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Maybe you're moving or doing a bit of spring cleaning. Or perhaps you're just trying to feel a little bit lighter. Selling old garments or furniture can make all the difference in your home. To make things easier, there are apps that can help you unload your unneeded items. Whether you're trying to get rid of clothes, jewelry, or technology, you can sell them without a hassle. Here, we rounded up the best apps to sell your stuff so you can start clearing out your home today.
The 5 Best Apps to Sell Your Stuff in 2023
- OfferUp: Best Overall
- Poshmark: Best for Clothes
- Facebook Marketplace: Best for Quick Sales
- Decluttr: Best for Technology and Electronics
- 5Miles: Best for Furniture and Big Ticket Items
OfferUp : Best Overall
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OfferUp
Founded by Nick Huzar and Arean van Veelen in 2011 as an easier, more mobile-friendly alternative to online classifieds, OfferUp stands out among selling apps for its versatility, large user base, and intuitive interface. Local sales on the app are completely free: Use OfferUp to message back and forth with potential buyers, and then meet up to make the exchange in person.
Within the app, OfferUp has a number of designated “Community Meetup Spots.” These are brightly lit areas with video cameras, offering additional peace of mind for any concerned seller or buyer. While the app is not involved in the payment process for in-person transactions, OfferUp recommends that users exchange cash rather than using checks, cards, or payment apps, and all parties are encouraged to report any suspicious behavior.
On sales that require shipping, OfferUp oversees the communication, payment, and shipping process entirely within the app. Once the seller accepts an offer, the buyer’s account is charged, and OfferUp prepares a trackable, prepaid shipping label.
OfferUp takes a service fee on these long-distance transactions—about 12.9% or $2 minimum—and payment is deposited into the seller’s account as soon as the item is delivered and the buyer confirms that they are satisfied. (The buyer can only initiate a return if the item has undisclosed damage, is not as described, or is incorrect or missing.)
Not long ago, OfferUp merged with letgo, a competitor in the online marketplace space: Now, sellers can reach more users than ever before, and buyers can see more listings in the same place—a win-win when it comes to making a quick sale at a fair price.
Poshmark : Best for Clothes
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Poshmark
For used and new clothing, more than 80 million members in the United States, Canada, and Australia turn to Poshmark, a California-based selling app and social network.
Members follow one another’s virtual closets, sharing, liking, and commenting on items they find interesting or noteworthy. To list an item for sale, post at least one photo along with information about sizing and brand—as well as your asking price. As other members shop and “like” these items, either party can “offer” a discounted price: Sellers use the feature to move their inventory faster, while diligent buyers can haggle for even lower prices on designer goods.
Poshmark’s cut of each purchase is roughly 20%, or a flat rate of about $3 for sales of less than $15, and buyers pay a flat rate of around $7.50 for expedited shipping. Poshmark handles the logistics, sending the seller a prepaid USPS label that tracks when the item is sent. Sellers have five days to drop the shipment off at the post office before the buyer has the option to cancel the sale, but most of them move much faster than that. Average shipping times are displayed prominently on member profiles.
Once the purchase is delivered, Poshmark deposits the seller's earnings into their account within three days. All sales are final on Poshmark (with the exception of items sent by mistake, or misrepresented by the seller), so name-brand clothing does especially well on the platform.
Buying a familiar brand allows members to feel confident about sizing or fit, even without the chance to try on new finds, and users can follow their favorite brands to see what comes available in real-time. Overall, Poshmark is the ideal app for closet clean-outs, whether you’re selling one item or dozens.
Facebook Marketplace : Best for Quick Sales
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Facebook Marketplace
Posting items for sale in Facebook Marketplace is as easy as sharing any other update on the largest social media platform in the world—although, in Marketplace, each listing is public, so it can be seen on and off of the platform.
Just snap a photo and add a product name, short description, and price. You will also be asked about the product’s location and category. Once you’re happy with the listing, you can share the product to the News Feed or post it to groups. Facebook doesn’t charge sellers to post listings on the platform, and the service is immensely popular—more than 800 million people use Facebook Marketplace to buy and sell products every month.
If you cannot meet up with your buyer to make an exchange locally, Facebook does charge a 5% selling fee on shipped items. For these sales, payment is submitted through Messenger, and Facebook gives the seller a printable shipping label that can be tracked by all parties.
Facebook also earns revenue through Marketplace by charging to boost your listing as an ad, on a sliding scale that starts at just a few dollars. Even without a paid boost, the social media behemoth will market your listing specifically to users who are searching for similar items, so the platform is especially useful for sellers looking to make a transaction quickly.
Decluttr : Best for Technology and Electronics
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Decluttr
Got a pile of old technology items that you never use but can’t bear to throw them away? Look no further than Kennesaw, Georgia-based Decluttr. Since the company launched in the U.S. in 2014, it has helped more than 2 million customers take the guesswork and the hassle out of selling old computers, phones, tablets, and more. Tell Decluttr what you’re selling, and the company will quote you a price.
