Austin Furniture Consignment

DO NOT SELL FURNITURE HERE. THEY SELL YOUR FURNITURE AND DO NOT PAY YOU. DO NOT BUY FURNITURE HERE UNLESS YOU’RE COMFORTABLE BUYING FURNITURE THAT HAS BEEN STOLEN FROM THE OWNER. This is the most plainly dishonest operation I have ever dealt with. I took a Pier One television stand and consigned it. They said they would try to sell it. I called one month later and was told it had not sold. I came back months later looking for the piece and at that point told it had may have been donated to some other place because it hadn’t sold. WTF, you donated the furniture I consigned here for you to sell? I was pretty irritated by this point. informed them I would need to see record of them donating it and that I still expected to be paid for the item. They refused, I insisted, they refused, I stood my ground and insisted again. At this point the story started changing. «Well, maybe we did sell it, I’l have to check the records…» Uh, yeahhhh. Not shady at all. Never got paid. Fraud and theft plain and simple. Their business practices are beyond unethical, they are illegal. The next person this happens to should actually press fraud charges.

This place used to be next to the Broken Spoke but due to all the construction down there, they have been displaced to a spot on Burnet. It’s actually two shops in one, the Consignment shop is actually in the back of the building.
We were actually looking for a retro side table but we ended up leaving with some cool artwork instead.
The furniture selection is a good mix of sofas, bed frames, some tables, and other knickknacks.
If you’re looking for some vintage items, this place is worth a lookieloo.

$ 700 check bounced. I’ve called three times with a call back promise with no return call. You will hear the owner isn’t here. He will be back in 30 minutes and then he will call you. It makes me sick that I used them to sell my furniture. I’m going to file
a complaint with the Texas Attorney General.
If you have been screwed by these people file a complaint and lets shut em down.

I ordered a futon from a catalog and was told it would take two weeks to arrive. It took longer than that and to make up for the inconvenience, they offered free delivery without my even having to ask or get fussy. Dan even came in and set it up for me. He was extremely friendly and courteous. I will definitely be a return customer.

We sold our sectional sofa through Austin Furniture Consignment. We read the paperwork very carefully before we signed it. When it sold they gave us the price they sold it for: $ 450, which we would get half of, or $ 225. This surprised us because they had agreed not to go that low without informing us. When we went into the store they accidentally showed us the receipt showing that it had actually sold for $ 850, which meant we should have been paid $ 425. When we asked about it they gave us a couple different stories that didn’t really add up, but quickly offered us $ 300. It seemed odd that they would quickly agree to pay that much more if they really had sold it for $ 450. We felt like we were being lied to but since there was nothing we could do about it we agreed to the $ 300. At the time they had told us they were moving locations but didn’t have one yet. It was a compromise, but we were afraid they would take the money and run.
When we got the check for $ 300 we deposited it. We discovered a few days later when we logged onto our bank account that the check had bounced. My wife called and explained the situation to the person who answered the phone. They said they couldn’t do anything about it but the manager would call us back that day. He never did. She called again and the person who answered the phone said the manager was busy but would call her back that day. He never did.
We still haven’t been paid or received a phone call. My recommendation: if you need to get rid of furniture, put it on the curb. You’ll save yourself the trip to the store and the bank fees for a bounced check. If you’re considering buying furniture from them, you may be buying stolen property.

DO NOT «GIVE» THIS BUSINESS YOUR ITEMS TO SELL!!!
I wish I would have read the reviews about bounced checks before bringing my items here. The staff is very friendly, so you get the warm and fuzzies that you will be taken care of. First of all, I had to call and inquire as to whether or not my items had sold and was told that yes, there were a couple of checks for me to pick up. Then, like so many other Unilocalers, my checks bounced. When I called, I was told very apologetically that the matter would be handled quickly AND IT WAS. The manager left cash that I had a friend pick up for me the next day as I had already moved out of town. There was also a little handwritten note that apologized for the inconvenience. That was back in January 2012. I returned to Austin in May and after calling again, was told I did have another check to pick up. And then… yep, that check bounced too! I called and left a message which was returned later the same day. The girl on the phone said she would tell the manager and get a money order to me. I asked to be notified of when the money order was sent so I could be on the look out for it to arrive. That was a week ago. I’ve just left another message and am hoping that they will come through quickly as the first time. However, I would not consign with them again if I were in Austin and would/​am telling everyone not to. Even if they do pay you AGAIN what is yours, it’s a waste of your time and efforts to track down their mistakes and a business who consistently bounces checks is just not a good business. They do have some cool items to shop for, but out of principle to the consumers who are trusting them with their belongings, I wouldn’t give them any money as it may never make it to the rightful hands.

