One simple way to make money is to sell your stuff online, especially things you don’t need or use anymore.
And often, the go-to choice to sell things will be online sites like Craigslist.
The website has been around for years and has one of the most recognizable brand names.
Plus, it’s an easy place to list and sell things to your local area.
This means, you can usually sell your items fast and won’t be stuff waiting for everyone to collect some money.
Yet, just because Craigslist is a popular destination to sell items, does not mean you have to use it.
There are many sites like Craigslist that offer more convenience and better listing options, which can be great ways for you to buy, sell, or trade things online.
Selling Your Stuff Online
With the recent surge of online marketplaces, now is one of the best times to start selling online and make money.
Craigslist is a great place to get started because of its simple layout, low restrictions and thousands of visitors shopping every day.
Whether it’s Craigslist or some other online selling marketplace, how can you start selling all those items cluttering up your home?
How to start selling your stuff
First of all, start looking around your home for items to sell. If they are in reasonable condition and you’re confident someone would want them, add them to your “selling list”.
Don’t be afraid to think big – people are willing to buy anything from electronics, to furniture, to clothes and luxury items.
Second of all, check on the marketplaces listed below to see if other people are selling the same items.
If other people are, it’s a good sign that these items are in high demand.
You can take this opportunity to note what kind of wording they use, what the reviews are like and how fast the items are being sold.
Next, pick a marketplace you want to sell your item on and create an account. You’ll have to create a profile, post a listing, take photos and write a description along with a price.
Check to see how other similar listings are selling their product. Writing a good description can go a long way in selling your product.
Finally, publish your listing and wait for the buyers to show interest If you receive any questions, make sure to answer them promptly and make any information requested available.
Once you’ve agreed on the price with a buyer, close the deal.
This may mean meeting in person (always in a public place!), or sending the package by mail. Make sure all costs are determined and agreed beforehand.
Best Apps and Sites Like Craigslist
There are quite a few sites on the market place these days to sell your stuff.
The good news is that many of the Craigslist alternatives offer even more features to make extra money faster.
Each website or app offers different pros and cons, so it will be a personal choice which you choose to go with.
Let’s take a look at ten options to consider.
1. Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is a great place to sell items to your local community. Many neighborhoods have different Facebook groups too, so if you list your items they should be easy to sell.
You may have to negotiate with potential buyers, but the transaction is likely to happen quickly and seamlessly. People sell everything from clothes, to food, to office chairs on Facebook Marketplace.
The good news is that selling items on Facebook is completely free! Just remember that you’ll have to do all the promotion, delivery and customer management — similar if you were using Craigslist.
Note: make sure you read any group’s rules before listing any items to sell. Some groups have restrictions or other guidelines that you should pay attention to.
2. Poshmark
Poshmark is a marketplace to sell accessories and clothing online. You can shop and sell through various categories; women, men, shorts, tops, etc.
It’s a good marketplace to sell all those old clothes that don’t fit you or you don’t want to wear anymore. Just make sure there aren’t any holes or stains; you want to be selling items with some kind of value.
When selling on Poshmark, the platform will send you a prepaid shipping label which you can then use on your item packaging. They then earn a small commission on every transaction.
3. Mercari
Mercari helps people sell stuff online as well as ship them to buyers. With this app, you are not meeting in-person as these are shipping via mail items only. They also do not have any listing fees, but they will charge a 10% commission of your listing price.
Buyers on Mercari also tend to bargain a lot (as most buyers on selling apps or websites will do), so make sure you calculate that 10% commission into every deal.
Mercari will also help you send the item by charging you a shipping label – but you can also ship it yourself if you choose to.
4. eBay
eBay is one of the most renowned (and oldest!) marketplaces to sell items quickly. The sign up process is quick and seamless and in a few minutes you’ll have instant access to millions of buyers.
You can sell pretty much anything you’ve got at home (yes, even a car).
What makes eBay different to other marketplaces is its bidding system: you can start your pricing at a slightly lower price and get buyers to bid on the item. This means you may be able to sell your item at a higher price if it’s in high demand.
The main disadvantage with eBay is the high commission fee of 10% — although this varies depending on the category of the item.
5. Bonanza
Bonanza is another large marketplace with over 22 million items listed. Nearly every country in the world is included, with over 40,000 sellers. It’s another selling platform that’s incredibly easy to use.
Bonanza’s fees start at 3.5% – a much lower commission than other sites such as eBay. This translates into higher profit margins for you!
