There are many great apps out there for selling secondhand unwanted items, but some of our favorites include Poshmark, Ebay, Mercari, Depop, and Grailed. Each of these apps offers a great way to list and sell your items quickly and easily, and they all have a large user base so you're sure to find buyers for your items. It provides an alternative to a yard sale, and it allows you to earn extra money by just using your phone or tablet. Whether you are looking to clean out your home or make extra money on the side, selling secondhand items is a great option and you can do this in the comfort of your own home. Check out our favorite online selling apps below.
Poshmark
Poshmark is a popular social network for buying and selling new and secondhand clothing for women, men, children, pets, home goods, electronics, beauty products, and more. According to Poshmark's investor report, there are 7.8 million U.S. active users in 2022. It was founded in 2011 and has since amassed over 70 million users. Poshmark is available in the US, Canada, and India.
The Poshmark app is known for its user-friendly interface and easy listing process. Every year, Poshmark hosts a 2-day convention to bring Poshmark community members together for networking, education, and fun! There is a focus on designer items, which can help you make more money in the selling process, especially if they're in great condition.
The listing process is fairly straightforward. Snap a few good photos of the item, fill in the description that contains keywords, and set the price. On Poshmark, sellers have the opportunity to bundle items together, lower prices and shipping costs, and negotiate with potential buyers over the price of an item.
Once a sale is made, sellers are provided with a prepaid USPS shipping label from Poshmark via the Poshmark app. You can use any USPS Priority Mail boxes (click here to get FREE USPS Priority boxes) as long the total weight does not exceed 5 pounds. Otherwise, you will have to pay an additional fee for the overweight package.
Once the item arrived at its destination, within 3 days, you can redeem your earnings via direct deposit or check. When setting your price, keep in mind that Poshmark takes a commission with each sale: a flat $2.95 on sales under $15, and 20% on sales $15 and up. Poshmark does not offer local pick-up or international shipping at this time.
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Ebay
EBay is one of the oldest and most popular online marketplaces for buying and selling new or secondhand items. It was founded in 1995 and started out as an online auction website. The website has evolved into an instant "Buy It Now" shopping with over 138 million active users worldwide.
On eBay, you can sell just about anything you can think of, including clothes, electronics, furniture, home goods, beauty products, and more. Today, eBay is still a huge marketplace and a major eCommerce platform, the world's second biggest after Amazon. Although eBay is available in 180 countries, its user base and top sellers vary from nation to nation. For example, 31% of the best eBay sellers are US-based. The UK comes in second place with 29%, while Germany takes third with 15%. Fun fact, according to eBay, 8.8% of their sellers are cross-border, which means they have customers internationally.
eBay Shipping
EBay's "Global Shipping Program", allows US sellers the opportunity to ship internationally for relatively cheap. Simply ship the item to eBay's global shipping hub in Kentucky and they'll take care of customs forms and issues for you!
eBay Fees
The most popular categories sold on eBay are automotive, fashion, collectibles, healthy and beauty, business, and industrial. Selling on eBay is a bit complex, there are all sorts of fees for every category but the two fees that you need to be aware of are insertion fees and final value fees. The insertion fee is charged pre-sale, and sellers receive 50 free listings each month. After that, eBay charges a flat fee of 35c per item listed, although this fee is lower if you have a monthly store subscription. The final value fee is a percentage of a product’s final sale price once an item is sold. The percentage depends on what product category your item was listed under. Most commonly, it will be 12.35%. Ebay does offer a local pick-up option where the buyer purchases the item, prints a QR code, and shows it to the seller during arrival.
Mercari
Mercari is an online selling app similar to Poshmark and Depop, however, Mercari does not have a social media component like the other two platforms. Mercari was founded in 2013 in Japan and has been steadily growing in popularity ever since. In 2014, Mercari expanded to the US market and has seen great success. In 2021, they reported having 20 million active monthly users worldwide and you can sell almost anything on Mercari.
Listing on Mercari
Similar to Poshmark, the listing process is fairly straightforward. Snap a few good photos of the item, fill in the description, and set the price. But unlike Poshmark, Mercari does not have an option to bundle items together or send multiple offers to people who have liked your items. Once an item sells, you can print the label from the app and drop the package off at your local USPS, UPS, or FedEx.
Mercari Fees
Mercari takes a 10% fee on all sales and 2.9% + $0.30 payment processing fee. Once the item arrived at its destination, the buyer can rate you to redeem your earnings or wait until 3 days for the funds to be released.
Local Pickup
In July 2021, Mercari partnered up with Uber to release a brand new feature called Local Pickup. This feature is designed to address the safety and privacy concerns that many people have with doing local pickups on Facebook Marketplace and other platforms. If you sold an item through Local Pickup, you'll be able to schedule an Uber driver or FedEx Same-Day to pick it up and deliver it to your buyer contact-free! Mercari explains that this service is perfect for those bulky, heavy, or fragile items that are tough to ship. The only restriction they impose is that the item cannot weigh more than 50 pounds and must fit in a car's trunk (45" x 35" x 15"). This excludes large furniture, appliances, and outdoor gear that wouldn't fit in the trunk of a car. Mercari does not offer international shipping at this time.
