22 Apps to Help Sell Your Junk & Stuff Online

There’s a shelf in my basement stacked with things I know I will never use but are too valuable to throw away or recycle. Or at least I think they’re too valuable to throw away or recycle.

It’s things like old electronics, old cell phones, DVDs, books, and other odds and ends that are valuable if I could just match up with someone looking for that thing.

Fortunately, there are a ton of sites out there to sell your stuff online. You can use the apps that specialize in certain items, as Decluttr does for electronics, or you can use a platform that can help you sell anything, like Craigslist or eBay.

If you are looking to sell something valuable, such as jewelry, you’ll want to check out our guide to selling jewelry first.
Table of Contents
  1. 1. SellCell
  2. 2. Decluttr
  3. 3. Poshmark
  4. 4. OfferUp
  5. 5. Facebook Groups & Marketplace
  6. 6. Craigslist
  7. 7. eBay
  8. 8. Oodle
  9. 9. Bookoo
  10. 10. StillWhite.com
  11. 11. Tradyo
  12. 12. 5Miles
  13. 13. Yardsales.com
  14. 14. Etsy
  15. 15. Bonanza
  16. 16. Amazon Seller Marketplace
  17. 17. Cash4Books
  18. 18. Mercari
  19. 19. VarageSale
  20. 20. Tradesy
  21. 21. The Real Real
  22. 22. Small Business Knowledge Center – Sell Junk Mail
  23. Bonus: Pawnshops
  24. How to Get the Most Money when you Sell Stuff Online
    1. Give a Clear (and Honest) Description
    2. Include Good Photos
    3. Be Willing to Haggle
    4. Consider Fees and Shipping Costs when you Price
    5. List Locally on the Free Sites
    6. Be Open Minded
  25. Summary

1. SellCell

If you have electronics you don’t need, try to sell it on SellCell. They’re a marketplace of electronic buyers, which includes some of the companies lower on the list, and they will give you a price for your electronics from a myriad of sites based on the condition of your item.

The best part is that they’ve also set up bonuses with some buyers, sometimes 5-10% higher than what you’d get directly from the site. If I were selling something, this would be my first stop just to see if there’s a bonus.

Check out SellCell

2. Decluttr

Is your family game closet overrun with games, smartphones, and DVDs? Great! You can sell them for a fair price with Decluttr. This platform specializes in selling used tech, complete with free shipping and next-day payments.

You just have to enter the barcode (or you can use their search function for items without a barcode, like cell phones) and they will instantly tell you how much they’ll pay you for it. There are no games involved – you just send them the item and they pay you. No hidden fees.

  • CDs and DVDs
  • Video games
  • Textbooks (mostly college textbooks)
  • Cell phones, tables, and readers
  • Legos (by the pound)

Who this is perfect for: Busy people who want to get a fair value for an item but don’t want to deal with the hassles and risk of selling something to a private individual. 

If you have broken electronics, here are seven places where you can sell those.

Check out Decluttr

3. Poshmark

Do you have years-old Michael Kors sunglasses crowding your closet? Poshmark is one of the best places to sell clothing and accessories. Why? Because Poshmark has created a community for buying and selling higher-end fashion.

This online platform and app even has “Posh Parties” where you can list items together with friends. List items in less than a minute and use Poshmark’s prepaid shipping labels for ultimate convenience.

As far as fees go, Poshmark takes a flat fee of $2.95 for all items under $15. For items sold for $15 or more, Poshmark takes a 20% commission.

After you sell an item, you can withdraw the money from your Poshmark account via Direct Deposit request or check request.

Here’s our full review of Poshmark.

4. OfferUp

Are you looking for a less creepy alternative to Craigslist? OfferUp could be for you. This app lets you buy and sell items in your local area. It’s perfect if you can’t or don’t want to mail your stuff.

The OfferUp platform has a code of conduct for behavior and usage to keep buyers and sellers safer. The site gives users profiles, ratings, and transaction history.

And you can instant message users through the OfferUp app.

As the largest mobile marketplace in the U.S., OfferUp is a great place to sell your collection of fanny packs (I’m not here to judge).

And it’s free. As with Craigslist, you won’t pay any fees to use OfferUp.

5. Facebook Groups & Marketplace

If you’re like me, you’re on social media for several hours a day. Why bother navigating to another app when you can sell directly from Facebook? Local Facebook Groups connect you with people who are potentially interested in your goods.

Garage sale groups and parenting groups are popular places to sell. When in doubt, list your items on Facebook Marketplace to sell to people near you.

It’s free to list and sell on Facebook Marketplace, and the site has some of the largest followings around.

This is especially useful if you’ve bought some unclaimed packages from Amazon and want to unload them fast without a fee. Margins on those are often slim so avoiding fee is great.

