unbuilt

Unbuilt operates an online marketplace for construction reuse, connecting builders, designers, dealers, manufacturers, non-profits and homeowners who want to buy or sell surplus building materials. The catalog spans building materials, tile and stone, stone countertops, lighting, kitchen and bath fixtures, doors and windows, appliances, décor and architectural salvage, with inventory drawn from unused overstock, showroom and display models, open-box returns, canceled-project stock, designer consignment and reclaimed salvage.

The company positions itself as national rather than local, and states that most of its catalog is unused or lightly used designer-grade material rather than demolition salvage. Every listing states its condition, items sold by Unbuilt are verified and returnable within 30 days, and orders ship to all 50 states. Alongside individual and professional sellers, Unbuilt lists outlet and discontinued stock from brand partners including Kohler, Ann Sacks, Cosentino, Concrete Collaborative and Lumens.

Unbuilt frames its model around the environmental footprint of construction, citing that construction materials are the largest source of solid landfill waste in the United States, that roughly half of natural resource extraction goes to the built environment, and that the sector accounts for 11% of global CO₂ emissions.

Founding story

Unbuilt began during the pandemic in Southern California, working directly with local builders who had pallets of tile, fixtures, lighting and other materials accumulating with nowhere to go. The team spent years on job sites photographing materials, coordinating pickups, arranging storage and navigating freight, work that shaped the marketplace it later built.

Business model

Unbuilt runs a marketplace with several seller paths: free self-service individual listings; a managed consignment service in which the Unbuilt team photographs, prices and lists items and handles pickup; and branded storefronts for dealers, manufacturers and enterprise sellers listing their own inventory. Buyers purchase from Unbuilt-owned inventory or direct from community sellers. Unbuilt also markets an "Unbuilt+" upgrade tier for local pickup and storage quote requests, and a "Build Better" credits scheme for sellers diverting material from landfill.

Individual listings are free, with monetization indicated through managed consignment of seller inventory, dealer and manufacturer storefronts, and planned paid upgrades such as Unbuilt+ for local pickup and storage quotes.

Traction

The site lists more than 4,100 items for sale across 48 curated collections, ships nationwide to all 50 states, and advertises average savings of 46% off retail on pre-owned new items. Brand outlet partners include Kohler, Ann Sacks, Cosentino, Concrete Collaborative and Lumens.

Latest developments

Unbuilt is expanding its consignment service areas and has announced a feature roadmap including multi-product listings for job-site closeouts, liquidation timelines, local pickup and storage quote requests via an Unbuilt+ upgrade, AI-generated listings from photos, category-specific spec fields, buyer wishlist emails, purchase support with Unbuilt shipping and logistics, and seller ratings with enhanced profiles.