How much is a donated dresser worth?
Case goods are valued on construction rather than on looks, and a dresser tells you which it is the moment you pull a drawer all the way out.
- Typical value, good condition
- $41
- Published range, good condition
- $34 to $48
What a donated dresser is generally worth
Fair market value is a range, so these are ranges. The suggested figure sits inside the band the source guide published for that condition.
| Item | Like new | Good | Fair | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dresser | $48 to $60 | $34 to $48 | $20 to $34 | Source 1 for Dresser |
| Dresser with Mirror | $80 to $105 | $50 to $80 | $21 to $50 | Source 6 for Dresser with Mirror |
| Chest of Drawers | $75 to $100 | $50 to $75 | $26 to $50 | Source 6 for Chest of Drawers |
| Wardrobe or Armoire | $80 to $105 | $50 to $80 | $21 to $50 | Source 6 for Wardrobe or Armoire |
Values are per item, in 2026 dollars, from the DeductiBee valuation dataset, edition 2026.1. A range is what the source guide published; the suggested figure is the point inside it we prefill, not a price.
How this range was derived
Published: Goodwill Intl "Dressers" $20-$60; Goodwill NNE "Dresser" $20-$80; Habitat ReStore "Dresser" $25-$100; Catholic Charities "Dresser" $20-$150; Goodwill avg price list "Dresser" $25-$25. L*=$20 H*=$60 by lower median; tiers split at 35%/70% of span per CITATIONS.md 3.4. EDITION 2026-08-05: the CURRENT edition of the Twin Cities Habitat ReStore "Donation Value Guide", revised 2023-09-19, re-prints this row unchanged at "Dresser" $25-$100, so no shipped figure moved. See CITATIONS.md 7.1.
- Like new
- Unworn or barely used, with tags or as good as. The top of the published range.
- Good
- Used, complete, clean, and working, with no notable damage. The middle of the range.
- Fair
- Visible wear but still usable and saleable. The bottom of the range, and generally the lowest condition that can be claimed at all.
What drives the value of a donated dresser
The tier you pick is the biggest lever on this page. Here is what actually decides it.
Pull one drawer out and turn it over. A drawer box with dovetailed or doweled corners, a solid bottom that sits in a groove, and wooden runners or metal glides that still roll is furniture that will be resold. A box stapled together at the corners with a thin panel bottom that has begun to bow is flat-pack, and it usually does not survive being carried down a staircase, which is why intake staff check this first and so should you.
The base is the second tell. Laminate over particle board swells and lifts wherever water has touched it, most often at the bottom edge and around the back corners, and once swollen it cannot be repaired. Solid wood takes rings and scratches that sand out. That difference is what separates a piece in the middle of its band from one at the bottom.
The mirror row is a different number for a reason: a dresser with an intact mirror and the hardware that mounts it is a complete bedroom piece, and one with a missing, cracked, or unmountable mirror is a plain dresser. Check that the mirror supports and screws came with it. Missing drawer pulls have a similar effect on a smaller scale, since a matched set of pulls is rarely replaceable.
What evidence supports the condition you claimed
A number you can trace and defend is worth more in an audit than a generous one you cannot.
Photograph the dresser from the front with every drawer closed and level, then with one drawer pulled out to show the box construction, then the top surface at an angle so wear and rings are visible. If it has a mirror, photograph it mounted rather than leaning. Note the maker's stamp inside a drawer or on the back panel, which is the starting point for any later question about what the piece actually was.
Items people log as a dresser by mistake
Filing an item under the wrong line is the quietest way to end up with a number you cannot support.
A chest of drawers
A tall, narrow chest is published above the wide dresser row in these sources. Height and footprint decide which it is, not how many drawers it has.
A nightstand
Bedside tables carry no published range here at all, so a nightstand donated with a dresser is a custom-valued item rather than a small dresser. Enter your own figure for it.
A wardrobe or armoire
A hanging-storage cabinet is its own row above the plain dresser. It is also the piece most likely to have been disassembled for the move, and missing hardware matters more on a wardrobe than on anything else in the bedroom.
Up, sideways, and out
Every value on this page comes out of the furniture section of the donation value guide, which shows the rest of the category with the same sourcing.
Also in Dresser
- Other Dresser$41, good
Full ranges, all three tiers, and the sources for each are in the furniture valuation guide.
- ValuesFurniture donation valuesThe whole category, item by item, with the published range and the source behind every line.
- ValuesHow much is a donated sofa worth?Fair market value for a donated sofa, why a sleeper sofa is the highest row on the page, and what a frame, cushions, and upholstery say about the tier.
- ValuesWhat is a donated mattress worth, if a charity takes it?Fair market value for a donated mattress by size, why the queen and king rows carry no published range, and what to ask a charity before loading it.
- ValuesWhat is a donated dining table worth?Fair market value for a donated dining table, why a complete dining room set is a far larger number, and what leaves, chairs, and hardware do to the row.
- ValuesHow much is a donated desk worth?Fair market value for a donated desk, why the computer desk row shows a single published figure, and what a secretary desk is valued at instead.
- LookupLook up any other itemSearch the whole catalog, pick a condition, and read the range with its citation.
- CalculatorWhat the deduction is worth to youTurn a documented total into a range of tax effect, with the marginal-rate assumption stated on screen.
Questions about donating a dresser
Does solid wood get a higher value than laminate?
What if the mirror is broken?
Is a dresser with sticking drawers still deductible?
Where these values come from
Every range on this page traces to one of these. Values are derived from the published ranges, never copied from another product’s valuation database, and never invented where no source covers an item.
- Valuation Guide for Goodwill Donors
Goodwill Industries International (compiled list, republished by member affiliates)
Primary value source. A published range from this guide can set the low or high end of an item's band. Fetched and read .
- Donation Value Guide - What is my Donation Worth?
Goodwill Northern New England
Primary value source. A published range from this guide can set the low or high end of an item's band. Fetched and read .
- Donation Value Guide (2023 edition)
Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity ReStore
Primary value source. A published range from this guide can set the low or high end of an item's band. Fetched and read .
- Thrift Store Valuation Guide
Catholic Charities Maine (Catholic Charities Thrift Store)
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Valuation Guide for Goodwill Donors (single average price variant)
Goodwill Industries International (single-value variant; copy hosted by Goodwill Industries of East Texas)
Corroborating check. Used to sanity-check a band. Never moves a figure on its own. Fetched and read .
- Donation Value Guide (The Salvation Army Thrift Stores | Donation Valuation Guide)
The Salvation Army (Thrift Stores / Adult Rehabilitation Centers)
Primary value source. A published range from this guide can set the low or high end of an item's band. Fetched and read .
The rules behind the thresholds
- Publication 561, Determining the Value of Donated PropertyIRS, IRS publication
- Publication 526, Charitable ContributionsIRS, IRS publication
- Instructions for Form 8283IRS, IRS form
A value is evidence, not a ruling. Deductibility depends on your own facts, including whether the organization is qualified and what records you kept. This is record-keeping software, not tax advice.
A dresser is rarely the only thing in the car.
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Condition on the record
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