6. Craigslist

Craigslist is the OG method of local selling. If you don’t want to bother with signing up for the other platforms on this list, give Craigslist a try. Sell everything from boats to old couches to declutter your home.

As always, it’s free to list and sell on Craigslist. Craigslist is a very basic site with minimal bells and whistles, but it’s also highly visited. It’s a great choice if you like selling your stuff in person.

Pro tip: Meet at police stations for Craigslist exchanges, and always phone a friend to let them know where you’re going.

7. eBay

If you’re on the opposite end of the spectrum and don’t want to deal with people in-person, good ol’ eBay is for you. List your item either for auction or with a fixed price. Ship it to the highest bidder and watch the cash roll in. Just remember to build your shipping costs into the price!

Note: eBays fees can be quite high. Make sure you read the fine print regarding fees before you set the price for your items. That way you won’t be sorely disappointed when your eBay bill comes due (been there, done that).

Here’s 10 things you didn’t know you could sell on eBay

8. Oodle

Oodle is the internet’s answer to classified ads. It’s simple, free, and shows you listings in your local area or you can search other Oodle communities.

FYI, there is a limited number of items you can post on Oodle at one time. The number of active listings you can have at any one time depends on the category you’re posting in.

Note: Oodle beefed up security recently by ensuring that only registered users can use the site. So, you’ll have to register before using Oodle.

9. Bookoo

Whereas Oodle is the net’s answer to classified ads, Bookoo is the net’s answer to yard sales.

The Bookoo site says it’s a family-friendly alternative to Craigslist. It’s free like Craigslist, but with a more community-oriented feel.

One downside is that Bookoo has limited communities it’s active in. Therefore, you might not find a large selection of items available in your area.

10. StillWhite.com

Still White is a site that helps people sell wedding dresses. It’s a pretty popular site: when I checked the site, they had over 50,000 wedding dresses for sale.

The company charges a one-time fee of $20 or $30 (for a premium listing) to list your wedding dress. You handle shipping, and the buyer pays for shipping.

Many brides dream of a beautiful, white dress for their big day. If your dreams of ever-after didn’t pan out, or you want to get rid of your huge 80s wedding gown, sell your wedding dress on Still White for cash.

11. Tradyo

Looking for local classifieds? Tradyo is an upgrade from old school listing sites like Craigslist. List your item or service for free to sell in your community. Use the IM feature to chat with potential buyers with ease.

Tradyo doesn’t have an official website–it’s an app that’s only available for Apple users. Note that Tradyo is based in Canada, so U.S. users might have a limited selection of listings to choose from.

This means you might find it more difficult to sell on Tradyo if you’re in the U.S.

12. 5Miles

Even with most local selling sites, there’s a chance you’re in for a 20-minute drive. 5Miles fixes this problem by connecting buyers and sellers within a five-mile radius of each other.

However, when you visit the site, you will see listings that are more than 5 miles away from you. This is because you can choose a community’s site to post your items on even if you don’t live directly in that community.

Stay safe with the 5Miles rating system and cloaked contact information. Their team even reviews your listing before it goes live, ensuring it’s up to snuff to sell your stuff.

13. Yardsales.com

A lifelong lover of a good deal, I break into a cold sweat when I see a yard sale. If you’re putting on an “everything must go” yard sale this weekend, consider listing it on Yardsales.com.

You can attract more buyers to your sale, as well as sell items directly through the site. Nifty, eh?

It’s free to list stuff on this site. However, they do have a program where you can purchase “credits” to enhance your listings.

14. Etsy

You wouldn’t think this online handmade goods store would be great for selling old stuff, but it is! Along with handmade goods, Etsy lets you sell craft supplies and vintage items.

If you have antiques or vintage items that are quirky, weird, or outrageous, consider listing them with Etsy. Etsy’s requirement for vintage items or antiques is that they’re over 20 years old.

15. Bonanza

Bonanza was voted the best-selling eBay alternative in 2020. One reason why is lower fees. Whereas eBay often has listing fees along with final sale fees of up to 10%, Bonanza lets you list for free.

And their final sale fee is only 3.5% (+ a 1.5% fee for any amount over $500).
As with eBay, you can sell pretty much anything on Bonanza; clothing, home decor, art, electronics, and more.

16. Amazon Seller Marketplace

Do you have a pile of stuff that you want to sell, but don’t feel like the hassle? Amazon offers a Seller Marketplace where you can sell your porcelain doll collection with fewer headaches.

Let Amazon deal with selling and shipping your item. They do take a small fee per item, so make sure it’s worth it!

