Selling items that are no longer useful to us, and which we probably wasted our money on in the first place, is one of the fastest and most effective ways to make some extra money. It is also a great way to clear the clutter and really decide if something brings you joy (if you are doing the Marie Kondo thing).
Lots of tech companies have realised what a prevalent trend this now is, and they are making it as easy as possible for us to get our goods to the masses (and take their cut). This means that it is easier than ever to sell you old stuff online, but also easier than ever to spend your hard-earned dollars buying online.
For most of us it is clothes we have to get rid of. Things that we will never fit into again, impulse purchases of things we will never really wear, gifts of great pieces that just aren’t ‘us’. Looking to sell, here are the 8best apps for selling your clothes online.
eBay
One of the oldest peer-to-peer sellers on the list, it is still one of the best ways to sell your stuff online. They probably have more experience in this field than anyone else, and have been perfecting their app for years. It is now easier than ever to list your items. Books, CDs and DVDs can be sold with the scan of a barcode. For clothes, it is just a matter of using the excellent camera that came with your phone to take some nice shots.
eBay has a huge online customer base, so you can be sure that lots of eyes will be seeing your product, though postage is still entirely down to you. Of course, you pay for access to that audience, and fees can be a little on the high side, so know the value of your item to make that fee worthwhile.
Facebook Marketplace
This relatively new marketplace has taken off rapidly thanks to Facebook’s captive audience and magic algorithms. Facebook has 2.27 billion active monthly users that might potentially see your product, but you can take advantage of Facebook’s algorithm and only show it to people in your locality in order to save on shipping costs. It is just as easy to use the Marketplace app on your phone as it is the Facebook app, and for better or worse, just as addictive.
The Marketplace app is free to use, as Facebook is busy making their money from advertising, but the app is still far from perfect. Load times can be slow, and when making an impulse purchase, these seconds can make the difference between someone following through, and someone abandoning because they can’t be bothered to wait.
Just like its sister site, Instagram also has a shopping feature, but it hasn’t made the list. It is pretty much as easy to use as your regular Instagram account, and there are 800 million users to see your items. However, Instagram users don’t use the platform to buy. While companies with unique products and paid advertising might find a good audience, it is not the place for selling your second-hand goods.
LetGo
LetGo is gaining market share quickly thanks to its viral marketing campaign [featuring a woman trying to sell a sewing machine while skydiving and a man offloading arcade games in the shadow of an impending avalanche – its just that easy!]. The app is another one that is simple to use, just taking snaps and uploading it directly to the app. The app also has a super smart algorithm that can help you automatically categorise your items so that they find the right buyers. Final sales are then managed personally through the apps messaging service.
LetGo has a low boundary for entry and is good for selling items fast, but you can probably get more for your big ticket items on other platforms.
Vinted
Unlike eBay and Facebook Marketplace, Vinted is solely about selling second-hand clothes and accessories, and so while it has a smaller audience, this audience is interested in the type of product that you are selling. It is very easy to use, just a matter of taking pictures on your phone and uploading them directly with the right details. It is then easy to chat with customers through the app and sort out the details.
Vinted is free to use, and while less known than some others, still has solid online security for your transactions. You will need a PayPal account to use them app as this is the only way that transfer money.
ThredUP
Another app that is exclusively about used and second-hand clothes, but you don’t have to worry about engaging with individual customers. You simply gather, photograph and detail your unwanted clothes and send the information to ThredUp through their estimator. They will immediately give you a valuation on your clothes which you then pack up and send to them. Once they have been received and checked, you will be paid, and ThredUp will sell them on through their platform.
ThredUp will pay you cash through your PayPal account or credit card, but you can also get a bit more if you agree to take shopping credit. Of course, this is a dangerous proposition and you may end up with just as many clothes as when you started.
Poshmark
If any of the clothing items you have to sell are designer, consider using Poshmark. It sells clothing, handbags, shoes, jewelry and even make-up, but only the big name, quality stuff. As well as being able to sell through the app, which is just as easy to use as the others on this list, they also do ‘Posh Parties’ within the app which can give your items a visibility boost.
Poshmark is one of the more expensive platforms to use, taking a flat $2.95 free for things under $15, and 20 percent for more expensive items, but the site is designed for selling your pricier wares. It has a big audience interested in the designer style, so you will have no problem finding buyers if you have the product.
Tradesy
Tradesy is another app to consider if you have high quality designer items. It is easy to upload photos, which Trades will clean up to make look more professional, and enter brand, size and condition, which also allow for easy search. Tradesy will suggest good prices for your items based on their details and what similar items have sold for on the site.
Tradesy only accepts high quality items that have been worn minimally, but you will only want to sell these high-ticket items on their site, because while they have a good audience, it is expensive. There is a $7.50 flat commission for items sold for under $50, and a 19.5% commission for more expensive items.
CPlus for Craigslist
Craigslist still has a huge user base, and its CPlus all means that it is easier than ever to simply snap photos and get your items listed in seconds. The big problem with Craigslist is that it is a beast that has taken on a life of its own and is largely out of control. It is ioncredibly hard to vet buyers and identify scammers, who can waste a lot of your time. It also has security flaws that Craigslist can’t keep on top of, and don’t even bother to try and get someone to help you on the phone. Nevertheless, if you are looking for a big buying audience, they are on Carigslist.