I consigned pieces and was treated very fairly. A mistake was made and a couple of checks bounced. When I came into the store the owner was incredibly apologetic and went to the bank right away to rectify the situation paid for the fees and let me know if there were any other fees that he would take care of it right away. It was awesome! I love and support local! I prefer it to most of Craigslist because people who use craigslist try to talk you waaaaaaaay down to the point you might as well give it away for free — and I’m talking nice antique $ 400 appraised pieces — like give me a break. I can also do without the spam that comes with posting on CL. True it’s pricery but they share the wealth and some of the pieces people bring in are very cool!

I had some items on consignment here, received 2 checks and both of them bounced. No one from the store called me. I noticed it myself on my bank statement about 2 months after the fact. I am not the best at going through my bank statements every month, and I bet a lot of others are not either, so maybe they were hoping most people wouldn’t notice. I’m glad I did!
I called the store and told them and they didn’t seem shocked or even sympathetic. It seemed like the guy acted like it was business as usual. He said he’d have the accountant call me. I got an apologetic call about 10 mins later from the accountant who said they’d have the cash at the store for me to pick up by 1PM the following day in an envelope with my name on it. I called about 5PM the next day to make sure it was there before I drove over and no envelope was there. I explained to the person what was promised and he said the accountant was out on an errand and would be back in a couple of hours. After I balked at this, he put me on hold and came back and said he had enough cash in the drawer to pay me.
I went on down and picked up my cash. The guy was nice enough about it, but I take issue with a business that bounces checks and doesn’t even call to notify you that their check bounced and immediately make good on it. Obviously they are aware of which consignees they bounced checks to. I think they figure some percentage of people will not notice or read their statements. That’s not acceptable business practice.
Also, they explained to me that anything that didn’t sell during my consignment period, I was welcome to take back. Strangely though, none of the items that didn’t sell on consignment were in the store anymore after the consignment period ended. Where did they go?
I would not leave items here on consignment again in the future.

SELLERS BEWARE!!! This is terribly unfortunate. After the third bounced check in a row (three separate months) from these people, I think it is a public responsibility to post it. I was very understanding over the first and second checks. When I brought in my bank notice they paid me in cash along with the $ 12 fee. This part is good. However, when I asked why they didn’t call me (in both cases, the notice was delayed in getting to me by 1 – 2 weeks as I’m in the process of moving), the person stated that their accounting person was calling everyone with bounced checks. Well, this is now my third bounced check (three months out of three), and I have never received a call. I will go in yet again, and pray I get my $ out of it this time. But by reading some of the other posts here, I’m afraid I may not get as lucky this time. I am moving out of town, and they said they would be able to send my checks to me. Now that none of their checks ever appear to be good, I think I may be out the rest of my money if I’m not here to deal with this in person. And this is a house full of furniture. I guess major lesson learned on this one. Something terribly irresponsible is happening here and not being corrected which is absolutely unacceptable. I completely gave them the benefit of the doubt as I know times may be hard, but this is so irresponsible at this point. They should go out of business, if they can’t keep up their end of the bargain, otherwise it is a disservice at best.

Oh Austin Furniture Consignment, what lust your awaken in me. Your furniture is so lovely and often so well aligned with my taste, but woe, your prices are often double or triple what similar pieces go for on craigslist. Of course, when you buy something on craigslist they usually don’t hold it for you until you can borrow a truck to come pick it up. You also can’t wander through eight people’s living rooms in an hour. The life of a recent cross-​country mover is difficult.
Now, I understand the concept of «what the market will bear» and clearly the market is doing its job as waiting around for the price to drop on that perfect dining set is a losing strategy here. So props for selling great furniture to people willing to shell out just a bit more than I normally am. Note: my girlfriend and I did get a really nice table here, so if it’s just right I’m willing to take the hit. Thanks!

This was my first furniture consignment experience. After parking behind what looked like an old airplane hanger, I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in the back. I was just browsing but picked out a whole house worth of furniture. They have everything from modern furnishings to old antique looking heirloom pieces. Prices were very reasonable. I will definitely be back when I am ready to purchase!

At this point in time I’m giving Austin Furniture Consignment one star for how many times we’ve visited in the past two weeks ;)
We stopped by to actually sell a dresser but were intrigued by the wide selection of furniture. We came back the next day and perused some more and got the run down. They have a HUGE selection that changes daily and a very wide range of styles and tastes from modern to shabby-​chic to «keep Austin weird» to heirloom. We found something new every time we visited.
Their prices are unbeatable and we do research before we buy any piece of furniture. Craigslist, other consignment stores, regular furniture stores, no one has come close to the deals we’ve gotten here. They lower prices on offers and combinations so you can get a great deal here. The staff has been really friendly and helpful every time we’ve visited whether selling or buying.
As Jordan mentioned they have consignment as well as catalog and import here — however each category is laid out in different parts of the store (import against the back wall, catalog next to that and then consignment everywhere else). They also have 80% consignment, 15% catalog and 5% import so it’s a large majority consignment. They offered all this information without us asking about this as soon as we got there and they have signs up about the catalogs and import so they are definitely not trying to trick anyone.
About the selling — we dropped off our dresser and it was sold within two days no problem. We’re still waiting for the check to arrive but they told us to call back and check in to see if we sold it and they let us know they did. I’ll update the review on the August check run as it seems everyone else has had problem with the checks.
Thus far we’ve sold our dresser, bought a couch (consignment) and three bar stools (catalog) at Austin Furniture Consignment. We’ll probably end up buying a few more items as we get our new apartment in full form.

