Online furniture stores are increasing in popularity, as sellers look for a piece of the market’s high average order value. In 2023, the average ecommerce order made on home furniture websites surpassed $400.
While the sales opportunity may be enticing, running an online furniture store means shipping large, often fragile items to multiple customer destinations.
Dropshipping furniture addresses many of these logistical challenges by outsourcing order fulfillment to a supplier. Read on to find out if partnering with a dropshipping supplier could make running your furniture store less time-consuming—and more profitable.
How does dropshipping furniture work?
Dropshipping is a business model where an online seller outsources manufacturing and order fulfillment to third-parties. The online seller promotes and sells products, while silent partners handle production, packing, and shipping.
When a customer places an order on a dropshipping store, the seller sends that order to its supplier. The supplier manages inventory—picking, packing, and shipping the items directly to the customer on the seller’s behalf.
Dropshipping furniture follows the same process as the general dropshipping model, and includes products for homes and businesses. Dropshipping furniture suppliers stock a wide range of items, from full-sized bedroom furniture sets to small products like plant stands and lamps.
Dropshipping furniture: pros and cons
Dropshipping furniture is a viable business opportunity. But there are some obstacles to be aware of when considering this niche.
Pro: Consumer demand
There’s a consistent demand for furniture, which bodes well for your plans if you want to sell furniture online. In the US in 2024, the furniture market is worth more than $125 billion and is projected to grow at a rate of 7.25% over the next five years.
When the economy shrank by about 3.5% in 2020, the furniture market actually grew by 0.6%.
There are many factors contributing to the recent growth of the online furniture market. Pandemic lockdowns forced more people to spend more time at home, creating home offices as well as upgrading their existing living spaces.
Con: Competitive market
The online furniture market is competitive.Estimates suggest there are more than 3,000 online furniture retailers. When dropshipping furniture, you’ll have to compete with other dropshippers as well as established furniture brands like IKEA and Wayfair, and third-party marketplaces like Amazon and Etsy.
Pro: Lots of flexibility
The furniture market is so broad you can take this niche in almost any direction you want. Flexibility is key when it comes to dropshipping businesses, especially if you want to be able to quickly pivot to capitalize on emerging trends.
You might choose to do home versus office furniture, focus on a corporate customer, sell outdoor furniture, or drill down into a super-specific niche. You can focus on large casegoods or small pieces, and you can find suppliers that use a variety of materials in the manufacturing process.
Con: Harder to make the sale
It can be difficult to make your first sale regardless of niche, but especially so when it comes to furniture. The average conversion rate for online furniture is reportedly 2.2%, though this figure is likely to drop considerably for more expensive items. Generally speaking, it’s easier to sell low-cost items than high-cost furniture, as high ticket prices require more consideration on the buyer’s part.
Pro: Emerging online opportunity
People are becoming increasingly comfortable purchasing large furniture items online. And furniture-related online searches are more transactional than your typical search. About 36% of furniture searches receive informational content, while 62% of searches end up being transactional. This means SEO should be a key component to your dropshipping furniture marketing strategy.
Focusing on the user experience will help differentiate your site from competitors. For one furniture retailer, enhanced and 360-degree product images and a mobile responsive site boosted average order value (AOV) and conversion rate by nearly 50% each.
Pro: Fewer sales needed
The median gross profit margin for furniture is just over 31%. Although it may be more difficult to get users to convert, you won’t need to make as many sales when dropshipping furniture as you would with many other types of products. Because furniture boosts AOV and profit margins, you don’t need to worry about constantly driving more traffic and leads. Plus, fewer orders means your team has less related tasks: reduced support inquiries, returns, etc.
9 best dropshipping furniture suppliers
The best dropshipping supplier for your furniture store depends on your unique needs. You’ll need to consider the types of furniture you want to sell, as well as the type of customers you want to target.
1. AliExpress
Best for: Merchants with plans to expand their product line
AliExpress is a China-based online marketplace with more than 100 million dropshippable products, including furniture. AliExpress is known for affordable, mass-produced products manufactured overseas.
One key benefit to using AliExpress is you can expand your business into virtually any category or niche by sourcing suppliers from the platform. Let’s say you were to start selling children’s furniture, for example. You could later expand your brand to sell children’s toys and clothes, using different suppliers on AliExpress.
As far as dropshipping furniture goes, AliExpress has the following subcategories:
- Café furniture
- Furniture parts
- Furniture accessories
- Home furniture
- Office furniture
- Commercial furniture
- Outdoor furniture
- Children furniture
- Bar furniture
But you can find almost any kind of item imaginable. AliExpress doesn’t charge any signup or monthly fees.
2. Bedding Dropship
Best for: Dropshipping bedding and small bed and bath furniture accessories
Bedding Dropship is a New Jersey–based dropshipping supplier dedicated to providing duvet covers, bedding sets, window treatments, and other small bed and bath home goods and accessories. The supplier offers shipping within three days for fast delivery, as well as automated tracking updates. Unused items are accepted for return up to 30 days after the purchase date. There are no order minimums or associated fees, though you do need to pay $25 to apply for the dropshipping program as well as provide a valid business tax ID. That $25 is applied to the first order as a credit for merchants who are accepted into the program.
3. DHgate
Best for: Sourcing affordable dropshipped furniture with buyer protection
DHgate is another China-based marketplace for dropshipping products across a wide range of niches. DHgate is also known for its affordability, so merchants should beware of product quality when sourcing suppliers here—always remember to read reviews. However, DHgate also offers buyer protection for defective or misrepresented items, so merchants have some peace of mind when using the platform.
