOC), based in Sydney with a logistics hub in Melbourne. This guide explains how consignment works, what their published terms say it costs, and what to ask before you sign.

What Is Furniture Consignment?

Consignment means you leave a piece with a business and it sells the piece on your behalf. Design Consigned's seller FAQs describe it as acting as an agent whose job is to market and sell your items, and say you keep legal ownership until the buyer has accepted the item. That is Design Consigned's position; the agreement you sign with any consignor decides yours.

That is different from selling to a dealer outright. A dealer pays you up front and takes the risk that the piece doesn't sell. With consignment you wait, but you are paid only when your piece sells.

How Furniture Consignment Works in Melbourne

The process is similar across the two consignors we read:

1. Submit photos and details. HFOC asks for photos, brand, condition and original purchase price. Design Consigned's form asks for the designer or brand, year of purchase, dimensions, a condition rating from 1 to 5, and an optional reserve price.
2. Wait for a yes or no. Both are selective. HFOC says you will usually hear by the next day. Design Consigned says to allow a few days.
3. Agree the terms. HFOC emails a consignment agreement to sign once the net price works for you. With Design Consigned, proceeding with your consignment forms a binding contract under its seller terms.
4. The piece is listed. HFOC says it authenticates, photographs and promotes the piece. Design Consigned says approved pieces are typically collected, stored and professionally photographed.
5. It sells, it's delivered, you're paid. Payment comes after the sale, not before.

According to HFOC's seller page, it makes regular trips to Melbourne scheduled around demand, and otherwise works from photos and measurements you send. Design Consigned is based in Melbourne and ships across Australia.

What Does Furniture Consignment Cost in Melbourne?

The two consignors describe their cost in different ways, so read each one on its own terms.

Design Consigned: a share of the sale. According to Design Consigned's how-it-works page, listing is free and it forwards 75% of the sale to the seller, or 70% with storage, with payments reconciled at the end of each month. Its consign page says the fee covers valuation, listing, storage, marketing, packing and shipping to buyers. The page doesn't explain what "with storage" means, so ask which rate applies to you. As an illustration using those published figures: a piece that sells for $2,000 would pay you $1,500 at 75%, or $1,400 at 70%.

Design Consigned's consignor terms add three things to check. Items held in its storage carry a $250 release fee per design if you take them back. It holds exclusive listing rights while your item is listed, so the piece cannot appear on another selling platform. And it does not clean or repair items. Its FAQs say there is no fixed consignment term and that the selling price may be adjusted over time based on enquiries. You can indicate a reserve price, and it sets the selling price after researching recent sales.

On timing, the how-it-works page says payments are reconciled at the end of each month, while the terms say processing after a sale can take fourteen days or longer, because items must be inspected, cleaned, packed, shipped and delivered, then pass a three-day cooling-off period. The pages don't say how the two fit together, so ask when your payment would land.

HFOC: a net payout. HFOC's page says your contract amount is the net you receive when the item sells. It is typically 33% of the original purchase price. That is a net payout, not a commission rate, and it varies with condition, age and desirability, and is agreed before anything is listed. Note the base: a percentage of what the piece cost new, not of what it sells for. The contract runs 45 days, and if the piece is unsold at 21 days, a 20% reduction applies to both the selling price and your contract amount. Transport and storage, if needed, are arranged through professional carriers and paid by the consignor. Payment comes within 30 days of the sale.

As an illustration using HFOC's published typical figures: a sofa bought for $3,000 would typically carry a contract amount of about $990. If it were still unsold at day 21, the 20% reduction would take that to about $792. Your own figure is whatever HFOC agrees with you in writing.

The two aren't directly comparable, because one pays a share of the sale price and the other pays a share of the original price. We read both sets of terms on 30 October 2026, and consignors can change terms without notice, so confirm the current terms before you sign.

What Do These Consignors Accept?

Both are selective. HFOC says it specialises in authentic designer furniture from brands such as B&B Italia, Cassina, Herman Miller, Jardan, Maxalto, Poliform and Walter Knoll. Design Consigned accepts art, design objects and furniture as long as they are authentic design, and says it does not represent restored, reupholstered, reproduction or antique furniture. Used pieces can still qualify and are priced to match their condition.

Neither lists everyday or unbranded furniture as something it accepts. If your piece is good but has no designer name, these two are probably not the route.

Questions to Ask Before You Sign a Consignment Agreement

• What do I receive when it sells, as a dollar figure or percentage, in writing?
• Is that figure based on the original price or the selling price?
• How long does the agreement run, and what happens when it ends?
• When does the price drop, and by how much?
• Who pays for pickup, storage and delivery, and is there a fee if I take the piece back?
• Who carries the risk of loss or damage while the piece is with the consignor?
• When exactly am I paid, and is anything deducted?
• Can I list the piece elsewhere while it's consigned?

Consignment vs Selling at Auction or Privately

Consignment saves effort. HFOC says it handles the photography, marketing, enquiries and logistics. The trade is control: the consignor sets the pace of price drops, and your payout is fixed by their terms.

Auction houses are a separate route with their own fees and timelines, which we cover in our guide to selling furniture at auction in Melbourne vs online.

Selling privately means you do the work, but you choose the price and the timing. If you go that way, our guide to pricing secondhand furniture in Melbourne shows how to set a realistic starting price, and you can see how other sellers present similar pieces on Zirkly's Melbourne furniture listings.

Have furniture that doesn't fit a designer consignor's list? Start selling on Zirkly: list it, set your own price, message buyers in the app and agree a pickup time.