10 Furniture Flipping Upsells
WELCOME BACK Tribe!
Ready to increase those profit margins? There are several fairly simple ways to increase your profit margins on every flip by adding a few details that truly make your flips stand out.
Originality & customization options should be a couple of marketing upsides that you use to sway the public to OUR SERVICES! We are finally finding ourselves in a world of individuals, encouraging each other to break from the mold & be authentic, original and individuality!
In this post, we will be going over 10 easy techniques that will increase your profit margins on EVERY piece of furniture you flip. Get the most out of every flip with these amazing techniques!
Happy Flipping!
10 Furniture Flipping Upsells to maximize profits on every flip
What is an UPSELL???
An upsell is a suggested addition to a service or product that increases the ticket price.
UPSELL EXAMPLE:
If you have ever worked in the hospitality industry- just the word “upsell” probably brought back some memories you forgot were in there.
When working a server in a restaurant, one of the first things that you are taught is to UPSELL! You greet the table & offer a minimum of 2 drinks by name (upsell)- when offering appetizers- “Can I go ahead and put in an order of chips & queso or house-made guacamole to munch on while you are looking over the menu?” (UPSELL)- When the customer is ordering that steak- “did you want to add some sauteed mushrooms to that steak?” or “Did you want to add a side salad?”- (ANOTHER UPSELL!)
The goal is to increase the ticket amount on every table. When you increase the ticket price, the restaurant makes more money & the servers tip increases…
THE POINT:
You should be using this same strategy in your creative business… but HOW?
Lets talk about 10 EASY ways to upsell your furniture flips!
The 10 upsells we will be discussing:
1. DISTRESSING & CHIPPY PAINT
2. GOLD LEAF
3. NEW HARDWARE
4. STENCILS
5. DRAWER LINER
6. ADDING A NEW BASE OR LEGS
7. TEXTURED WALLPAPER
8. OMBRE & BLENDING
9. COLOR CUSTOMIZATION
10. TRANSFERS
No. 1- Distressing & Chippy Paint
the Farmhouse & rustic style is still a trend that is highly sought after. Get a feel for what your customers home vibe is- if they say “farmhouse or rustic”- its time to upsell on your “aged” painting techniques!
I absolutely LOVE distressing furniture! Distressing furniture is by far one of my favorite techniques to use… and, IT SELLS LIKE HOT CAKES!
No. 2- Gold up
When a client brings me a piece of furniture with inlays or any unique curvature- I recommend the gold up upsell- it is such an easy way to highlight key areas of focus on your furniture- you can find my FAVORITE fold up products on my amazon store front: HERE!
WHY I LOVE Golf Leaf-
1. Takes minutes
2. Super easy to work with
3. A little goes A LONG WAY- The products are under $10.00 & will last for dozens of projects. The investment will pay for itself with your first customer and will generate profits for the rest.
NO. 3- new hardware
ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS suggest NEW hardware.
At a minimum, you should offer an up charge for cleaning & polishing the original hardware. Its so much easier to replace the hardware than it is to clean & update them…
if you have one of those vintage pieces with the original hardware that is still in good working shape- upsell by offering to rub n buff them- rub n buff comes in a variety of color options & you just rub a small amount over the area and buff with a towel… so quick & hardware looks brand new. You can rub n buff color options here & links to all of my favorite products in my “furniture flipping tool box“.
NO. 4- stencils
Add beautiful patterns easily with stencil art! My favorite place to add stencils it on the sides of drawers!
Who says that details are limited to the outside of the furniture?
I highly recommend Dixie Belle Paint Company stencils- they have an adhesive on the back that eliminates the need for painters tape & can be re washed and reused!
These stencils are also available in my Amazon store front curation labeled “Details- Upsells!”
NO. 5- Drawer liner
Add beautiful color & pattern combinations to the inside of the drawers with wallpaper & drawer liner! The combinations of colors & wallpaper can really make that WOW factor continue inside & out.
TIP: Time how long it takes you to line one drawer & use your hourly labor (how much you charge for your services by hour) to determine your labor cost per drawer. Knowing this average will help you with quotes in the future.
Rule of thumb for pricing:
(Estimated Labor Hours x Hourly Payrate) + (materials cost x 10%) + (Delivery/shipping cost) + (shipping & handling fee) = Total Sale Price
NO. 6- Custom base & legs
This is an amazing way to modernize furniture and the PAY OFF is HUGE, both in product reveal & upcharge potential.
Tip: when building a base for heavy furniture- be sure to use HARD wood to ensure it can withstand the weight of the furniture & won’t break off when slide on carpet.
NO. 7- textured wallpaper
Add textured wallpaper to create depth and pattern on flat surfaces! Holy CRAP, is this a game changer and super beginner friendly!
If you have never dabbled with applying wallpaper to furniture- Check out the video down below for a full breakdown on my process for a perfect wallpapered finish.
This exact wallpaper is available in my Amazon storefront: HERE.
NO. 8- Blending & ombre'
Anytime you use multiple paint shades- your selling price should increase- Not only because your using more materials but because this technique is going to take more time to accomplish than your one shade paint job.
Tip: Make sure you practice this paint technique prior to committing to accomplishing this look for a customer. This is one of those paint techniques that creates new challenges from piece to piece so be sure to practice!
If you would like to learn how to blend paint from the best- I turn to my favorite fellow furniture flipper: Brandy from Brushed by Brandy.
NO. 9- Color Customization
If you have ever played with mixing paints to create the perfect shade- you know how fun it can be- you also know how frustrating it can be to replicate when you run out!
TIP: When you are mixing colors, use measurement cups & keep record of your additions so that you can replicate easily.
When you find a mix that you want to use over and over- you can head over to Dixie Belle Paint Company’s website & use their COLOR LAB! Dixie Belle has truly become my favorite paint company- Use their 3 lines of paint colors to curate a custom shade for your customers..
This process will extend your lead time on the job but with this level of customization- you can surely charge more the service.
NO. 9- Transfers
Furniture transfers have made adding detailed images to your furniture in seconds… I cannot believe how easy this process is…. The results are absolutely stunning…
My favorite furniture transfers are Redesign by Prima transfers- The quality is excellent and i have never had any issues with them. A few options are available on Amazon, you can purchase these on Dixie Belle Paint Company’s website & Etsy also has a huge selection.
The LOVE the Magnolia transfer which is what I used in the picture below & available on Amazon!
As always, the magnolia transfer is available for purchase, here.
There you have it! Armed with these 10 tips, you can now upsell each furniture flip & be confident that you are maximizing your profits on every flip! Every customization option & technique you add to your arsenal will increase the amount you can charge for your services & set you apart from the crowd.
I HOPE THAT YOU FOUND THIS POST HELPFUL & WOULD LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK! IF THERE IS A PARTICULAR TOPIC, PRODUCT, TECHNIQUE, ETC. THAT YOU WOULD FIND HELPFUL, PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT OR SEND ME AN EMAIL!
AS ALWAYS, I AM HERE TO HELP! WELCOME TO THE TRIBE!
-Reconciliation Furniture
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