Moving Big Used Items: Ari Kimmelfeld on Let's Talk Moving

On Let's Talk Moving, Yuriy Margolin of Moving Sales Professionals talks with people across the moving industry. He asked Commonplace founder and CEO Ari Kimmelfeld what Commonplace is, how movers can join its delivery network, and what happens to an order from the $1 hold to delivery.

Watch the episode: Episode: 198 - Let's Talk Moving - commonplace, Let's Talk Moving with Yuriy Margolin, aired November 11, 2026. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

The episode is also on YouTube, Spotify, and the Moving Sales Professionals site.

Key takeaways

• Commonplace is a secondhand marketplace for big, bulky, and expensive items, with pickup, inspection, and white-glove delivery handled.
• Many people skip buying used because of the meetups, messages, movers, and payments, so they buy new instead.
• Ari said movers can join Commonplace's delivery network for free, with training courses and quizzes for each category.
• A $1 hold reserves an item, the seller sends photos and videos for a pre-pickup inspection, and the buyer approves it before pickup.
• The crew checks the item in person at pickup. If a hot tub turns out to be leaking, the buyer can walk away.
• Ari expects moving big things to stay hard for years, which is why Commonplace builds the shopping around the move.

What Commonplace is

Ari described Commonplace as a secondhand marketplace, like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or OfferUp, built for big, bulky, and expensive items. Buyers can purchase from anywhere in the US because Commonplace handles white-glove delivery and setup for appliances, furniture, hot tubs, saunas, and fitness equipment.

Commonplace is pretty much a secondhand marketplace. If you're familiar with a Facebook Marketplace, or a Craigslist, or an OfferUp, people can basically list their products.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Let's Talk Moving #198, at 00:33

We specialize in the big, bulky, and expensive products.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Let's Talk Moving #198, at 00:43

And somebody purchasing it can purchase it from anywhere in the US, and that's because we offer the full end-to-end white glove concierge delivery and installation across a bunch of categories, like appliances, furniture, wellness, like hot tubs, saunas, and mainly fitness equipment, things that are big, heavy, and expensive.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Let's Talk Moving #198, at 00:47

Read how Commonplace compares to Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and OfferUp.

Why people skip buying used

Ari said the mission is to make secondhand shopping more accessible. Many people buy new online because it is convenient, even when buying used would save them money. A used purchase can mean driving out, meeting a stranger, trading messages, finding a mover, and sending money, so a lot of people skip it.

And the mission of the company is really to make secondhand shopping much more accessible for people.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Let's Talk Moving #198, at 01:21

But it's just so inconvenient having to drive out there, meet up with a stranger, send a bunch of messages, and then have to find a mover.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Let's Talk Moving #198, at 01:37

There are a lot of moving parts to these transactions, and a lot of people, honestly, just skip it and buy at retail.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Let's Talk Moving #198, at 01:51

And so we try to really make it super easy, super convenient, very high trust to order something that is high value, but you get to save a lot of money because you're buying it secondhand.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Let's Talk Moving #198, at 01:58

Read why it is hard to buy big items secondhand.

How movers join the network

Yuriy asked whether a mover has to pay anything to join. Ari said it is free. Movers apply through the Become a Driver page, say which categories they know, such as hot tubs, furniture, or appliances, and take training courses and quizzes for each category. Ratings from sellers and customers build over time.

Yeah, so it's totally free. It doesn't cost anything to be in the network.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Let's Talk Moving #198, at 03:53

The way it works is we have a tab or a button on our website, become a driver, and that starts the process of joining the network.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Let's Talk Moving #198, at 03:57

So if you specialize in hot tub moves, or you specialize in just furniture, or you know something about appliances, we'll ask you those kinds of questions in the application.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Let's Talk Moving #198, at 04:15

And then we have a few training courses, depending on the brands, the categories that you're going to be doing. And a few quizzes, you have to pass a certain percentage on the quiz to basically be eligible to move that.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Let's Talk Moving #198, at 04:26

More in can movers get delivery jobs through Commonplace and how Commonplace delivery drivers are trained, or see the driver page.

What happens after you buy

Ari walked through a dining set order. A $1 hold reserves it without charging your card. The seller sends photos, videos, and answers for a pre-pickup inspection, and you approve the report. The crew checks it in person, the seller is paid at pickup, and you pay the rest once it is delivered and set up.

