Best Apps to Sell Stuff Online & Locally

Every decluttering article makes it sound simple. "Sell your stuff and make money!" Great advice. Extremely vague. Nobody mentions that Poshmark takes 20% of your sale, that eBay buyers will open return requests on items that were clearly described, or that you'll spend 45 minutes photographing a $12 kitchen gadget that takes three weeks to sell.

I know this because I spent three months selling things from my house. The experiment started because my wife told me I had too much stuff in the garage, and it ended because I ran out of things worth listing. The numbers were instructive.

My 3-Month Declutter Experiment: $2,340 Gross, $1,847 Net

Between October and December last year, I listed 47 items across six platforms. Here is exactly what happened to that $2,340 in gross sales:

• Platform fees: $287.60 (averaged about 12.3% across all platforms)
• Shipping costs: $143.20 (I paid shipping on 19 of the 31 shipped items)
• Shipping supplies: $28.40 (bubble mailers, tape, one oversized box for a monitor)
• Lost package claim: $33.80 (a pair of headphones that USPS said was delivered but the buyer said never arrived — I refunded it because the alternative was a negative review)
• Net deposited to my bank account: $1,847.00

That is a 21% haircut. Not catastrophic, but not nothing. And it does not account for my time — probably 30 to 35 hours across those three months for photographing, writing listings, responding to lowball offers, packaging, and making post office runs.

The biggest lesson: the platform you choose matters more than the stuff you are selling. I sold the same model of Bluetooth speaker on both eBay and Facebook Marketplace. On eBay it went for $38 and I netted $29.17 after fees and shipping. On Facebook Marketplace, a guy drove to my house and handed me $35 cash. Same speaker. The cash sale earned me more.

Best Apps for Selling Electronics

eBay remains the default for electronics, and there is a reason for that. The buyer pool is enormous and people actively search for specific models. I sold a five-year-old graphics card for $127 in two days because someone needed that exact card for a legacy system. You are not going to find that buyer on Facebook Marketplace in DeSoto, Texas.

The downside is fees. eBay charges a final value fee of 13.25% (including payment processing) on most electronics categories. On that $127 GPU sale, I paid $16.83 in fees plus $11.20 in shipping. Net: $98.97. Still worth it — but you need to price accordingly.

Swappa is better for phones, tablets, and laptops. Flat fee ($5 to $15 based on sale price), ESN/serial number verification, and buyers who expect to pay closer to market value. I sold a two-year-old iPad for $285 and netted $270. On eBay, that same iPad would have netted maybe $240.

Facebook Marketplace works when you want to avoid shipping entirely. No fees on local pickup. The trade-off: flaky buyers. I had three no-shows before someone actually came and bought my old router.

Best Apps for Selling Clothing

Poshmark is the obvious choice for branded clothing, shoes, and accessories. The audience is there, and the social features (sharing listings, following closets) drive sales once you build momentum. The fee structure is aggressive — $2.95 flat on items under $15, and 20% on everything above — but they provide the shipping label, which simplifies the process. Sell a jacket for $50 and Poshmark keeps $10. That is the cost of access to their buyer base.

Mercari works better for casual or unbranded items. Flat 10% fee, discounted shipping labels through the platform. For a $30 pair of jeans, you net $27 minus shipping — compare that to Poshmark's $24.

ThredUp is the "I do not want to deal with this" option. Send them a bag and they handle everything. The catch: payouts are brutal. I sent 22 items, they accepted 14, and I received $47.30. A shirt that might sell for $15 on Poshmark earns you $3 to $5 through ThredUp. The math only works if you have a mountain of clothes and zero interest in listing them yourself.

Best Apps for Furniture & Large Items

Shipping a couch is not happening. For furniture and large items, local selling is the only practical option.

Facebook Marketplace dominates this category. No fees on local pickup, massive user base, and good local targeting. I sold a desk for $75 — less than I wanted, but the buyer showed up on time, paid cash, and loaded it himself. Five minutes of actual effort after the listing.

Craigslist still works, especially for tools and workshop equipment. The audience skews older and more practical — fewer tire-kickers. No fees, no built-in payment system. Cash only for safety. I sold a table saw for $200 to a contractor who drove 40 minutes to pick it up.

OfferUp has a more modern messaging system than Craigslist and offers TruYou verification for both parties. Shipping is available but the fees eat into margins. For furniture, stick to local pickup.

Best Apps for Selling Books

Books are a volume game. Individual books rarely sell for much unless they are textbooks, first editions, or out-of-print titles.

Amazon Seller is the best option for textbooks and anything with an ISBN that still has demand. Scan the barcode, list it, ship when it sells. Amazon takes a referral fee (15%) plus a closing fee ($1.80 per media item). On a $35 textbook, you might net $22 to $25. On a $6 paperback, you net $1.50 — genuinely not worth the trip to the post office.

Decluttr is the bulk option. Scan barcodes, get instant quotes, ship the box free. Payouts are low — $0.50 to $2 per book — but I sent 15 books and got $18.75 for 20 minutes of effort. Not exciting, but the box was out of my house.

Local used bookstores are underrated. Half Price Books bought 30 books from me for $23 cash, on the spot. Low per-book payout, but instant payment and zero hassle.

Best Apps for Everything Else

Kitchen gadgets, home decor, sporting equipment, kids' toys, random stuff that defies categorization — this is where Mercari and OfferUp earn their keep.