Disclaimer: Unlike most of the other reviewers, I have not attempted to sell anything through Austin Furniture Consignment. This review is intended to inform potential shoppers, not sellers.
The other day I was driving around South Austin looking for a pair of armchairs for my living room. I had already gone to Room Service and found nothing that really screamed «Melatitis!» (which was a shock, because I usually do). My next stop was the old Salvation Army next to the South Lamar Alamo Drafthouse. Only I forgot that the place had been converted to the Highball (I have yet to visit the place, but it sounds special). So I drove further south, brainstorming for more chair hunting destinations.
That’s when I passed Austin Furniture Consignment.
When I first moved to Austin, I lived in this area. On my way downtown, I would give this place a suspicious glance as I passed it. It just looked sketchy, and I couldn’t figure out why.
The other day, I thought, «Awww…what the heck.» Disposing of my past prejudices, I pulled in. As if It was Manna from Heaven, right as I parked in the back, I spotted two perfect chairs. They are hard to describe, but I’ll try. Just imagine the kinds of chairs you would see in Epoch, but not quite as rugged. Beautiful fucking chairs.
I walked into the warehouse and a nice man greeted me, telling me that if there was anything I needed help with to just let him know. I immediately told him that I needed those chairs out back. He and another salesman told me the price and I was blown away. $ 90 for two semi-​antique, plushy chairs! Blow me down! But then they warned me that they weren’t in the best condition. Shit, I thought, they’re going to be structurally questionable, aren’t they. I had visions of sitting in these chairs to try them out and having them break under my weight, further upsetting my self-​esteem. And to add insult to injury, I would have to pay for the chairs.
The two guys took me outside to show me what they considered damage. Damage schmamage. Mind you, my idea of beauty might not be yours. The chairs were somewhat frayed in places and could definitely use some repairs, but I wouldn’t say they were more than gently used. I paid for them and was on my happy way.
In closing, I would like to apologize to anyone who might be on Unilocal,or might see this and has is not getting paid for these chairs. And, on a different note, I would like to recommend this place for cheap and unique furniture.

Sellers — PAY ATTENTION!!! My 900 Pottery Barn table didn’t sell, so they decided to donate it for me instead of picking up the phone and calling! What kind of business is that! BS!!! The girl on the phone says, we went over that with you in your contract. WE HAVE SO MANY CUSTOMERS, IT DOESNT MAKE SENSE TO CALL EVERYONE? What??? Whatever… that was 3 months ago. I am calling the BBB about them DO NOT SHOP THERE!!!

I can only comment on the buying experience, not the selling, but this place is okay. There is a lot of unique furniture and the prices and quality are pretty good (no Craigslist, but what is?). I liked a lot of the couches I saw, and they had a good selection of coffee tables and chairs. If you don’t want to spend the time scouring CL and traveling all over Austin to check furniture out, this place fits the bill.
Tip: there is a 10% off coupon on the website to print out and bring in.

i gotta back up brandon c on this one.
thieves.
i don’t know what else to call them.
they take your stuff, sell it, then don’t pay you for it.
what would you call that?
well, that’s what they did for us.
it might be a fine place to buy something,
but don’t EVER trust them to do anything other than take your money.

NEW REVIEW
Can I downgrade my ranking to a 0? The man who runs this business is a liar and a thief. He has repeatedly promised to send the money he owes me (a percentage of money he already put in his pocket) and yet every time he promises to send it — it doesn’t show up. I am a big proponent of local businesses, but not when they are run by dishonest people. The last phone call I had with the owner, he told me to go ahead and sue him for the money because he didn’t have it!!!
ORIGINAL BELOW
This store would receive five stars if they ever decided to call me back regarding the $ 800+ that they have conveniently forgot to pay me for over 2 months now. I spoke with the owner and he seemed like a nice enough guy, but he is very untrustworthy as he didn’t follow through on anything he committed to doing. There are too many good consignment stores in Austin to risk doing business with shady people. If they decide to mail the money they owe me then I’ll add an amendment to this review.

When I had to move, I needed a nightstand. The apartment I was moving into already had a dresser and a bed. I didn’t have that much money. After looking around, I came to the conclusion that Target was too expensive and a couple of the Goodwill stores didn’t have any nightstands. So I just happen upon Austin Furniture Consignment when I was driving on Lamar. I drove up and went to the back of their rocky and dusty parking lot. I entered their store which had a good amount of awesome furniture at a decent price. The service was really good. They didn’t pressure you to buy something and they were always helpful. If I had to go and get more furniture I would go back to Austin Consignment Furniture but I’m pretty sure there are other cool and decently priced furniture in Austin.