Selling things online is a great way to make some extra cash without leaving the house. You can go out and buy things to resell or sell things you already have lying around the house. Either way, you’ll need to find your items’ most effective online sales channels.
And wouldn’t it be great if you could find free websites to sell on?
I mean, think about how great it would be if there were no-cost online marketplaces to sell on!
| Platform | Best For | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Facebook Marketplace | General, local sales | Wide reach, integrated with Facebook profile |
| 2. eBay | Various items, auctions | Global audience, auction-style listings |
| 3. Craigslist | General, local classifieds | Simple, local-focused, diverse categories |
| 4. Poshmark | Fashion, clothing | Social selling, easy shipping |
| 5. Depop | Vintage, unique fashion | Trendy, youth-oriented platform |
| 6. Letgo (now part of OfferUp) | General, local sales | User-friendly, chat feature |
| 7. Etsy | Handmade, vintage items | Large market for crafts and vintage goods |
| 8. Vinted | Second-hand clothing | Clothes swapping, simple listing process |
| 9. Mercari | General, shipping nationwide | No meetups required, easy to list |
| 10. Gumtree (UK/AU) | General, local classifieds | Popular in UK and Australia, diverse listings |
These platforms can be a great addition, especially if you’re into second-hand shopping and decluttering. You might even find some cool tech or photography gear on some of them.Happy selling! 📸💻🛍️🔮
What about making money without spending a dime?
However, there is a minor caveat. Although I’m sure you know that maintaining a website (or app) isn’t free, I’ll go over your best options below, including those that don’t charge any fees.
After looking into more than 50 different online marketplaces and apps, I’ve found that there are essentially two types of sites where you can sell for no initial investment:
- Websites that allow you to sell your wares online without any up-front costs in exchange for a commission on each sale.
- Totally free, but not entirely online, website where you can list and sell items, but you must meet in person.
Whatever the case, please find below a number of places where you can sell online without first incurring any costs. This means that if you have items to sell, there is no financial risk in getting the listings up.
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Online marketplaces that don’t charge you anything to list your wares.
First, I’ll show you a place where there are no hidden costs to make a sale on the internet. Unfortunately, only one of them does not charge any fees to the selling party. The rest don’t charge anything to list, but will take a cut of the sale price. Because there are no listing or other startup costs involved, they are still a great option. Your risk of loss is zero if your listing does not sell.
Vinted
Excellent for garments and other apparel. Each gender, including men and kids.
Vinted, a fashion platform, satisfies the requirement of offering online sales at no cost better than any of its competitors. Both the website and the mobile app are free of charge to sellers. Indeed, that is the case. In other words, there is no listing fee. There is 0 % commission. What you make is the selling price. Buyers are charged $.70 in addition to Vinted’s 5% commission. The buyer will pay the fee, so you won’t lose any of your money.
The fashion industry is a great place to sell items for men, women, and children of all sizes and sexes.
Get started with Vinted here if you’re interested in selling there.
Poshmark
Excellent for garments and other apparel. Poshmark is a great place to sell or buy trendy or designer items.
My go-to online clothing marketplace is Poshmark. Since they have a large customer base and many items sell for slightly more than on eBay, I often cross-post my items there. There are fees associated with Poshmark, but they are deducted from the sale price before the seller receives their money. Poshmark charges a 20% fee (or $2.95 for items selling for less than $15) and deducts sales tax automatically.
You’re probably thinking that 20% is quite a bit. In my opinion, it is absolutely worthwhile! If you’re looking for a simple platform, Poshmark should be near the top of your list. Poshmark handles sales tax for you (trust me, this is amazing because it’s a pain to do on your own!) and the buyer pays for shipping (as long as it’s under 5lbs, no weighing involved!). When an item is sold on Poshmark, you must package it and affix a shipping label. In addition, Poshmark steps in to resolve issues or facilitate returns if necessary.
Poshmark is a great place to sell trendy or designer items.
Mercari
Ideal for: Pretty much everything! Furniture, appliances, games, clothes, and more.
After Poshmark, Mercari is my second-favorite on this list. You can put up just about anything with no upfront costs. A much wider variety of products is available for sale than on the aforementioned fashion sites. There is a 10% fee, but you only pay that when an item sells (they don’t charge you anything to list).
If you use this link to sign up for Mercari, you’ll receive $10 off your first purchase.