So say you're a customer, you found a beautiful Restoration Hardware dining set with six chairs, it's a big piece... You place a $1 reserve to reserve it.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Let's Talk Moving #198, at 05:03

If you find something you like, you can just press a Buy button. You don't need to message anybody. You reserve it for $1. It doesn't charge your credit card. It puts a hold.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Let's Talk Moving #198, at 05:17

That automatically sends a message to the seller, asking them for a pre-pickup inspection. So they take multiple photos, videos of the product.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Let's Talk Moving #198, at 05:26

Once they give their thumbs up from the in-person inspection, you actually get to pick it up. The seller gets paid in their choice of Venmo, PayPal, Cash App, or bank transfer.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Let's Talk Moving #198, at 06:17

And then the drivers deliver it. Once it's delivered, it's set up, the customer sees it in their home, they're charged the remaining amount on their credit card.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Let's Talk Moving #198, at 06:29

On orders under $8,000 you pay the rest on delivery. Over $8,000, you wire it at the pre-pickup inspection. More in what happens after you buy a big used item and can you pay for a used item on delivery.

When an inspection finds a leak

Yuriy asked what happens when the crew arrives and the item is not what the buyer expected. Ari said finding a problem is a good outcome. If a hot tub turns out to be leaking, the buyer does not have to take it, Commonplace helps them find a different one, and they avoid a leak they might have missed.

There are situations that are more common where say the driver goes out, looks at a hot tub, the hot tub is leaking and the customer is like, you know, I actually don't want a leaking hot tub. And we're actually happy that we found it.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Let's Talk Moving #198, at 07:54

We just help them find a different hot tub, and we're happy for them that we found a leak that maybe if they had gone in person, they wouldn't have seen themselves.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Let's Talk Moving #198, at 08:22

Read what happens if a used item fails inspection and how to know a used hot tub works before you buy it.

When a seller misses a flaw

Yuriy asked about the seller who listed that leaking hot tub. Ari said most sellers are not hiding anything. Many are not technical enough to judge how big a leak is or to put it in the listing. When the inspection finds something, the listing is updated so the next buyer knows what they are getting.

We will update the listing with the new details that we now have from the inspection... but at least the buyer now knows that there's a leak in the hot tub.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Let's Talk Moving #198, at 08:51

And I think a lot of the times the intentions are not nefarious. I think sometimes people aren't as technically inclined to actually do the full inspection and really understand how small the leak is, how big the leak is, and put in the listing.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Let's Talk Moving #198, at 09:02

It doesn't happen too often, but that's kind of why we do the in-person inspection, to really make sure that we know what we're picking up and the customer's happy with it.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Let's Talk Moving #198, at 09:17

Read how to reserve a used item before someone else buys it.

The next five years

Asked about the next five years, Ari said moving big things is unlikely to get much easier, so a lot of furniture, appliances, and equipment never gets sold. The goal is to build the shopping channel that makes buying and selling big items easy, mostly by growing in the categories Commonplace already serves.

And I don't think that moving big stuff will ever, in the near future, in the next five years, get significantly easier. So there's still a lot of friction when it comes to buying big things.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Let's Talk Moving #198, at 09:43

And I think there's a very long way to go in terms of all the stuff that could be sold, that's not being sold because of all the hassle and friction of listing the item, getting it picked up, having strangers come to your home, having to hire your own movers to go and pick something up.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Let's Talk Moving #198, at 09:54

And so the goal is really to build the shopping channel that makes buying and selling these things much easier.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Let's Talk Moving #198, at 10:15

But I think the main source of growth is just going to be expanding in the existing categories, and really letting people know about it.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Let's Talk Moving #198, at 10:30

Browse used furniture, used appliances, and used hot tubs, or read how to get rid of old furniture.

Commonplace is the Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist and OfferUp alternative for big items. Listing is free, and Commonplace handles pickup, inspection, delivery, secure payments, and a free two-month parts warranty. Labor coverage is available as an add-on. White-glove delivery is free within 100 miles, longer distances are quoted by ZIP, and Commonplace ships nationwide. See how it works.

Categories in this episode

These are the two or three categories this conversation covers. Shop the used listings, or open the sell page when you are ready to let one go.

• Furniture. Selling one: sell your furniture.
• Hot tubs. Selling one: sell your hot tub.
• Appliances.

FAQ

What is Commonplace?

A marketplace for big secondhand items, like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or OfferUp, with pickup, inspection, delivery, and secure payments handled by Commonplace. Listing is free, sellers are paid at pickup, and delivery is free within 100 miles.

Can movers join Commonplace's delivery network?

Yes. Ari said it is free to join. Apply on the driver page. Read more.

What happens after you buy a big used item?

A $1 hold, a pre-pickup inspection you approve, an in-person check at pickup, then white-glove delivery and setup. Read more.

What if a seller did not know about a problem?

The inspection catches it and the buyer can walk away. Read what happens if a used item fails inspection.

Thank you to Yuriy Margolin for having Ari on Let's Talk Moving. Quotes are from the episode, lightly edited for reading. Listen to the full conversation on Apple Podcasts.

More from Ari's podcast interviews: questions Ari answered on podcasts and every show he has been on.

Sell your item on Commonplace