Mercari handles the broadest range. Flat 10% fee, built-in shipping labels. I sold a bread maker, resistance bands, and a label maker — $67 gross, $51.40 net after fees and shipping. All three sold within a week.

OfferUp leans toward local transactions, which makes it ideal for anything heavy or fragile. No fees on local sales, no shipping headaches, no breakage risk.

Fee Comparison Table

This is where selling apps get complicated. Every platform structures fees differently, and the total cost is rarely obvious until you do the math.

The obvious takeaway: local sales are free. But they are also slower and limited to buyers within driving distance. On eBay, that $50 item might sell in three days to a buyer in Oregon. You are paying for access to a national audience.

The "Is It Worth Selling?" Calculator

Nobody in the decluttering world wants to ask this question. But your time has value, and the math is simple.

Selling a single item online takes roughly 30 to 50 minutes — photographing, writing the listing, answering messages, packaging, driving to the post office. Call it 40 minutes on average.

Example: A kitchen gadget that sells for $12. After fees ($1.80) and shipping ($4.50), you net $5.70. Forty minutes of work. Your effective hourly rate: $8.55. That is below federal minimum wage. Donate it.

Example: A barely-used stand mixer listed for $85. After fees ($12.75), you net $72.25 with local pickup. Forty minutes of work. Your effective hourly rate: $108.38. Absolutely list it.

The breakeven for most people is somewhere around $20 to $25 per item. Below that, the math gets questionable. Not a rule — just a filter to keep you from spending your Saturday listing $6 items.

Shipping Tips That Save Money

Shipping costs killed my margins on about a third of the items I sold. What I learned:

USPS Flat Rate boxes are your friend. A Medium Flat Rate box ships anything that fits for $16.10 regardless of weight. I shipped 9-pound dumbbells for the same price as a 1-pound jacket. Order the boxes free from usps.com — they ship them to your house at no charge.

Pirate Ship saves 10–30% on postage. Free shipping label platform, no monthly subscription, gives you USPS Commercial rates and UPS discounts. A package USPS quoted at $11.45 at the counter cost me $8.20 through Pirate Ship. Same service, same speed, cheaper pricing tier.

Free shipping supplies are everywhere. USPS provides free Priority Mail boxes and envelopes. Amazon orders come in reusable boxes. Save your bubble wrap and padded mailers. I spent $28.40 on supplies over three months, and most of that was one oversized box from Home Depot.

Offer buyer-paid shipping when possible. On eBay and Mercari, calculated shipping means the buyer pays based on location. Fewer views than "free shipping" listings, but your margins stay predictable.

If you are running a serious declutter operation or turning reselling into a side hustle, track your shipping costs just like any other business expense. It is deductible if you are reporting the income. Our guide on Schedule C covers where these expenses go on your tax return.

Tax Implications: When Does Selling Stuff Become Taxable?

This is the part that catches people off guard. You sell a bunch of old stuff from your house, and then in January you get a 1099-K from Mercari or eBay showing $2,340 in gross sales. Now what?

The 1099-K threshold. For 2026, payment platforms send a 1099-K only if your sales exceed $20,000 AND more than 200 transactions (the OBBBA-restored threshold; the lower $600 threshold was repealed). Most casual sellers won't get a 1099-K, but the income is still taxable — you owe tax on profit regardless of whether a form was issued.

Selling personal items at a loss is not taxable income. Bought a couch for $1,200, sold it for $200? That is a loss, not income. But you still need to report the 1099-K amount on your return and show that items were sold below original cost. Annoying paperwork, not a tax bill.

Selling for more than you paid is taxable. A collectible bought for $50 and sold for $300 means $250 in taxable income. That is when selling starts looking like a side hustle — and you may need Schedule C. Our guide on how much you can earn before paying taxes explains the thresholds.

If your selling activity crosses from "cleaning out the garage" to "buying things to resell for profit" — congratulations, you have a side hustle. That means Schedule C, potential quarterly estimated tax payments, and real record-keeping. The transition happens gradually, but the IRS does not care about gradual.

Safety Tips for In-Person Sales

Fifteen of my 16 local pickup transactions were completely normal. One was weird — a guy argued about the price he had already agreed to in messages, then asked to come inside to "test" a monitor. I said no, plugged it into the porch outlet, and he left annoyed. Nothing dangerous, but it was the last sale I did at my house.

Meet in public places. Many police stations have designated "safe trade" spots — well-lit, under surveillance. I started doing all my sales at the Starbucks near my house after the monitor incident.

Bring someone with you for high-value items. My wife came when I sold a gaming console for $280. Probably unnecessary, but peace of mind is free.

Cash or instant payment apps only. Accept cash, Zelle, or Venmo — but verify the payment hits your account before handing over the item. Never accept checks. Never accept "I'll send it when I get home."

Do not share your home address. Use the platform's messaging system, meet somewhere public. If furniture needs to be picked up from your house, have someone else home and keep the transaction at the door or driveway.

If local sales feel like too much hassle, that is a valid reason to choose shipping-based platforms. The fees are the price of not dealing with strangers. You might find the money you save by cutting unused subscriptions covers those fees comfortably.

Related reading: Track Income & Expenses | When Side Hustle Income Gets Taxed | Schedule C Explained | Side Hustle Tax Deductions