If you like the offer, just pack up your old stuff, send it off with a provided shipping label, and Decluttr will pay you the day after it arrives. (And, if something unusual occurs—say, your item arrives in a condition the buyer can’t purchase—Decluttr will send it back at no cost to you.) That consistency and immediacy is one of Decluttr’s biggest competitive advantages over other apps: Rather than waiting for an individual consumer to purchase your goods, sellers can immediately offload unwanted items and collect payment.
Another big perk is that you can even sell your broken electronics. Yes, Decluttr will buy smartphones even if they’re missing keys, won’t power on, or have shattered screens—not for very much, but for more than what you’d earn by throwing the old phones in the trash. Decluttr accepts gaming consoles, tablets, computers, smartwatches, cell phones, and more. The site buys textbooks, CDs, and DVDs as well.
Interestingly enough, Decluttr also purchases Legos—buying the individual blocks bagged up by the pound, not by the set—which means everyone in the family can get in on the resale action.
5Miles : Best for Furniture and Big Ticket Items
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5Miles
Launched in 2014 by Dr. Lucas Lu, 5Miles’ simple, easy-to-navigate user interface uses your phone’s location to share your listings with buyers in your area, making it the ideal avenue to list big-ticket items that might cost more to ship than they’re worth.
The app currently has more than 14 million users, so sellers can expect a wide audience of potential buyers, but not at the cost of safety: 5miles uses a triple verification process (phone, Facebook, and user ratings ) in addition to limiting what personal details can be shared in the messaging interface.
5miles also offers a meet-up location finder to ensure that both buyer and seller can agree on safe neutral ground to make an exchange. For most sellers, using 5miles is completely free: Rather than charging a fee on single listings, the app’s revenue model relies on services for large-scale sellers like car dealerships.
And, the 5miles continues to find new ways to be a more welcoming space, with in-app translation tools for non-English speakers and an “Awesome Experience” team at the ready for all users to answer questions, review suspicious activity, and react to any potential abuse of the platform in real-time.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What Are Apps That Sell Your Stuff?
These apps allow users to exchange items with other users on the platform, often for cash but occasionally for trade or barter. Each one on this list allows any user to log on and list an item for sale or solicit a price quote. The apps vary on whether they handle logistics like shipping or meet-ups, but at the very least, they are an efficient way to connect sellers with buyers, both in their immediate area or around the globe.
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Who Should Use Apps That Sell Your Stuff?
Anyone looking for a little extra cash or hoping to rid their home of unwanted items can use these apps. They are especially useful for anyone with name-brand merchandise—from electronics to clothing to furniture, products from companies that other consumers know and trust tend to move quickly online—but any item in good condition could potentially find a buyer when marketed on the right app. Download these apps if you are planning a move, redecorating, cleaning out a closet, or finishing up a semester at school to make money while clearing out needed space in your home.
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What Types of Items Can You Sell on These Apps?
New or gently used items may sell more quickly and for higher prices, but as far as what you can sell, there are very few actual limits on these platforms. Many apps restrict the sale of firearms, alcohol, drugs, live animals, or counterfeit items, and each app includes more detailed information on its regulations in the terms and conditions. Common items to sell on these apps include furniture, clothing, children’s toys, electronics, and books.
Methodology
We first considered the speed of sale, fair pricing, and ease of use. OfferUp, for example, stood out for its versatility—you can sell almost anything on the nearly decade-old app—and its huge network of users.
A standout among selling apps, its simple interface works well both for shipping long distances and meet-ups locally. Meanwhile, for a quick purchase, it’s hard to beat Facebook Marketplace. As the largest social media network in the world, millions of people are already spending time on the platform, so your listing is easier to share and more likely to reach the right audience.
We also considered which kinds of items might be easier to sell to a more focused audience. On closet cleanouts, for example, Poshmark was the clear favorite: Part eCommerce platform, part social network, the app puts sellers in control of pricing and discounting, and centers around name-brand used clothing. The ability to follow other users’ closets and track new listings from specific designers means that buyers can find what they want quickly, and sellers can reach an interested, eager audience.
For those looking to sell electronics, Decluttr takes home the prize—the Georgia-based company will give you an immediate quote on old cell phones, tablets, computers, and more. If you like the price, the company will take it off your hands ASAP, with free shipping. Larger items like furniture aren’t always worth the cost of shipping long distances, and that’s where Dallas-based 5miles comes in.
Helping sellers find local buyers (and keeping all users safe in the process) makes the Texas upstart an ideal destination for anyone hoping to avoid shipping altogether. Overall, apps are making big strides in helping users sell their items for top dollar without running the risk of being scammed or put in unsafe situations—and these platforms are some of the top options out there.
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The Spruce / Design by Amelia Manley