Swappa
Primo for: Gadgets
Swappa is a great option if you want to buy or sell electronics. Even though the fees are included in the price, there is no cost to list on Swappa. Items selling for $50 or less incur no fees, while items selling for $6,000 or more incur a $250 fee. Their exact rates are listed on this page.
Offer Up
Ideal for: Pretty much everything!
If you’re familiar with Offer Up, you probably know it as a local sales app. However, they’ve recently shifted to allowing customers to ship items as well. Offer up doesn’t charge anything to list, but there is a 9.9 percent shipping fee for items you’re willing to ship.
You can join via their website or mobile application.
ThredUp
Favored use: vogue and clothing.
ThredUp could be the service for you if you just want to pack everything up and send it away. No initial investment is required, and the process is quick and easy.
It’s worth noting that the value of your belongings may not be very high. ThredUp operates similarly to an online thrift store, with commission fees that vary based on the item’s final selling price. You’ll get less than a dollar for many more common items (unless you have really nice stuff).
ThredUp provides a Payout Estimator so you can gauge potential earnings before listing your items for sale.
Remember that not everything you send in will be accepted. If you want to increase the likelihood that they’ll take more of your donations, send items that are either currently in or about to enter the current season, are in excellent condition, and are in style.
Need a label removal request? Here’s where you should click. Put it on the outside of the bag or box and send it off. Easy!
Sign up for ThredUp here and get a $10 credit toward your first purchase.
Online classifieds and auctions that don’t cost a dime to use.
The next topic is localized online marketplaces that don’t charge any listing fees, either for buyers or sellers. Consequently, if you don’t mind meeting strangers, these could be great for you to sell stuff for free. I’m sure there are hundreds of similar apps out there, but I’ll be discussing the ones I use most frequently. You should document popular shopping destinations.
Unlike Facebook Marketplace, which I’ll discuss below, this app preserves the order of your messages based on the time they were sent, rather than the sender’s last name. This makes it simple to keep track of who arrived first in line in the interest of fairness.
You and your prospective purchaser can arrange to meet in a public place, and the app will send you both a map to that location right within the chat. For quick and easy local purchases, Offer Up is my go-to app.
Marketplace on Facebook
Because so many people already have a Facebook account, using the Facebook Marketplace to buy and sell goods is practically automatic. Just by virtue of the sheer number of users, having your product visible to those who happen to browse the Marketplace is a great idea. This is why I like Facebook Marketplace so much: it’s a popular place to sell stuff for free. Everyone you know uses it. And, you read that correctly; listing your items for sale there won’t cost you a dime. There are zero transaction costs, and customers can even use Facebook Messenger to send money.
How to Make Some Extra Cash by Selling Stuff on Facebook and Craigslist is a Related Post.
If you’re under 30, you probably haven’t heard of Craigslist, but if you’re over 30, it was the first place you went to buy and sell things locally. It’s still going strong, and I especially enjoy using it to sell expensive items. It’s costless, just like all the rest. Listings are submitted by browsing to the appropriate section.
Here are a few of the best local sales apps out there:
Sale Within 5 Miles of the City
Related: 6 Ways This Stay-at-Home Mom Turns a Profit
More options for cost-free product distribution
Hold a garage sale.
The best yard sales are my favorite! During the warmer months, I make almost weekly trips there, and I greatly appreciate their presence. In fact, we just had a yard sale and made over a thousand dollars in less than a day. We also got rid of a lot of unnecessary items and gave the rest to charity. If you have a lot of items to sell, this is a fantastic way to do so.
Get in touch with a secondhand shop.
Consider reaching out to any nearby consignment shops. Clothing, furniture, and antique consignment shops are very common. They will take a cut, but usually you can just drop off your stuff and forget about it. You won’t have to pay anything up front; your commission will be sent to you as a check or paid in cash.
There are many to choose from, and I’m sure I’ve forgotten hundreds. However, keep in mind that it makes no difference if you are able to list the items for free if there are no buyers on that platform. You won’t make any money from a small audience if you offer free access to a website that nobody knows about. Test the waters by selling your wares on multiple platforms.
Conclusion
Vinted is an online marketplace that allows users to sell items online for no initial investment. It is a great way to make extra cash without leaving the house, but it is important to note that maintaining a website or app is not free. There are two main types of sites where businesses can sell online: websites with no up-front costs in exchange for a commission, and online marketplaces that don’t charge anything to list wares. VINTed is also offered for garments and other apparel, including men and kids. Poshmark is an online clothing marketplace that offers online sales at no cost to any of its competitors.