DHgate has more than 47,000 products for dropshipped furniture. Like AliExpress, there are subcategories within the furniture dropshipping category. Those include:
- Outdoor furniture
- Home furniture
- Commercial furniture
- Other furniture
- Furniture accessories
- Children furniture
- Baby furniture
DHgate charges no signup or monthly fees.
4. Doba
Best for: Merchants that don’t mind paying a monthly membership fee in exchange for quality customer service
Doba is another marketplace where you can browse, compare, and contact millions of products from a variety of dropshipping suppliers. Here, you can find products of all kinds, including furniture. Furniture subcategories include:
- Nursery furniture
- Entryway furniture
- Home entertainment
- Home office furniture
- Rugs Accent furniture
- Game and recreation room
- Kitchen and dining room
- Replacement parts Kids’ furniture
- Bathroom furniture
- Living room
- Bedroom
- Patio furniture
You can integrate Doba with ecommerce platforms like Shopify or with marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, and eBay. Doba offers a free plan with up to 100 exported products each month and up to 1,000 products on your inventory list. Paid plans start at $49.99 per month ($29.99 monthly, if billed annually), and you can try it out free for 30 days. Doba’s biggest differentiator is its responsive customer support team.
5. Dropshipzone
Best for: Australia-based merchants
Dropshipzone is an Australia-based marketplace where merchants can find dropshippers and wholesalers to source products. Dropshipzone is limited to merchants who sell in Australia. You can use the Sofortig app to connect Dropshipzone to your Shopify store.
Its furniture category is broken down into the following subcategories, which are more product-specific than other sites on this list:
- Bar stools and chairs
- Bathroom
- Bedroom
- Dining
- Living room
- Mattresses
- Office
- Sofas
- Outdoor
Dropshipzone also makes it easy to compare products side-by-side.
6. Fast Furnishings
Best for: Sourcing high-quality dropshipped furniture from industry experts
Fast Furnishings is a US-based online marketplace dedicated to selling furniture and related home goods. Here, you can browse more than 3,000 products to sell. Fast Furnishings offers international selling, fast shipping times, and free shipping within the contiguous US.
The site facilitates both B2C sales through its website and B2B sales through its Wholesale Drop-Ship Reseller Program. Merchants must apply and be approved to be able to begin dropshipping furniture with Fast Furnishings. There are a couple of different membership options, including a base program without a monthly fee and a Pro ($49 per month or $39 per month, billed annually). The latter gives merchants a 15% discount and provides a product .csv file formatted for Shopify or Volusion to make product upload easier.
GFURN
Best for: US- and Canada-based merchants seeking high-quality furniture
GFURN is a Canada-based furniture, lighting, and home décor accessories supplier that offers direct-to-consumer sales, wholesale, and dropshipping. GFURN sells a mix of items it has designed and manufactured itself, as well as items sourced from suppliers around the world.
All orders ship quickly—the supplier sends outgoing shipments on a daily basis—and there are no order minimums. You can also get discounted container pricing for large wholesale orders if you decide to switch over from a dropshipping model in an effort to increase your profit margins. Note GFURN only ships to the US and Canada.
7. VIG Furniture
Best for: Dropshipping high-quality, design-forward furniture in the contiguous US
VIG Furniture is a Los Angeles–based furniture wholesaler and dropshipper that specializes in high-quality furniture, with thousands of products for merchants to choose from. You’ll also be featured in VIG’s online directory of merchants that sell its products.
VIG only ships to the contiguous US but delivers most orders within a week. There’s no minimum purchase amount or application or membership fees. Physical retailers may also be eligible for discounts if they display VIG products on their sales floors.
8. Wholesale Interiors
Best for: Sourcing high-quality home and commercial furniture items to dropship
Wholesale Interiors is another dropshipping option that specializes in the furniture niche. It ships orders daily from its locations in California and Illinois. As such, you can expect a variety of furniture items, styles, designs, and niches. Top subcategories include:
- Dining room furniture
- Bedroom furniture
- Home office furniture
- Lighting Outdoor furniture
- Living room furniture
- Entryway furniture
- Bathroom furniture
- Bar furniture
- Mirrors
- Kids’ furniture
- Pet furniture
- Restaurant furniture
- Commercial furniture
- Yogurt shop furniture
Merchants are required to submit a free application along with documentation showing business registration. Wholesale Interiors only works with businesses in the home furnishings, interior design, home staging, or property management and rental industries. There are no associated fees.
Note that Wholesale Interiors features its own branding, “Baxton Studio,” on boxes—but not on receipts, invoices, packing slips, or labels.
9. Artisan Furniture US
Best for: Dropshipping solid wood furniture
Artisan Furniture US specializes in handcrafted, solid wood furniture that brings a unique, high-quality touch to any space. Their products range from rustic to modern, catering to consumers who value sustainability and craftsmanship.
Key advantages include no minimum order requirements and free delivery across all 50 states. For many items, customers can also choose from a variety of stains, paint finishes, and fabrics.
Dropshipping furniture FAQ
Is dropshipping home décor profitable?
Dropshipping home décor is profitable. Home goods and furniture offer some of the highest profit margins in ecommerce, as well as high average order values and conversion rates. The home goods market is projected to grow.
Can I dropship furniture from any store?
No, you can’t dropship furniture from any store. You can dropship furniture from your Shopify store using one of many available apps and integrations.
What sites let you dropship?
Sites like Shopify let you dropship via third-party apps and integrations.