How to get a sofa you bought on Wallapop home

A well-chosen second-hand sofa is great value. The hard part is the journey: from the seller's living room to their front door, from the front door into a van and from the van into your home, through doors, lifts and staircases nobody designed with a three-seater sofa in mind.

The quick answerBefore you pay, measure the sofa (including its diagonal depth) and the whole route in both homes: doors, entrance, lift and stairs. Ask the seller whether it comes apart, what floor it's on and whether there's a lift. On the day, wrap it in blankets and film, carry it down between two people without dragging it and strap it in the van. If you don't want to carry it yourself, our delivery starts at €79 with 2 people within Madrid.

Measure before you pay: the sofa and the route

This is the step that saves the most heartache: a sofa that won't go through your door can't be fixed on the day. Measure it yourself when you go to see it, with a tape measure, and note it on your phone: the length (arm to arm), the height (to the highest point of the backrest), the depth and the diagonal depth.

How to measure the diagonal depth (and why it matters)

A sofa almost never goes through a door straight on: it goes through on its side, standing on one arm and tilted backwards. So what has to fit through the gap is the diagonal between the depth and the height.

1. Rest something long and straight (a big ruler, a broom handle) from the highest point of the backrest to the front edge of the arm, making a triangle with the sofa.
2. Measure from the bottom back corner of the sofa to that handle, in a straight line at right angles to it.
3. That's the diagonal depth. If it's smaller than the clear width of the door, the sofa will go through tilted.

The clear width is measured with the door fully open, from frame to frame, minus whatever the door itself and the handle stick out. And a word of advice from the trade: if it's a tight fit, that's not good. With the blankets and film on, the sofa gets thicker, and you never go round a corner straight.

The route, in both homes

• Doors: the flat door, the building's front door (sometimes there are two) and the inside doors up to where the sofa will go.
• Corridors and turns: a narrow corridor with a door at an angle at the end is where most sofas get stuck. Measure the width and the space in front of the door for turning.
• Lift: the inside width, depth and height of the cabin, the width of its door and the maximum load on the plate. In many older buildings in Madrid the cabin is small: if the sofa won't fit standing up inside, it goes up the stairs.
• Stairs: the width of the steps and, above all, the landings where they turn, with the headroom up to the flight above.

What to ask the seller

• Does it come apart? Legs, backrest, modules. With what tool, and ask them to keep the screws.
• Do the covers come off? Wash them before you start using it.
• Have there been pets, smokers or bedbugs? Ask for close-up photos of the seams and the underside.
• What floor is it on, is there a lift and does it fit in it?
• What time suits them, and will someone help carry it down?

Pay once you've seen it, not before. When you see it, lift the cushions and check the seams, folds and underside with your phone torch: tiny black dots like marker pen, pale shed skins or small blood spots are signs of bedbugs. If you see anything like that, don't take it. If it's clean, give it a thorough hoover when you get home and wash the covers.

Three ways to move it

Yourself, with a hire van and friends

It makes sense if the sofa is small or comes apart, there's a lift in both homes and you have at least one other person who can handle it. You need a driving licence, a van with an environmental sticker that lets it drive in Madrid (we explain it in our guide to the ZBE (in Spanish)), blankets, film, straps and gloves. And it's your back.

A delivery service

A company comes with a van and people, protects it, carries it down, drives it over and carries it up for you. It's worth it for big sofas, for stairs with no lift or when you have no one to help you carry. Ask beforehand whether the price includes VAT, how many people are coming and whether they charge per floor without a lift. To compare market prices, see our guide to small moves and deliveries in Madrid (in Spanish).

Does Wallapop ship furniture?

No. According to its help centre, since 6 October 2026 Wallapop no longer ships bulky items: generally, those over 30 kg or over 210 cm when you add up the measurements, like a sofa, a bed base or a wardrobe. For those, the only option is collection in person. (Its shipping sales page still advertises "Envíos XL"; the help centre, which is the dated text, is what counts.)

Protect it before you move it

This is what we do, and you can copy it:

• Remove anything that comes off: cushions, legs and modules. The screws go in a zip-lock bag stuck to the film once it's wrapped.
• Blankets first, film after: the blanket absorbs knocks and the film holds it in place and protects the fabric. Pay extra attention to the corners and arms, which are the first things to rub.
• If it's leather or faux leather, never put film straight on it: blanket first.
• If it's raining, waterproof blankets on top, from the front door to the van.

On the day, step by step

1. Confirm the time with the seller and bring blankets, film, straps, gloves, an Allen key and a screwdriver.
2. Park as close to the entrance as you can, ideally in a loading bay, and never leave the sofa alone on the pavement.
3. Take it apart and wrap it inside the flat, not on the landing.
4. Carry it down between two people and always off the ground, without dragging it. On the stairs, whoever is below carries more weight: that should be the stronger person, and warn each other at every turn.
5. In the van, against one side, strapped in and with nothing heavy on top.
6. At your place, open all the doors beforehand and move anything in the way. Unwrap it once it's in its spot and tighten the screws on the legs properly.

The most common mistakes

• Buying without measuring the route: it fits in the living room, but not in the lift.
• Lifting it by the legs or the arms, which come loose. You lift it by the frame, from underneath.
• Going alone "because it's small": a sofa has no handles and weighs more than it looks.
• Taking the blankets off at the entrance to gain space: that's exactly where it rubs the most.

If you'd rather we did it

Two of us go with a van to the seller's place, protect it with blankets and film, take it apart piece by piece if needed and carry it up into your home. Within the municipality of Madrid, delivering a large piece of furniture starts at €79, VAT included, plus €15 per floor without a lift.

Send us photos of the sofa, its measurements and both addresses, and we'll give you the price. Everything about second-hand deliveries is on Wallapop and Vinted deliveries; for other furniture, see furniture deliveries; and if you're moving everything, get the price of your move.

Frequently asked questions