How to Buy Furniture Wholesale for Home Staging

Buying furniture wholesale can be overwhelming, but it is a total game-changer for home stagers looking to increase their profit margins. When stagers pay retail for furniture, it takes about 2 years of rental income to just break even. 

Buying inventory wholesale will more than cut that time in half. This is the key way to build a profitable home staging business. So, it is super worth it to figure out how to deal with vendors. We have been buying staging furniture wholesale and shopping the Atlanta, Dallas, Vegas, High Point furniture markets for over a decade and have learned the insider secrets. Here are our top tips for buying wholesale:

Create a purchase list. Before you start shopping, you’ll want to create a purchase list with the specific items you’re looking for, as well as a budget. There is so much eye candy at the furniture markets-- it is easy to get distracted! If you come with a specific list of what you need in your inventory, you will be able to stay on task-- and not buy things you don't actually need. 

Staging Studio's wholesale buying course teaches what items you need for your staging inventory.

Understand and be able to use the vocabulary of wholesale buying. Price tags on items at market (or in catalogues) can be confusing. Here are some terms you might see on a price tag at Market, and what they mean:

•  W = Wholesale price. This is the price tier vendors will most likely want you to pay, and will be slightly more than other price tiers.
• SD = Stocking Dealer price. This is a better deal, and usually is given to businesses with showrooms, like furniture stores. You may be able to get this price if you push for it, and order enough. Joining the RESA Buying Group will also help you get this lower pricing.
• C or CTR = Container price. This is the best price, but since you are unlikely to be ordering entire shipping containers, you most likely will not get this price.

Our wholesale class comes with an entire glossary of terms and walks you through the ins and outs of shipping and delivery.

Make the most of Market by coming prepared. Once you know the lingo, and understand the wholesale buying process, you’ll be ready to attend Market.

When shopping the wholesale markets, make sure you have these items handy:

• Comfy shoes for all the walking you'll be doing. Your feet will be sore!
• Your business cards. Market is a priceless time to build relationships with vendors. Making these connections now can result in special deals and other perks later. It's also much more efficient to hand a rep your card, than to spend time filling out forms.
• A rolling bag for all the vendor swag you'll pick up on the way. It can get heavy!
• Your purchase list. Refer to the details on your list to make sure you stay on track while shopping at Market.
• Forms & IDs. You'll need your credit references, resale certificate, proof of trade status, and maybe more to set up accounts with wholesale vendors.

Attending Market is a valuable experience—learn as much as you can. Unlike shopping in a catalog, attending Market gives you the chance to touch and see the items you’re shopping for. You’ll be able to make personal connections with vendors, who can in turn offer you special deals. Plus, you’ll leave Market with insider knowledge on the latest trends in design. 

Want to learn more about navigating the complex world of shopping furniture markets, and wholesale in general?

Buy Like a Boss: The Stager’s Guide to Wholesale is the perfect course to complete prior to shopping wholesale. You’ll gain in-depth knowledge on how to negotiate the best prices with vendors, how to read complicated price tags, how to understand freight programs and delivery, what items should be on your purchase list, plus it includes the vendor list we use in our own home staging business. 

It took us years of research and attending furniture markets to gain this knowledge and compile the vendor list. You’ll get access to it all by completing the course!

Staging Studio was created FOR Stagers BY Stagers. Everything we teach, and all the resources we offer, are because we used them in our own business first. Become a Staging Design Professional® and learn how to have a successful (and PROFITABLE!) staging business.