There also isn’t any bidding, but Bonanza makes it super easy for sellers to sell those same items on eBay, Etsy and Amazon through their import features.
According to statistics, there are 1,300 shoppers to 1 seller on Bonanza — a big difference to 10 to 1 ratio on eBay. However, Bonanza does not have the brand or web traffic visibility like other players on this list.
But the lower competition and smaller commission on Bonanza means it’s another great marketplace to sell any of your items in your house.
6. ClassifiedAds.com
One site that has a similar feel to Craigslist is a website called ClassifiedAds.com. The website keeps their categories and listings simple, but also well-organized to easily navigate what you are looking for.
As a Craigslist alternative, I don’t find this one to be one of the stronger options. But it’s worth trying if you live in a major city, as more people will be active and they focus on those more.
Additionally, there are quite a bit of ads in their classified sections, which means if what you are selling has a lot of competition, yours could be buried among ads and others.
7. OfferUp
Another site like Craigslist that might be worth checking out is called OfferUp. The website is simple and clean, especially with pictures that make it easy to showcase what you are selling.
However, it’s their app for iOS and Android that really shine, making it easy to quickly list your items and connect with people nearby who are ready to buy.
Additionally, they are one of the largest mobile marketplaces, have been named a top 3 app in shopping, and were awarded app of the year by GeekWire.
8. Letgo
As mentioned, there are a plethora of options when it comes to sites and apps like Craigslist for making money! And the next one I’m including on this list is Letgo, which is a bit new in the space compared to some of the others.
I first came across this one via their television commercials and since have become one of the most popular online marketplaces and apps.
Letgo is definitely one of the more modern looking websites and apps, which has many of the features you’d look for in a quality service in selling your stuff fast.
The better features of Letgo include more safety and privacy features. First, you will have to verify your Google or Facebook in order to have a Letgo account.
Additionally, you can interact with buyers in the app, without exchanging any personal info like a phone number or email address.
9. Etsy
Etsy is another great Craigslist alternative that specifically sells handmade items. But it’s not just arts and crafts – you can find jewelry, printouts, office items and much more.
If you want to sell items regularly and build up an entire profile, Etsy is a good place to try it out.
The downside here for selling through their platform is Etsy charges $0.20 for listing an item, as well as a 5% commission every time you sell. There’s also a fee for every transaction.
10. Amazon
As you probably know, Amazon is the biggest online shopping platform in the world. Nearly half of all retail sales are done online — you don’t want to ignore them as a marketplace to sell your items.
Amazon has over 2.5 million active sellers (as of 2019) selling their products on the marketplace. (Source)
Creating an account and adding your listing on Amazon is relatively simple and the steps won’t take you long.
However, you can’t just randomly list items like on an eBay seller account to get rid of stuff. There is way more details, which you can read on their Seller University.
The main advantage with Amazon is that for a bit of a fee, Amazon will manage the delivery, customer service and promotion for you. Amazon will charge you $0.99 for every item sold as well as a referral fee depending on the price of the item.
Not a traditional Craigslist alternative, but if you are planning on selling your own products or dropshipping, it could be a good option to make more money.
Selling Stuff on Craigslist
When it comes to selling on Craigslist, you’ll want to make time to do your research. Before listing your item, do some quick searching and see what other people are selling the item for and how they write their listings.
Once you list your product, increase your prices to leave some space for negotiation. If you’re sending the item through the mail, make the payment transaction easy for the buyer – either through bank transfer or Paypal.
The more frictionless the experience, the more likely someone will take you up on your offer.
You’ll also want to write an attention-grabbing headline with all the information of the item you’re selling. Include the brand name, condition and specific keywords.
On the ad itself, add the features in bullet points and put the price at the end of your ad. Be very honest with your description and images, so there’s no risk of them asking for a refund or making a complaint.
When negotiating with the buyer, make sure to leave some time before lowering your price. If after a week no one else is interested in buying the item, start negotiations and agree on specific terms.
Final Thoughts
Although Craigslist is a popular online destination, this online marketplace isn’t always your best option.
You might be a little sketched out and there are some weird Craigslist stories, so you might not feel comfortable. Additionally, you just might find selling your stuff on there is not working out like you thought,
Thanks to technology, there are plenty of Craigslist alternatives, like the ones listed above. Each one presents more comfortable ways to sell, some without having to meet anyone in person.
The next time you are ready to buy or sell locally online, give one of these a try. You might be surprised at the results.
Have you used any of the above apps and sites like Craigslist above? Any work out really well for you? Which ones were duds for you personally? Let me know in the comments below!