NEW YORK — Hoping that consumers will think twice before investing in “fast furniture,” online secondhand furniture marketplace has launched its service.
The service, which is available to first-time Kaiyo customers in the greater New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington D.C., areas, offers suggestions for higher-quality secondhand pieces in lieu of shorter lifespan fast-furniture options customers may be considering for purchase.
“By offering great prices on secondhand pieces from trusted brands and handling all the challenging logistics associated with buying furniture, we believe we will encourage people to participate in the circular economy,” said Grace Baena, interiors curator at Kaiyo.
“We hope to help people avoid schlepping items from a big box store, long delivery wait times and confusing assembly when durable, high-quality pieces are readily available and can be delivered quickly and reliably,” she said.
Although not specifying the brands they are targeting with this program, Baena said like fast fashion, “fast furniture is mass produced and made with low-grade materials that have a short lifespan.” She said Kaiyo’s mission “is to keep great furniture in circulation” while reducing the 12 million tons of furniture that winds up in landfills each year.
Shoppers considering a fast furniture purchase can email Resale Reroute with a description of the piece they are eyeing and will in turn receive a curated selection of alternatives, said Baena, “with at least three options within the shopper’s price range.” Those who pledge not to buy fast furniture this season receive a 15% discount on their first order of $500 or more. The purchase also includes Kaiyo’s white-glove delivery.
Kaiyo offers furniture from dozens of brands, including West Elm, CB2, Crate & Barrel, Arhaus and RH, among others. All the furniture is inspected and cleaned before delivery. The company uses a proprietary algorithm to price items, which are ranked in five categories from “like new” and “excellent” down to “salvage.”
Baena said the company is promoting the program through advertisements on the New York subway system and on social media.
“We’re also offering personalized shopping support and a limited-time offer to guide those less familiar with secondhand,” she said. Since its launch this month, Baena said it has already helped dozen of customers find alternatives to fast furniture.