So you’ve got a bunch of extra stuff laying around and you need some extra money, but you don’t want to go to the hassle of having a garage sale.
No problem!
There are plenty of ways to skip yard sales and sell stuff over your smartphone.
Right now there’s a wide selection of mobile apps specializing in helping you make money online.
And you can do so safely, avoiding scammers and creating a safe way to meet up with potential buyers.
Many mobile apps allow buyers to use credit cards or PayPal accounts to eliminate cash transactions during meet ups.
Mobile apps have turned the struggle of haggling over a sale into a new form of social media.
Instead of anonymous meet-ups, neighbors can connect to make a sale, or fans of the same kinds of fashion or tech can find each other to swap stuff.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the best apps for selling stuff secondhand and the most popular apps for local selling.
Contents
The Best Selling Apps (Examples)
We’ve included an overview of our top picks below. For detailed information on each pick, scroll down.
Reach the Biggest Markets
Find Buyers in Your Community With Local Selling Apps
Reach the Biggest Markets With Facebook and Craigslist
Facebook Marketplace is Facebook’s answer to Craigslist.
And while Craigslist might seem old school, it’s still one of the most popular selling sites.
With either of these classic options, your products will have wide reach.
Facebook Marketplace
Chances are you’ve already got a Facebook account, and the world’s largest social media app features Facebook Marketplace, an e-commerce service that lets you easily sell items from your iphone to a community of over two billion people.
Because of their size and the amount of items permitted in their online marketplace, Facebook Marketplace is the world’s biggest flea market.
And it could be the fastest way to sell anything from your car to your old clothes.
If you have a Facebook account, you’re ready to go.
Click “Marketplace” on the main menu or click the Marketplace icon on the Facebook app, then click “Sell something.”
Once you select the category, describe your items, and choose a listing price and a location, you’re ready to sell.
Craigslist
Facebook Marketplace is very similar to the original online hub for selling items — Craigslist.
Craigslist is one of the oldest and most popular places to discover items for sale in your town.
Unfortunately, Craigslist is still a web based interface and doesn’t have an official mobile app.
That means some of the features of the site — including listing items for sale — can be tricky from mobile phone browsers.
If you want to sell on Craigslist with a smartphone, try CPlus.
CPlus takes the hassle out of the Craigslist mobile experience.
It’s officially licensed and has features that allow you to easily list items, prices, locations, and phone numbers so you can meet up with potential buyers.
Find Buyers in Your Community With Local Selling Apps
Craigslist is very popular and accessible, but many users worry about scammers and safety during transactions.
Anyone can use Craigslist with a profile and contact information.
More and more people have become wary of the unverified in-person meet-up process used to sell items on that platform.
Instead, they’re turning to local selling apps that provide users’ identities and ratings.
5mile
If you’re looking to stay close to your home and sell stuff, try 5miles.
As the name implies, 5miles is a mobile app emphasizing the marketplace in your immediate area.
The mobile app resembles Pinterest and requires users to build 5mile profiles and submit their Facebook profiles and phone number for verification before selling items to local buyers.
And local sales also mean fewer items, which should help whatever you’re selling stand out.
OfferUp
OfferUp is a local selling app that features user and seller ratings in addition to mandatory verified profiles.
Not only can you find out the identity of a potential buyer, but their rating allows you to see if they do frequent business or if any seller has had issues in the past with meet-up times, payment, or behavior.
OfferUp also allows users to spend money on a “bump” feature that will push their listing to the top of local searches.
By paying an additional fee, the item you’re selling will appear at the top of searches even if it was listed a few days or even weeks ago.
Shpock
Shpock is a local selling app that requires you to register with a Facebook account as well as a phone number, asking for SMS text verification during registration and location tracking during sales.
You can communicate with buyers and sellers, and view real-time locations, much like how a rideshare app can show exactly where your driver is.
VarageSale
VarageSale takes the idea of a garage sale or yard sale straight to e-commerce.
You create a profile and join an online community dedicated to your actual community or neighborhood.
