Want to make some extra cash in a hurry without doing a ton of work?
There is no better way to do that than selling some of your unwanted items online.
Everybody knows about the standard methods of selling items online like eBay and Craigslist (and we cover them below), but the really cool options are some of the specialty platforms we have discovered.
You may not know many of them, but selling your stuff through them may give you better profits and an easier selling experience versus listing with the mega platforms.
I also like low-hassle solutions and I have tried to find platforms where they make selling online a breeze. Some of these specialty platforms offer really slick and convenient selling options that blew me away.
On that note, let’s get started!
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on a link and complete a transaction, I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you.
The information contained in this post is for informational purposes only. It is not a recommendation to buy or invest, and it is not financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. You should seek the advice of a qualified professional before making any investment or other decisions relating to the topics covered by this article.
General Selling Platforms
1. eBay
You can’t have a discussion about selling items online without mentioning eBay. eBay is considered by many to be the original online marketplace for used items and is still a huge player in the space. According to this article, there are 182 million eBays users worldwide.
It’s a pretty straightforward process to sell on eBay. Create an account, take some pictures of the items you want to sell, and post the item for sale. People bid on it and the winner gets the item at the winning bid price. There are “buy it now” options as well.
The two biggest advantages of this platform are its size (there are millions of people who search eBay for items) and the vast range of products you can sell through the platform.
For your first 200 listings, there is no listing fee (eBay calls it an insertion fee). For most categories of items, there is a 10% fee on the final sales price. See eBay’s page for pricing info.
2. Amazon
Did you know that you (as an individual) can sell stuff on Amazon? Like eBay, Amazon has an extremely large buyer pool and an amazing variety of items you can offer for sale. As with eBay, there are some fees you are required to pay.
If you are selling as an individual seller and not as a business, there is no sign-up fee, but you pay Amazon 99 cents per item sold, plus a referral fee, which is usually a certain percentage of the sales price. Here’s Amazon’s pricing page to learn details.
3. Craiglist
Everyone has heard of craigslist and it is still a major force among online marketplaces to sell used goods. With no fees (generally) and an extremely simple process for posting your item, it is a hassle-free way to post your items online.
However, as with most local selling methods, you have to deal with the logistics of making the sale, including meeting up with the buyer, etc. If you do not feel comfortable doing this, you may want to stick with non-local methods of selling your stuff online.
4. Facebook Marketplace
Facebook also offers a free service to list your items for sale that you can access through your facebook account. These items are posted in a local facebook marketplace where people in your region can see them.
Specialty Platforms
If you have specific types of items you want to sell, some of these specialty platforms may be a better fit.
I especially like the low hassle options offered by some of these platforms where you just provide the specs for the item you are looking to sell and you get an instant offer to buy it.
Awesome.
5. Electronics
Decluttr is a well-known player in the electronics area. As I was talking about earlier, they offer a hassle-free way to sell your tech.
You simply search the make, model, and condition of your cell phone or tech device and they will give you an instant quote. If you are selling CDs, DVDs, and games, you can enter the barcode and you will get a quote as well.
If you like the quote and want to sell, you package up your item and ship it to them (for free). After they receive your item and check it out, you get paid the next day by Direct Deposit or PayPal.
Painless and efficient – gets top marks from me!
If you are interested in learning more, check them out below.
Buybackworld is another platform in this space. They have a similar model where you get instant quotes. When I looked at their available item categories, they included more than just electronics.
You can get instant quotes on luxury watches, luxury fashion items, sneakers, streetwear, sporting equipment, Lego, vacuum cleaners, and even trading cards.
If you have any of these other types of items that you want to offload, this site may be a good way to sell them along with your electronics.
6. Clothes and Accessories
Thredup is among the most well-known platforms specializing in buying used clothes. They are essentially an online consignment shop, which means they will take your clothes and market them to potential buyers.
If your items sell, you get paid (minus their fee). Although not as fast as an instant quote, they do take all of the work out of listing your item, dealing with buyers, shipping the item out to buyers, and managing any questions or issues that arise during the selling process.
All you have to do is send a box full of unwanted items (free shipping is offered) and they will try to sell those items for you. You get paid after it sells.
One handy tool on their website is a “Payout” calculator that can give you an idea of what your payout might be for a particular brand and category of item.
Poshmark focuses on higher-end clothes, shoes, and handbags. Their process is pretty simple. You take some pictures of your item, create a listing, and if it sells on their platform, you get a shipping label from them and ship it out.
You have the ability to negotiate with buyers on price, so it is an interactive type of listing. All in all, it’s a straightforward process and they have an app so you can do this fairly easily. If you want to pursue this option, I have written an article on the best brands to sell on Poshmark, so if you want to take this strategy a bit more seriously, you can focus on selling brands that are most popular among buyers.
The Real Real also focuses on the luxury sector and offers free home pick-up of your unwanted items so there is no shipping hassle involved. They then perform authentication, take pictures, determine price, and list your product for sale.
It really is an easy way to sell your stuff. They also have an instant quote type of service called “sell upfront” where they will buy certain eligible items directly from you. If interested, check them out here.
8. Wedding Dresses
Assuming you are not sentimentally attached to your wedding dress, selling it can be a great way to make a decent chunk of money. Preownedweddingdresses.com is among the leading sites offering a platform to sell your wedding dress.
They charge a one-time fee of $25 and there are no other charges or commissions (including when you sell).
9. Books
If you have a bunch of books (especially textbooks) lying around, you can sell them on bookscouter.com. They also have an app, which just makes things easier. You just scan the book barcode and upload it to the app’s system.
What I love about this platform is that you get a list of instant quotes from a bunch of companies that are willing to buy that book.
You can really maximize your selling price this way. If you go on other sites they often just offer you a single price for your book and it is non-negotiable.
Here, you have the ability to sell to the highest bidder. Once you select a buyer, just pack up your books and ship them (free shipping is included) to make some quick cash.
10. Musical Instruments
If you’ve got a musical instrument collecting dust, you can sell them through reverb. They allow unlimited free listings and take a selling fee equal to 5%.
There is also a payment processing fee of 2.7% plus $0.25, for a grand total of 7.7% plus $0.25. Here’s a page describing their selling process if you are interested.
Conclusion
So there you have it – ten easy ways to make extra money fast simply by selling your unwanted stuff.
Beats holding that garage sale you’ve been putting off, no?
Happy selling!
