If you want to see why the U.S. is the land of opportunity, visit OfferUp where no item is too kitschy, obsolete, expensive or rare to list on this smorgasbord of a website.
Need a Honda Accord? How about an original piece of art or tickets to an NBA game? Thanks to the magic of algorithms, items can be purchased from folks in your geographic area, so shipping is removed from the equation.
Get the app, visit the website and scroll through pages to find something irresistible.
Message the seller (check him/her out while you’re at it) and cut a deal. Meet up to complete the transaction. Selling your stuff is just as easy.
However, there are several other alternatives to Offerup in the market. Most of the options below offer also a mobile app (just like Offerup) to buy and sell anything online. Let’s have a look at these great alternatives:
1) LetGo
LetGo’s goal is to “make secondhand buying and selling second nature” and 100 million downloads plus hundreds of millions of listings attest to this site’s success.
Since there is no charge to become part of the LetGo family, this effortless way to clean out your attic, garage and closets allows you to chat online with folks in possession of the item(s) you want to buy so you’ve got lots of room to negotiate and make a good deal.
Like OfferUp, algorithms figure out your location and send you deals posted by folks in your vicinity and you don’t have to worry about shipping (unless that’s part of the deal you cut when you purchase an item).
The app works with Android and iOS devices and if you are concerned about security, the user verification feature can make you feel comfortable about frequenting this site.
2) Mercari
For browsers eager to find bargains on gently-used fashion, electronics, décor and housewares who would prefer not to deal directly with a seller in person, Mercari offers a marketplace for items that make your list of discards.
In addition to helping you find irresistible bargains, Mercari is on a mission to empower customers eager to earn cash by getting rid of discards.
Find high-end brands and one-of-a-kind originals via this app by getting access to “45M+ downloads in the U.S. and 150k new listings every day.”
With offices in the United States and Japan, buying and selling are made easy by your ability to shop by keyword, so you don’t waste time scrolling through items to find what you want.
This worldwide second-hand market is attracting new buyers and sellers every day, so why not join them?
3) Craigslist
Your local Craigslist may be the first place you turn when you decide to get rid of items that are too valuable to be donated to charitable groups, but with this clever innovation, comes an element of risk, says Jessica Lanman writing for Komando.com.
“Craigslist has the same issues it’s always had. You communicate with a stranger, and have to meet them face to face, putting yourself in some danger, and opening yourself to the possibility of being scammed,” says Lanman.
Not everyone feels this way. If you’ve been a Craigslist fan since its startup and you’re happy using this resource, why stop using it? That stated, Lanman recommends alternatives profiled in this article or here.
4) Close5 by Ebay Classifieds
Ebay launched Close5 to more closely align consumers with a worldwide market while offering local community outreach between buyers and sellers.
Promoted as a way to create “a world where people share more and waste less,” sites within the Ebay Classifieds family aim to introduce and maintain safe trading measures via these globally recognized brands: BilBasen, DBA, 2dehands/2ememain, eBay Kleinanzeigen, Gumtree, Kijiji, Marktplaats.nl, mobile.de, Motors.co.uk, and Vivanuncios.
More exotic than other businesses profiled here, Close5 can help you find a job, a car, a concert ticket or a financial adviser via online classifieds appearing in 1,000+ international cities.
5) Swappa
Founded a decade ago by Ben Edwards whose career as a mobile and software developer made him realize that there was no legitimate, organized marketplace designed to meet the needs of folks seeking recycled devices, Swappa was launched.
Edwards’ objectives, to offer a safe, simple and inexpensive way to buy and sell quality mobile devices, resulted in a revolutionary site offering quality merchandise as well as security reassurances, whether users are seeking new homes for their devices or items to buy.
Whether you want to retire a no-longer-used gaming system, laptop, cell phone — or you just want to find local servicing resources for your electronics — a visit to this website could become your long term “swapping” solution.