Then you sell items locally — with admin monitoring for safety.
Several new selling apps operate more like social media than a traditional e-commerce site.
If you want to make money quickly selling items online, you’ll need to take a lot of great photos of your stuff and chat with local buyers the same way you would on Instagram.
Think of your sale more like how you would build friends on a social media platform: Be nice, communicate, complete your entire profile requirement and post lots and lots of pictures.
Letgo
If you browse the Letgo app on your iPhone, you’ll notice the menus and listings resemble Instagram or even dating apps.
Visual presentation is the strongest way for local buyers to discover what you’re selling, no matter what the item is.
This helps shoppers evaluate secondhand goods and avoid scammers.
The clearer and more detailed your photos, the less doubt a potential buyer will have about your products.
Check out our Letgo guide and learn how to make money!
Carousell
Similar to Letgo, Carousell offers an online profile system and a variety of ways to pay for items, including cash, bank transfer for direct deposit, and PayPal.
Caoursell offers multiple photos for each listing, allowing you to show that car or Apple device from multiple angles.
Remember, local buyers are looking for friendly neighbors they can communicate with so that they feel safe and are eager to make a purchase.
Find Buyers for Niche Items With Specialty Selling Apps
A fast and effective way to sell secondhand merchandise, especially clothes, is to avoid bigger forums like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist, and skip the local neighborhood completely.
Instead, find customers looking specifically for your kind of items by using mobile apps that sell just one thing.
If you’re trying to sell old, vintage, or new clothes, you’re in luck.
Secondhand thrift has exploded on mobile apps, with services like, Poshmark, Vinted, and Thredup available to help you find someone looking for that exact pair of shoes or jacket.
But there are also specialty service for other niche offerings, like furniture, art, and tech.
ThredUp
Thredup allows you to list your items individually, or they can take everything in bulk at once.
ThredUp will send you containers to pack all of your clothing items in if you want to totally declutter your closet.
Simply pack up your stuff in the bags provided, attach the shipping label, and send your stuff to Thredup.
You’ll then receive cash or credit on the mobile app for your accepted items, and you can even donate your clothes to charity.
If you choose to donate, ThredUp will send $5 to the charity of your choice for each bag of clothes you send.
Vinted
Are you looking to sell last year’s cocktail dress or sandals you think have gone out of style?
Vinted is the largest mobile app in the world for women’s clothing with over 4 million users.
Vinted has a social media format that allows for the largest potential buyers of women’s clothing on the Internet.
Chairish
Clothes aren’t the only sales item with their own specific mobile app marketplace.
Try Chairish if you want to sell your furniture.
The app helps buyers and sellers of vintage and modern furniture connect across the world and find specific items.
Chairish also provides help with logistics like shipping and even has staff curators to help evaluate quality and ward off scammers.
Depop
Depop is a trendy mixture of fashion, art, books and records.
Think of it as an Etsy for the art house scene, where you can find vintage vinyl and original illustrations for sale along with obscure and cool clothes.
Decluttr
You probably have an old Android or Apple device you want to turn into extra cash.
Or you’re tired of your video games.
If so, list them on Decluttr, a tech-only marketplace for shoppers looking for a new smartphone or game.
Chances are if you have a rare or expensive piece of tech, video games, or smartphones, and you want a fair value for them, a service like Decluttr will attract a buyer who knows electronics.
It’s never been easier to sell items online, and you can make extra cash quickly if you know which marketplace to pick.
If you’re trying to sell something locally like a car, hit up Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist first, then try local, secured apps like 5mile and OfferUp.
And if you’re cleaning out a wardrobe and need to unload some formerly cool fashion, download Vinted or Thredup.
Just be sure to treat your sale like you would a social media post.
You’ll need lots of pictures, and you’ll need be able to communicate often on apps with potential buyers just like you would on social media.
If you’re going local, be sure to offer plenty of verified information, like a photo, phone number, or a Google or Facebook account to make sure your potential buyers feel safe enough to meet and make a deal.