It allows sellers to sell items for men, women, and children of all sizes and sexes. Poshmark charges a 20% fee (or $2.95 for items selling for less than $15) and deducts sales tax automatically. It also offers a great place to buy trendy or designer items, with a wider variety of products available for sale than on the aforementioned fashion sites. Mercari is a second-favorite item on the list, offering a 10% fee. Swappa is a great option for buying or selling electronics, with no cost to list items.
Offer Up is a local sales app that offers items for $50 or less, but also offers a 9.9 percent shipping fee for items you’re willing to ship. ThredUp is an online thrift store that provides a Payout Estimator and is in excellent condition, with commission fees varying based on the item’s final selling price. It also offers online classifieds and auctions, as well as localized online marketplaces that don’t charge listing fees. Finally, it is great to sell stuff for free, with hundreds of similar apps out there. Facebook Marketplace is a popular platform for buying and selling items on Facebook.
It preserves the order of messages based on the time they were sent, rather than the sender’s last name. It is easy to meet in a public place and offers a map to the location within the chat. There are zero transaction costs and customers can even use Facebook Messenger to send money. This post explains how to make some extra cash by selling stuff on Facebook and Craigslist. Sale within 5 miles of the city is a great way to make money without having to pay anything up front.
Other options for cost-free product distribution include holding a garage sale, reaching out to consignment shops, and testing the waters by selling wares on multiple platforms. These are all great ways to save money and give back to charity.
What are some online marketplaces where you can sell your items for free?
Some online marketplaces where you can sell your items for free include Vinted, Poshmark, Mercari, Swappa, and Offer Up. There are also localized online marketplaces, such as Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist, that do not charge any listing fees.
What is Vinted, and how does it allow you to sell your items without fees?
Vinted is a fashion platform where you can sell clothes and other apparel. Unlike most other online marketplaces, Vinted allows you to sell your items without any listing fees or commission on each sale. This means that what you make from the sale is the selling price. Buyers are charged a fee that is not taken from the seller’s earnings.
What is Poshmark, and what fees are associated with selling items on it?
Poshmark is an online marketplace where users can buy and sell clothing, shoes, accessories, and beauty products. The fees associated with selling on Poshmark include a 20% commission fee on sales over $15 and a flat rate of $2.95 for sales under $15. Additionally, Poshmark automatically deducts sales tax from sales, and sellers are responsible for packaging and shipping sold items.
What is Mercari, and how does it differ from other online marketplaces?
Mercari is an online marketplace where you can buy and sell almost anything, from furniture to clothes, to video games and electronics. One of the main ways that Mercari differs from other online marketplaces is that it doesn’t charge you anything to list your items for sale. They only take a 10% fee when an item is sold, and there are no other hidden fees.
What is Swappa, and what types of items can you sell on it?
Swappa is an online marketplace where you can buy and sell electronics like phones, laptops, tablets, and video game consoles. It’s a great platform for selling gadgets.
What are some tips for selling items on Facebook Marketplace?
Some suggestions for marketing your wares on Facebook’s Marketplace:Get some good shots in: Take photos that are easy to see and do justice to the item's condition. Describe it in great detail. Provide as much detail as you can and be upfront about the item's condition. Price it reasonably: Find out how much other items like yours are selling for, and base your pricing off of that. Take action: Do your best to get back to interested buyers as soon as possible, and be open to discussing a lower price. Choose a public place, like a coffee shop or a shopping mall, to meet with potential buyers. If you're willing to ship your item, make sure you've calculated and clearly communicated the shipping costs to potential buyers. Act with courtesy: Be courteous to interested buyers and ready to respond to their inquiries about the item.
What is Craigslist, and how can it be used to buy and sell items locally?
Craigslist is a website where local buyers and sellers can connect online. It’s a classifieds website where you can post ads for anything from jobs to apartments, personals, merchandise, and services. In the site’s classifieds section, users can advertise their wares to potential buyers, who can then contact the sellers directly to make purchases. The service is convenient for those in the area looking to buy or sell items, and it doesn’t cost anything.
What are some other ways to sell items for free, besides using online marketplaces?
The other ways to sell items for free, besides using online marketplaces, include holding a garage sale, getting in touch with a secondhand shop, and listing items for sale on social media platforms like Facebook and Craigslist.