6) Oodle
If your desire is finding an online resource that fits the definition of “quirky,” Oodle.com could become your go-to resource because it is filled with offbeat items for sale.
If you own something that meets that definition, you’re more likely to find a market for it here than you would on LetGo or Mercari.
Typical listings? Pure bred puppies, horses, hamsters, apartments, jobs and antique crystals. Here’s the conundrum: These listings may not be local, so if you want the free Shih Tzu puppy posted on the site, you’ll have to drive to New York City to get it.
Officially, Oodle is in the business of reinventing online classifieds, thus it promotes buying, selling and trading. This international operation has attracted more than 15 million unique users, and we have a hunch lots of them are dog lovers.
7) TradeMade
When visitors enter the TradeMade website, they notice an absence of product photos. While unusual, TradeMade founders describe their enterprise as a “new, fun, and mindful way to get all that you desire,” so who are we to say that a lack of photos will impact your online experience?
TradeMade is easy to use and navigate. You upload items or services you wish to promote, sell or trade and follow prompts to complete the deal.
But the unique feature offered by this entity is the ability to trade. If you’ve got a crib and need violin lessons, you can make that happen.
The process is simple: Write up a description of your item or service, upload a photo and place it in the proper category so it reaches your market.
The next step is communicating with the buyer or seller and meeting them to complete the transaction.
8) TopHatter
If the idea of bidding on items intrigues you, TopHatter could become your favorite way to clean house. Browsers search for auctions that feature fashions, electronics and gadgets or they can buy items at fixed prices, so whether you like taking risks and are willing to wait out other bidders or you tend to find things so irresistible, you can’t let them get away, both options are available to you.
Posted hourly deals thrill site users most and the process isn’t complicated. “Hourly deals start at $1, bids are free — you only pay when you win an auction.”
To get in on the action, download the app (Android and Apple devices), open an account, log in and browse offers, discounts, auctions and fixed-price items.
We recommend reading reviews at the bottom of the home page before getting involved so you are aware of problems users have experienced.
9) Bookoo
Frugal brothers Austin and Adam put a new spin on the traditional yard sale by developing a website and app that is “neighborhood friendly.”
Their enterprise proved successful; a reported 2,634,741 visitors have dropped by and found that buying and selling on this site is safe, easy and uncomplicated.
Click on the Bookoo link and you will be taken directly to items available for sale only in your geographic area.
That list of locations includes Kuwait, Europe and Asia, so if you move around a lot, you can stay with this resource to rid yourself of unwanted items no matter where you land.
Undertaking transactions is a breeze: you contact the seller, meet up and make the exchange, so whether you’re a buyer or seller, you never have to worry about online transactions or shipping expenses. Who knows, you could make a new friend, too.
10) VarageSale
Promoting itself as the place people can “sell simply; buy safely,” mom and teacher Tami grew weary of trying to navigate online buy and sell communities so she enlisted her husband to build a website and by the fall of 2014, VarageSale had reached more than one million people with her “small town” approach to recycling products.
VarageSale’s business goal is to provide a resource “for people who feel hesitant about buying and selling anonymously.”
Folks who frequent this site can “find amazing bargains without sacrificing your safety,” Tami asserts.
Visit the website and items pop up that are for sale by people in your area. A verification process for sellers uses Facebook to confirm identities and once checked out, your request for approval to engage on the site will be approved.
Simple and local, this is a great place to snag items for kids, though you will find plenty of items for adults that run the gamut from stylish shoes to living room couches.
11) Poshmark
Poshmark founders’ goals include establishing a leading social commerce platform for “the next generation of retailers and shoppers” by bringing together people and technology to put a new spin on buying and selling fashion online.
This is an epicenter of haute couture, so if you want kid’s toys, tools or a new car, this isn’t the site.
Poshmark wants users to identify with style-setters so transactions are very targeted. It takes about 60 seconds to list an item and post a photo of it using either the iPhone or Android app version.