17. Cash4Books

The other day I discovered some old college textbooks in my bookshelves. Instead of hanging onto them, I’m going to sell them for cash at Cash4Books. Get a quote on your textbook’s value in seconds.

This site works kind of like Decluttr. You enter the ISBN numbers of each textbook. Cash4Books gives you a quote.

If you’re happy with the quote, you send in your books. They’ll pay you via check or PayPal if the books are in the condition stated. With free shipping and quick payment, it’s a marvel for emptying your shelves.

18. Mercari

Mercari is an app that lets you sell just about anything. List your home goods, clothes, electronics, and more. Turn your rompers into cold, hard cash with this marketplace.

Note that like eBay, Mercari does charge a 10% flat fee for each completed sale. Also, keep in mind that Mercari withholds payments until your buyer receives and approves the item. If you want an immediate payout, consider other apps on this list.

19. VarageSale

VarageSale touts itself as another safer alternative to Craigslist. All members are verified with a confirmed name and photo.

There’s an admin/monitor in every community that keeps an eye on transactions to help ensure safety.

And there are no fees for listing or selling on VarageSale.

20. Tradesy

Tradesy helps you sell designer bags, shoes, clothing, accessories, and more. You list your item, then ship it with Tradesy’s free shipping kit when it sells.

The site charges a flat commission of $7.50 on anything that sells for under $50. For items that sell for $50 or more, they’ll charge you a commission of 19.8 percent.

Bonus: Tradesy handles returns themselves.

21. The Real Real

The RealReal is another site that sells high-end designer clothes and fashion. The RealReal is a true consignment shop. You use their virtual appointment system to get a value on the items you wish to sell.

Then you ship the item (for free) and they do the rest; listing, photos, shipping, etc. When the item sells, you get the profit minus a commission.

Note that paying for someone else to do all of the work comes at a price: You will pay a commission of up to 45%.

22. Small Business Knowledge Center – Sell Junk Mail

This one is a little weird but you can sell your junk mail to market research companies.

The most prominent company is SBKC – Small Business Knowledge Center.

Sign up as a Panelist, get accepted, and then send them mailers and get paid for it. Limited space is available but this is the most reputable company of the bunch. They will pay for all kinds of direct mail and even email you forward them. You earn points that can be used for gift cards – don’t expect to get rich but a little extra money never hurt anyone.

Bonus: Pawnshops

This isn’t a way to sell your stuff online, but it is a quick way to sell stuff. Pawnshops aren’t just for your creepy Uncle Vinnie. They’re a wonderful way to make extra cash from the old stuff crowding your garage.

However, do your homework before going to a pawn shop. After all, these guys are in the business of making a buck. Know the history, quality, and worth of your item going in.

Bring an appraisal for big-ticket items, like jewelry, to make sure you’ve been paid a fair price.

How to Get the Most Money when you Sell Stuff Online

If you’re looking to earn the most money when you sell stuff online, here are some tips that might help you do that.

Give a Clear (and Honest) Description

There’s no sense in wasting your time and the time of potential buyers. When you create your listing, be clear and detailed about what you’re selling. Make note of any defects that people would want to know about. That way people are getting what they expect.

Include Good Photos

Good photos are a must have when you sell stuff online. Post clear shots with good lighting and simple backgrounds. Include photos of any defects people should know about.

Be Willing to Haggle

Haggling is simply a part of selling stuff online. If you’re not willing to haggle, make that clear too. That way no one will come expecting to get a lower price.

Consider Fees and Shipping Costs when you Price

When you’re selling stuff that needs to be shipped or on sites that charge sellers a fee, take those costs into account when you list. Choose your listing price knowing that your profit will be reduced by those costs.

List Locally on the Free Sites

Listing locally on free sites like Letgo and OfferUp is sometimes the best way to go. You don’t have to pay any fees. And you don’t have to worry about shipping; just meet up with the buyer or have them come to your house or workplace.

In other words, local listing sites often mean bigger, faster profits.

Be Open Minded

It might be tempting to just throw away items you no longer want. However, as the old saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

So, list those items you might think no one wants. Stick an attractive price on them. You never know.

Summary

When selling stuff online, it’s best to use the apps that will get you the most money for your items. Platforms that specialize in specific items, such as Gazelle specializes in electronics, will likely get you the best deals. 

However, if you don’t want to deal with shipping your items – or they are just too big to ship – local platforms like Facebook Marketplace will be your best bet. If you have items that just aren’t worth selling look into recycling them – there are places that will actually pay for that stuff

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About Makenzi Wood

Makenzi Wood is a full-stack marketer turned blogger who aspires to retire early. She writes about living the good life while paying off $250,000 of debt.

She has a B.A. in Communication and Media Studies from Trinity University.

Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank or financial institution. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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