Best Apps to Sell Your Stuff

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.