Once you have supplied all of the information the site requires, your stuff goes out to around 60 million fashionistas awaiting your high-quality merchandise.
The app also hosts virtual shopping parties, dispenses pre-paid, pre-addressed shipping labels and the Post Office takes care of the rest. How do you get paid? By withdrawing your proceeds directly from the app, too.
12) Geebo
Referring to this online site as the “safe community classifieds,” Geebo is a vast universe of opportunities that include buying and selling merchandise that ranges from appliances to cars.
It’s also an employment conduit for jobseekers and whether you seek a roommate or posh vacation rental, you don’t have to leave the site because you’re covered.
Given Geebo’s diverse range of products, services and resources, you may wonder what differentiates it from competitors. It’s safety.
These folks are all about keeping users from falling into predatory scams, so security assurances are a Geebo priority.
In fact, you can access “Scams and Shams” file from the home page that offer users a long list of protocols to follow if you decide to post your goods or make a purchase.
It’s worth your time to read this list of safety and security tips related to online selling and buying, even if you decide to patronize a different website.
13) Classified Ads
Referring to this site as “a free classified ads website for cars, jobs, real estate, and everything else,” founders emphasize the fact that “Unlike many other classified ads websites, ClassifiedAds.com is 100-percent free to use.”
Staff invests “a great deal of time and effort in monitoring and filtering the content posted to the website,” so if this claim resonates with you, there’s plenty to recommend this online resource.
That stated, the range of goods and services offered here is diverse. Find a church. Get free stuff. Apply for a job, get rid of your old lawnmower, find a moving company and meet someone you’d like to date.
Imagine this: you find your soulmate and use this site to help you plan the wedding and find a honeymoon destination.
Don’t bookmark this site if your objective is building a wardrobe, but you can get help buying cattle or adopting a cat here!
14) Locanto
Enter the site and you’ll be asked to choose from a location menu since traffic on Locanto is curated according to your area of the country.
Merchandise represents a small portion of Locanto’s offerings. Use the site to enroll in classes, find community events, shop for a house, a car and a job.
No luck finding the perfect match on the aforementioned ClassifiedAds site? You may have better luck tapping the Dating by Locanto database.
You’re invited to use Locanto as your main online shopping resource by uploading photos to increase visitor interest (that goes for cars, houses, babysitters and potential mates), and there’s a live feed on the home page that you can use to promote and advertise your goods and services.
Affiliated with International Classifieds, if you intend to move overseas and want to continue your relationship with Locanto, rest assured you will be able to continue doing business with this resource.
15) Needora
Are you intrigued by the idea of doing business with buyers and sellers located around the world? Give Needora a look-see and you may be impressed by the merchandise offered for sale on this website.
But using this resource will require you register first. This means you won’t have access to directions or protocols that are required of anyone using this website to buy and sell.
As a result, you’re going to have to reveal your personal profile before knowing the rules, so if you don’t have a problem with this, go ahead and register.
Expect to encounter a mix of weird and diverse items that people are eager to sell using this online resource as their marketplace.
One thing’s for certain: you can’t beat the entertainment value of browsing offbeat items posted on Needora, even if you aren’t in the mood to buy or sell at the time you visit.
16) USA Today Classifieds
Last on our list of places to buy and sell in cyberspace, USA Today, launched by media empire Gannett Co., Inc. on September 15, 1982, has become a major brand over time in terms of quality journalism and its mix of local, domestic and international news.
If you’re interested in finding a market for your discarded goods at a media epicenter that boasts 93 Pulitzer prize winners, you can expect to enjoy excellent journalism while you clean out your storage space.
But all of this prestige comes at a price. You can expect to pay traditional classified placement rates if you decide to try and sell discards on any of the USA editions.
For that reason, you may want to patronize other resources on this list to get rid of the kids’ old skateboards and outgrown clothing — at least for now.
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