Sell, donate or throw away? Answer for one piece of furniture at a time
Four questions about condition, value, time and size. The answer leads to the next question or to a result. The advice on timing is our own.
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Question 1: Is the furniture intact and in a condition to be used again?
Yes: Carry on. Go to step 2.
No: Throw it away. Take it to the recycling centre or book a bulky waste collection. If a firm takes it there, you get no RUT tax deduction.
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Question 2: Do you think someone will pay for it?
Yes: Continue. Go to step 3.
No: Donate it to a second-hand shop. If a firm takes it there for you, you get a RUT tax deduction of 25 per cent of the total price.
The template: Request for collection by a second-hand shop
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Question 3: Are there at least four weeks left until the move?
Yes: Sell it. Post the ad now and state a last collection day. Profit on personal belongings is tax-free up to 50,000 kronor a year.
No: Move on. Go to step 4.
52 kap. 2 § Income Tax Act (1999:1229), checked 5 October 2026
The template: Ad: for sale
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Question 4: Does the furniture fit in an ordinary car?
Yes: Sell it with a short last collection day, or take it to a second-hand shop yourself if it does not sell.
No: Donate it and book a collection from a second-hand shop well before the move.
The answer
Declutter before the move in six steps
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Step 1: Go through the home room by room and label each piece of furniture: keep, sell, donate or throw away. our advice
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Step 2: Run the decision guide for anything you are unsure about.
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Step 3: List what you are selling at least four weeks before the move. our advice
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Step 4: Book a collection from a second-hand shop or take it there yourself.
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Step 5: Take the rest to the recycling centre or book a bulky waste collection.
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Step 6: If you have a lot at once: rent a skip or share one with your neighbours. our advice
Is it worth selling used furniture, and how quickly can it be done?
It depends on the furniture, and we do not guess second-hand values. The decision guide above helps you choose. A rule of thumb from us: what is whole and can be carried sells more easily, and a clear final collection day in the ad makes the buyer book transport in time. If you want to sell things online quickly: post the ad at least four weeks before the move with pictures, measurements and final collection day. The template for the ad is below.
Who picks up furniture for free when you donate it?
Several second-hand shops collect furniture, and in Gothenburg the municipality's collection-at-home service also takes items for reuse. Send photos and a list using the template below, and the shop will reply whether it accepts them.
Erikshjälpen states that collection of donations is free; you contact the nearest store, and the driver decides what they can accept. Myrorna has a free collection service for furniture in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö, Örebro, Norrköping and Linköping, but only collects when the value after an assessment is sufficient.
Source: Gothenburg City: Get your bulky waste collected at home, Erikshjälpen: Donate to second hand, Myrorna: Collect furniture.
Where do I donate clothes?
To a second-hand store. Erikshjälpen accepts clothes, shoes and home textiles together with furniture, household items, books and other items in good condition, and the collection of donations is free. You can also leave the clothes at the nearest store.
Source: Erikshjälpen: Donate to second hand.
In Gothenburg we have checked these, with our favourite first:
Everything we have checked is on second-hand in Gothenburg.
Do I get the RUT tax deduction when someone transports the items?
If a firm takes the items to be sold for reuse, such as a second-hand shop, an auction or a flea market, the labour cost is counted as half the price on a standard basis. The deduction is then 25 per cent of the total cost. Transport to a recycling station gives no deduction, and neither does transport to or from another private individual.
Source: Skatteverket: List of RUT services.
Do I have to pay tax when I sell?
Only if the profit is large. Capital gains on personal belongings, such as furniture, are only taxed to the extent that the year's gains together exceed 50,000 kronor. If you sell for less than you paid, there is no profit.
Source: Income Tax Act (1999:1229), 52 and 67 kap. (riksdagen.se). 52 kap. 2 § of the Income Tax Act.
Rent a skip or a builder's bag?
If you are clearing out a lot at once, a container or building bag may be easier than many trips to the recycling centre. In Gothenburg, the municipality's container costs 3,038 kronor for delivery and emptying plus 4,250 kronor per ton of bulky waste, with VAT according to the waste tax 2026. Sizes, what can be thrown away, street permits and rental companies are listed in the guide to renting a container.
Source: Göteborgs Stad: Hyr container för grovavfall, Göteborgs Stad: Avfallstaxa 2026 (pdf).
Where should the rest go?
What you can't sell or give away, you take to the recycling centre. Choose a city for addresses and rules:
- Stockholm
- Gothenburg
- Malmö
- Uppsala
- Linköping
- Västerås
- Örebro
- Helsingborg
- Jönköping
- Norrköping
- Umeå
- Lund
- Gothenburg
- Eskilstuna
- Halmstad
- Gävle
- Sundsvall
- Karlstad
- Växjö
- Kalmar
- Karlskrona
- Gotland
- Falun
- Nyköping
Templates for the ad and the collection
All templates are under templates for the move.
Document: Ad: for sale To: Ad site or groupour advice
The template is in Swedish because it goes to a Swedish recipient.
- State the last collection day; that makes the buyer book transport in time (our advice).
- Transport to a private buyer gives the buyer no RUT tax deduction (Skatteverket).
Email: Request for collection to second hand To: The second-hand shop
The template is in Swedish because it goes to a Swedish recipient.
- Send photos; the shops decide for themselves what they accept (our advice).
- If a company drives the items to second hand for payment, that qualifies for a RUT tax deduction of 25 per cent of the total price (Skatteverket).
Common questions
Do I get the RUT tax deduction if a company drives my old furniture to the recycling centre?
No. Skatteverket gives no deduction for hauling away rubbish or old furniture to a recycling station or similar.
Do I get the RUT tax deduction if someone drives a piece of furniture I sold on Blocket?
No. Transporting household goods to and from another private individual gets no deduction, according to Skatteverket.
The law behind it
52 kap. 2 § Income Tax Act (1999:1229), checked 5 October 2026
Capital gains on personal assets are only taxed to the extent that the gains for the year together exceed 50,000 kronor.
67 kap. 13 § 1 och 7 inkomstskattelag (1999:1229), checked 3 October 2026
Household work includes move-out cleaning in the home (point 1) and moving household goods and other personal property between homes and to and from storage (point 7).