I have been selling old and used items online for years! It's so much easier than having a garage sale. I actually only ever tried one garage sale. Only two people showed up, and I only sold to one. After that, I became hesitant to try again, so I turned to online apps.
Here is a list of all the sites I have used:
My Favorite Places To Sell Online
1) Mercari
I have had a lot of success selling on Mercari, especially in items other than clothing. You can check out my Mercari shop here. While I have had good luck with clothes in the past, it seems it's tougher to sell on here now and for clothing, I have much better luck with Kidizen.
Mercari has a website and a phone app, but the website is very limited on what you can do, so I recommend just avoiding the website and downloading the phone app.
One downside to Mercari is its flat-rate shipping, which can be more expensive than just using weight, especially when items are over a pound.
You can also promote your items (discount them) over time to everyone or just those who have liked your item. This is a nice feature as sometimes it's hard to know how to price things. I always err on the "expensive" side and just promote until the item sells or I don't want to go any lower. Buyers can also put in offers too.
Mercari deposits directly to your bank account within 5 business days and they now charge a $2 fee each time you withdraw to your bank account. The upside is there are no selling fees. To avoid the charge, you can use the money within their app.
If you use my link to sign up, you'll also get a $10 off your first purchase coupon, sign up here.
2) eBay
eBay was the first app I used to sell items. It's great for collectible items, like limited edition dolls or figures. It's also good for mugs, movies, CDs, and other knick-knacks. However, it's not great for selling clothes (unless collectible or name brand).
The best thing about eBay is that they have more shipping options and it's done by weight and package size, which is why it's better for heavier or super light items.
The major downside to eBay is that they have a lot of selling fees.
You can check out my eBay here and you can create your own account here.
3) Craigslist
I have had some success with Craiglist. It's great for bigger items that you can't really ship, like if you have an old desk or table you want to get rid of. It's also great for "free" items that you no longer want, things like old plastic pools, broken computers, piles of rocks, firewood or dirt, etc.I have had some success with baby clothes, but not much. Brand-new clothes tend to do better here or bigger bundles of clothes. I was also able to sell a lot of breastfeeding supplies on Craigslist.
The downside is there is no shipping option. It's local, so you have to meet the person. Unless it's a big item that has to be picked up, I highly recommend meeting in a public space for your safety. I usually choose the library, mall, or a popular park and have them meet me in the parking lot. For extra security, park near one of the security cameras.
You can check out and join Craigslist here.
4) Facebook Marketplace
I would consider this on par with Craigslist. The only difference is that you can offer to ship your items. Items can be renewed every 7 days in the marketplace up to three times and then you have to relist it. This helps get your item more views.Another upside to the Facebook Marketplace is you can share your listing in Facebook groups, and there are lots of Buy and Sell groups on Facebook.
Major downside to Facebook Marketplace is it is filled with spam, so be wary about the information you give to those who contact you via messenger.
It is more local than Craigslist but functions in the same way as you have to physically meet the person to make the transaction, so again you'll want to pick a public space unless the item is too big. The upside is that these are supposed to be your neighbors, so they are people you may already know or see on a daily basis. Plus their addresses and names are all shown, so less funny business is likely to happen as they can easily be reported.
I haven't actually sold anything on here, as I tend to forget about it. I use it more so for posting free stuff that we leave on the curb and someone picks it up. I got rid of two laundry baskets and a little cat bed this way.
Offer a shop discount! You can find this in your settings. Offering a discount for 2 or more items will encourage people to buy more. I currently have mine set to 10% off 3 or more items.
5) Facebook Groups
Facebook also has quite a few Buy and Sell groups you can join if you are interested in selling more locally or looking to sell collectibles. If you post your item in the Facebook Marketplace, it will give you the option to share it with Facebook groups as well. I typically don't post directly in the groups for that reason, just to the marketplace and share it from there.
I have had more success here with Disney collector items as there are Disney specific buy and sell groups. You will have to use PayPal though to complete transactions and ship items.
6) Nextdoor
Another local option is Nextdoor. This site is geared toward keeping in touch with your neighbors, but they allow the selling of items.It is more local than Craigslist but functions in the same way as you have to physically meet the person to make the transaction, so again you'll want to pick a public space unless the item is too big. The upside is that these are supposed to be your neighbors, so they are people you may already know or see on a daily basis. Plus their addresses and names are all shown, so less funny business is likely to happen as they can easily be reported.
I haven't actually sold anything on here, as I tend to forget about it. I use it more so for posting free stuff that we leave on the curb and someone picks it up. I got rid of two laundry baskets and a little cat bed this way.
7) Kidizen
When I first joined in 2018, I posted a lot and waited a few months, but nothing. I eventually deleted all my listings as stuff was selling quicker on Mercari. I decided to give it another try later in 2019, and I ended up having more success this time around! I'm guessing the app has gained in popularity so there are more users, sometimes I sell things as soon as I list them!
But some tips are to post on their special # (hashtag) days. The hashtags for the week are on the home screen, so organize your items in advance, and then when the day comes, post all the relevant items you have for that specific #. Some example hashtags they have done in the past are: #solids, #blue, #Halloween, #costumes, #mamafall. If you already posted an item that fits, add the # in a comment, and share your item with your followers! You can do this once an hour, it'll help get your item on the featured # page too!
Offer a shop discount! You can find this in your settings. Offering a discount for 2 or more items will encourage people to buy more. I currently have mine set to 10% off 3 or more items.
And when people add your items to their cart, usually they will let the items sit for a while, and you can make a lower offer. I have had success by taking as little as $1 off an item and the person will buy it.
The only downside to Kidizen is it's limited to baby, kids, and mom (women) related items. It's basically an app geared toward moms.
The app is better than others in that you can list multiple items and sellers have the option to just add them all to their cart, so you can ship all the items together, unlike on other apps where buyers have to message you to create the bundle.
The only downside to Kidizen is it's limited to baby, kids, and mom (women) related items. It's basically an app geared toward moms.
Kidizen pays you through PayPal (usually within 24 hours) or direct deposit to your bank account.
8. Poshmark
I just recently joined Poshmark as I know this one is very popular. I hesitated in the past because it's more for brand-name items, and I was already listing stuff on Mercari and Kidizen. However, since some stuff has not been selling on those apps, I decided to try listing them on Poshmark.
Right away, the major downside to Poshmark is you can't ship anything over 5 lbs as that is all their flat rate shipping covers, and their only shipping option is the flat rate of $7.45 via USPS. I think it's unrealistic to expect people to buy one item with a $7.45 shipping cost unless it's designer, so bundling clothes is going to be a must with this app.
There is the option to offer buyers discounts for purchasing multiple listings (like Kidizen), and if users like your item, you can send them a direct offer (like on Mercari), which also gives the option to discount the shipping cost, but in reality, you're still paying that shipping cost, it just looks less to the buyer.
However, Poshmark has some benefits that other apps don't. One, you can set it up to automatically post your listings to your Pinterest and Twitter whenever you post a new item or share an item.
There are also Poshmark Parties, kind of like Kidizen's hashtag days, except there are multiple parties per day and you can share your items as often as you want (unlike Kidizen where you can only share once per hour).
Poshmark deposits directly to your bank account and there are no minimums.
Posts
