Selling Office Chairs Industry

Selling office chairs is a phenomenon where companies quickly dispose of idle assets through the second-hand market due to operational pressures, market changes, or cost optimization needs, reflecting industry adjustments and shifts in market supply and demand.

I. Core Driving Factors

1. Corporate Operational Challenges: When companies face strategic contraction, bankruptcy reorganization, or business transformation, selling office chairs becomes an important means to quickly recoup funds and reduce operating costs. For example, after Elon Musk took over Twitter, the company auctioned off its remaining assets online through auction houses, with the starting bid for the same model of Eames chair at just $50, far lower than prices over 1,000 yuan on domestic e-commerce platforms. Shared office giant WeWork, after its failed IPO, closed stores, laid off employees, and sold off a large number of high-end office furniture, with brand-new HAY chairs being sold for 500 yuan, just a fraction of their original price.
2. Declining Market Demand: Under the pressure of a global economic downturn, corporate expansion has slowed or even contracted, leading to a decrease in demand for office space and a subsequent increase in demand for second-hand office furniture transactions. In the second quarter of 2023, the office vacancy rate in the United States reached 13.1%, a record high, directly boosting activity in the second-hand market.
3. Cost Optimization Needs: To reduce operating costs, companies tend to choose more cost-effective second-hand furniture or release funds by selling idle assets. For example, there are significant price differences in the domestic second-hand office chair market. Tianjin Huawei Office Furniture sells second-hand office chairs for 350 yuan, while Hangzhou Chengxiang Furniture sells second-hand desk-chair partition workstations for only 50 yuan each, reflecting companies' preference for low-cost solutions.

II. Market Performance and Industry Trends

1. Significant Price Differences: The prices of second-hand office chairs are influenced by factors such as brand, condition, and market supply and demand. High-end brands like Herman Miller and Humanscale still retain relatively high residual value for their second-hand products, while domestic brands like Sihoo have rapidly expanded through a cost-effective strategy, selling over 2.2 million pieces in 2025 and covering 122 countries and regions, forming differentiated competition.
2. Rise of Trading Platforms: The popularity of second-hand office furniture trading platforms (such as Xianyu and Chairish) provides a channel for companies to combine cost reduction and efficiency improvement with environmental protection needs. Companies can quickly dispose of assets through these platforms, while buyers can acquire the furniture they need at a lower cost, creating a win-win situation.
3. Industry Structure Adjustment: The high-end market is dominated by overseas brands, while domestic brands seize the mid-to-low-end market through cost-effective strategies. Meanwhile, the activity in the second-hand market also reflects the industry's shift from "incremental expansion" to "stock optimization."

III. Typical Cases and Impacts
After the debt crisis, shared bike company ofo sold its second-hand 9AM electric height-adjustable desks from its Ideal International Building on the Xianyu platform, labeled as "90% new, low price, large quantity." In 2022, Meituan vacated part of its office space in Wangjing, Beijing, releasing over 30,000 square meters of office space, with idle desks and chairs likely flowing into the second-hand market. These cases indicate that selling office chairs is not only a means for companies to cope with crises but also a process of reallocating market resources, having a profound impact on the second-hand furniture industry, the environmental protection sector, and corporate operational strategies.