The short answer
Work down the list until something sticks. Sell it, donate it, hand it to someone who is moving in, or book it out.
The one thing that does not work is leaving it where it is until you decide, because in Austin the deciding period is the period in which the furniture is being destroyed. A garage here in July and August will finish off a sofa that was perfectly sellable in April.
If it does come to hauling: a sofa is $126, a loveseat is $119, a three-piece sectional is $185, a standard dresser is $126, a two-to-four seat dining table is $103 and a bookshelf is $72. The minimum for a visit is $75, disposal and carry-out from any floor are included, and there is no stair fee.
Sell it - and Austin is unusually good for this
This city has a permanent inbound stream of people arriving for a job with an empty rental and a short list of things to buy. That is a real demand side that most cities do not have to the same degree, and it is why decent secondhand furniture moves here faster than people expect.
What sells: solid wood anything, mid-century pieces, real dining sets, dressers, bookcases, patio furniture in good condition, and outdoor gear. The best windows are the weeks around the start of the UT year and the first days of August when the whole city is furnishing at once.
What does not sell: flat-pack that has been apart, upholstery with sun damage, anything that has spent a summer in an uninsulated garage, and mattresses. Do not spend three weekends trying. If it has not gone in ten days, move it down the list.
Donate it, with the conditions attached
Several Austin charities take furniture and some collect it, but they are selective, and rightly - they are running a shop, not a disposal service.
The usual conditions: structurally sound, no rips or heavy staining, no strong smell, no obvious sun damage, and complete. Sectionals need all their pieces. Dining sets need their chairs. Nothing with visible pest damage.
Call before loading a car. Pickup schedules run weeks out in late July and early August because every other household in the city has the same idea at the same time, and a charity truck that cannot come until the 12th is no use if your lease ends on the 31st. If the timing does not work, that is exactly the case for a booked removal.
Hand it off
Underrated and free. A sofa posted in a neighborhood group on a Saturday morning in Crestview, Cherrywood, Bouldin or Hyde Park will often be collected the same day, because the people most likely to want it live within two miles and have a truck.
Two rules that make the difference. First, be honest in the listing about the condition and the access - a third-floor walk-up on Nueces is a different offer to a ground-floor pull-up in Allandale, and saying so stops three people cancelling. Second, do not leave it on the curb as the handoff mechanism. Curbside furniture in Austin is either gone in an hour or ruined by the first evening storm, and the odds are not as good as the internet suggests.
Book it out, priced
| Sofa / Couch | $126 |
| Loveseat | $119 |
| Sectional Sofa (2-Piece) | $141 |
| Sectional Sofa (3-Piece) | $185 |
| Sleeper Sofa | $149 |
| Recliner | $98 |
| Armchair / Accent Chair | $77 |
| Dining Table (2-4 Seat) | $103 |
| Dining Table (6-8 Seat) | $163 |
| Dining Chair | $45 |
| Dresser (Standard) | $126 |
| Dresser (Large / Double) | $148 |
| Bookshelf | $72 |
| Bookcase - Solid Wood (tall / 6ft+) | $123 |
| Coffee Table | $67 |
| Entertainment Center / TV Stand | $96 |
| Desk (Standard) | $83 |
| Wardrobe - Flat-pack / Particleboard | $143 |
Worked totals
A living room in an East Austin rental. A sofa at $126, a coffee table at $67 and a TV stand at $96. That is $126 + $67 + $96 = $289. Against the ladder, the three-eighths truck is $338, so the itemized price wins.
A dining room in Allandale. A six-to-eight seat table at $163 and four dining chairs at $45 each: $163 + $45 + $45 + $45 + $45 = $343. Here the three-eighths truck at $338 comes out marginally lower and that is what you are charged.
A Domain condo downsizing. A three-piece sectional at $185 and a large dresser at $148 comes to $185 + $148 = $333.
When the list gets past a room, compare with the truck ladder: a quarter is $241, a half is $431, a full load is $732.
The Austin timing that decides all of it
Two dates and one season.
Late July into early August. The lease cliff. Maximum supply of secondhand furniture in the city and maximum demand for it, both in the same two weeks, which means anything decent moves and everything mediocre does not. Removal calendars fill. Book early.
Summer itself. If it lives in the garage, it is being destroyed. Foam, glue, veneer and particleboard all lose in an Austin August. Move furniture on in spring while it is still worth something.
New-build handover. If you are coming into Round Rock, Pflugerville, Leander or Hutto from a smaller place, the honest answer is that the old sectional usually does not fit the new room and the old dining set does not match the new one. Decide that before the movers charge you to bring it, not after it has spent a summer in the third bay.
Booking without a phone call
Type the furniture into the quote box and the total comes back straight away, itemized or by truck tier, whichever is lower. That is the price - no estimator, no callback, no revision at the door.
Carry-out from any floor is included, which matters in the walk-up blocks around campus. Disassembly is included, which matters for sectionals and for anything that has to leave a 1930s bungalow through a doorway narrower than anything sold today. Disposal is included everywhere.
Frequently asked questions
What does furniture removal cost in Austin?
A sofa is $126, a loveseat is $119, a three-piece sectional is $185, a recliner is $98, a standard dresser is $126, a two-to-four seat dining table is $103 and a bookshelf is $72. The minimum for a visit is $75, and disposal plus carry-out from any floor are included in those prices.
Will a charity in Austin pick up my old couch?
Some will, if it is structurally sound, clean, unstained and complete. Call first rather than loading it into a car. The practical catch is timing - collection schedules run weeks out in late July and early August, when the whole city is moving at once, and that rarely lines up with a lease that ends on the 31st.
Is it worth selling used furniture in Austin?
More than in most cities. There is a constant inbound stream of people arriving for work with an empty rental to fill, so solid wood pieces, dining sets, dressers and good patio furniture move quickly. Flat-pack that has been apart, sun-damaged upholstery and anything stored through a summer generally do not.
Can I leave furniture on the curb in Austin?
It depends entirely on your own address and your city's bulky-item rules, and set-out windows are usually narrow - check your city's current bulky-item page before putting anything out. Apartment complexes are on private commercial service and bulky items are not part of it, so the compactor area is never the answer.
Do you take furniture apart to get it out?
Yes, and it is included. Sectionals, bed frames, wardrobes and shelving units regularly have to come apart to clear a doorway, especially in the older bungalows in Hyde Park and Travis Heights where the openings are narrower than anything built today. There is no disassembly charge and no stair charge.