Depop
Founded in 2011, Depop is a social shopping platform where users can buy and sell secondhand fashion items. It's particularly popular among Gen Zers and millennials. With over 26 million registered users in 150 countries, Depop is one of the fastest-growing social networks globally. In 2019, Depop was acquired by Etsy for $1.6 billion.
The Depop App
The Depop app is available in English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian. One of the unique things about Depop is that it has a strong creative community feel to it. Many users see it as an outlet to express their personal styles and taste. You can find items from vintage (at least 20 years old), Y2K, and thrift stores, as well as one-of-a-kind handmade goods and streetwear brands. Depop is a platform where name brands do not matter nearly as much as style and "vibe". To start selling on Depop, all you need is to download the app and create an account. Once you're signed up, take some time to browse the app and get a feel for the types of items that are popular on Depop. When you're ready to start listing items, take clear photos (preferably modeled or styled), write concise but creative descriptions, and if you offer international shipping. Check out Pirateship.com for your international shipping needs. Also, be sure to include any relevant hashtags so potential buyers can easily find your items. You can also link your Depop profile to your Instagram account to make it easier for people to find you. Depop takes a 10% commission on all sales which is automatically deducted from the seller's earnings. Depop also charges sellers a $0.20 listing fee per item. Depop does not currently have an option for local pickups, so all transactions must be done through shipping.
Grailed
Grailed is a fashion marketplace for men's clothing that was launched in 2013. It's similar to Depop in that it's a peer-to-peer marketplace, but the focus is on high-end and luxury brands, limited edition, and collab items. With over 7 million monthly active users, Grailed is one of the most popular sites for buying and selling secondhand one-of-a-kind, designer men's fashion. Some of the most popular brands on Grailed include Supreme, Off-White, Yeezy, Drakes, and Rick Owens. To start selling on Grailed, you first need to create an account and link your Paypal account. The listing process is fairly straightforward. Snap a few good photos of the item (at least 3 photos), add clothing measurements, fill in the description that contains keywords, and set the price.
Grailed Categories
Grailed categories are divided by Market to help users find what they want and connect with the right seller. There are four markets: Grails, Hype, Sartorial, and Core.
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Grails - These are categories for the designer and high-valued items. (i.e., Balmain, Gucci, Rick Owens, Saint Laurent, etc.)
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Hype - These are categories for in-demand and highly anticipated releases and collabs (i.e., Yeezy, Jordan, Supreme, BBC, New Drops, etc.)
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Sartorial - These are categories for high-end classic menswear and fashion (i.e., Tom Ford, Kiton, Alden, Drakes, etc.)
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Core - These are mainstream brands (i.e., Levi's, Polo, H&M, Zara, Gap, Ralph Lauren, etc.)
Even in the resale community, everyone wants a fair price. However, with limited-edition items, and highly anticipated new drops and releases, it's usually not a good idea to price based on retail. When in doubt, check out what similar items have sold for on Grailed and price your item accordingly. Just remember, the final decision is up to you. If you are planning to sell your limited edition kick or high-valued collab apparel, it needs to get digitally authenticated first. Having your items digitally certified by Grailed in-house moderators build trust and assurance to your buyers. Once your item is sold, you have the option to purchase a prepaid shipping label through Grailed or purchase on your own. For international shipping, it is best to purchase on your own using Pirateship.com.
Grailed Fees
Grailed charges a 9% commission fee for each transaction and Paypal fees:
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Domestic Paypal fee 2.9% + 30 cents
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International Paypal fee 4.4% + 30 cents
Grailed does not offer local pick-up at this time.
Poshmark, Ebay, Mercari, Depop, and Grailed are all great platforms for selling secondhand or new items. They each have their own unique features, but all of them offer a great way to list and sell your items quickly and easily. If you are looking to make some extra money on the side, or simply want to clean out your closet, then selling your unwanted items is a great option.
Just a quick recap, on which platforms are the best place to sell:
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Common brand name women's clothing, shoes, and accessories: Ebay, Poshmark, and Mercari
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High-end women's clothing, shoes, and accessories: Ebay and Poshmark
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Unique, hand-made, vintage items: Depop
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High-end, limited-edition men's clothing, shoes, and accessories: Grailed
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Common brand name men's clothing, shoes, and accessories: Ebay and Poshmark
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Bulky items (ex. computer monitor, tools etc.): Mercari's local pick-up program or Ebay
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Collectibles: Ebay
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Baby or kids clothing: Mercari (used) and Ebay (new)
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Electronics: Ebay and Poshmark (must be under 5lbs)
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Toys, dolls, and stuffed animals: Ebay and Poshmark
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Health and beauty: Ebay and Poshmark
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Home goods (ex. bed comforter, candles etc.): Ebay and Poshmark
Hopefully, this guide has given you a better understanding of the different marketplace options available for selling secondhand items online. So what are you waiting for? Start listing those items and make some cash. Thanks for reading!
