Used furniture in Thailand: measurements, moving and termites
Furniture is where secondhand saves the most money, and also where deals collapse most often on moving day, over size and logistics. The three things on this page — size, termites, transport cost — prevent almost every problem.
Last updated: 2026-09-22 · Near Dee
Always measure three things
Before agreeing, measure the item, the space it will occupy, and the route to that space. The route is what people forget: doorways, the lift door, stair width and corridor turns.
Sellers should give width x depth x height in centimetres and say whether it disassembles. A listing that says "legs unscrew" or "splits into three parts" sells faster than the identical item without that detail.
Large sofas and sliding-door wardrobes are the two items that most often break a condo plan, because they do not fit the lift and the fire stairs are narrow.
Termites, borers and damp
- Look under the base, behind the back panel and along the joints for small holes, fine wood dust or hard mud trails.
- Tap the wood and listen. An unusually hollow sound in thick hardwood is a warning.
- Check the bottom edges of plywood and MDF for swelling. That is flood or long-term damp damage, hard to repair and likely to return.
- Upholstery with a strong musty smell rarely recovers from ordinary cleaning — price in a reupholstery job.
Transport costs and condo rules
Most condos set move-in hours (usually weekday daytime), require booking the service lift, and some take a damage deposit. Settle this before picking a date, not on the day.
Pickup services charge by distance and number of lifters. Big items on a high floor without a lift cost visibly more, so always ask for the price including labour.
If the seller is on a high floor with no service lift, say so in the listing from the start. Buyers told in advance do not cancel halfway.
Pricing secondhand furniture
Furniture drops fast in its first year and then flattens. A one- to two-year-old item in good condition usually sells for 40-55% of new. Beyond five years, condition and design matter more than the brand.
Solid wood and steel-frame pieces hold value noticeably better than melamine-faced particle board.
Selling as a set (table plus chairs, bed plus mattress) is faster; splitting items usually earns more in total if you have time.