By Stacy Garrels | April 26, 2021

Do you want to get rid of your used stuff? Would you rather avoid the stress of a garage sale? Good news! There are several apps that let you put your gently used items up for sale. Anyone interested in selling stuff online can easily set up an account with the site of their choice to make a side income. You can choose to sell stuff locally or to branch out on a national scale, all the while supplementing your income and easing your financial concerns.

What Can You Sell Online?

Despite the versatility of the Internet, there are still a few things that you can’t sell online. A lot of the rules surrounding what you can and can’t sell, however, depends on the platform that you want to use.

Most traditional platforms will let you sell your stuff so long as it is undamaged, well-kept, and verifiably real or tangible. Platforms like eBay learned early on that it’s important to ensure that your sellers provide buyers with these kinds of physical products, or else sellers can make a significant amount of money selling something intangible, like their souls.

That said, if you have something odd or unusual that you think will sell well online, you can find an app that it will thrive on. Check out a niche online marketplace or find the corners of larger markets that will let you achieve your goals. If you’re clever and can craft an outstanding item listing, then you’ll be able to walk away from your app with a cash reward in little to no time at all.

The Best Apps for Sales in 2021

When it comes to finding apps to sell your belongings on, you can easily get overwhelmed by the sheer number of social media platforms and marketplaces offering you their services. Luckily, the best apps for selling stuff aren’t too difficult to find. Whether you want to put up your first listing or move older belongings to a new platform, you can use the following sites to sell of your unwanted items:

1. Facebook Marketplace

What platform is more ubiquitous than Facebook? When the demographic using the platform is on the older side nowadays, Facebook Marketplace is rapidly become the place for sellers and buyers alike to go with their unwanted items.

Selling your stuff through Facebook is a relatively straightforward process. All you need to do is to create a listing and share it with your audience. Facebook will make sure that potential buyers locally and throughout the United States can look at your items.

Note that you do need a Facebook account if you want to attract buyers on Facebook Marketplace. Once you’ve got your account set up, though, you can link your social Facebook to your Marketplace platform and let locals know about the used items you have for sale.

Do note, though, that Facebook Marketplace, like a few other online platforms, does charge listing fees for every item you want to sell. You may also have to pay platform costs after your sale’s complete. Keep these potential expenses when setting the price of your stuff in 2021, and you’ll have a better chance of turning an actual profit.

2. Etsy

There’s no app like Etsy. Etsy is home to items that sellers can take out of their homes or make at their leisure. If you’re feeling creative, you can even marry two of the platform’s goals and sell items from your home that you’ve personally restored.

Etsy, like many platforms, does require you to pay a fee before listing any of the belongings that you want to sell. You can choose to pay that fee on a thirty-day bases or for an extended period of time.

While that start-up fee can seem discouraging, you do have ample opportunities to compensate for it. Etsy lets you set the price of your shipping label and behind-the-scenes work, meaning that you can easily make up any losses you may face in the wake of the app’s fees.

3. eBay

eBay is one of the oldest apps to allow you to sell your stuff. This app is the ideal platform for sellers who may not know just how much their old belongings might go for online. After paying a listing fee, you can determine whether you want to set a fixed price for your old stuff or if you want to open it up to auction. Auctioning off your belongings can seem like a risky endeavor, but if you’re selling something valuable – a video game, for example, or designer furniture – then you may make more than you could’ve ever imagined.

4. Craigslist

There is no app that embodies the feel of the Internet like Craigslist. Craigslist allows you to post any items you want to sell online for free. The restrictions on the platform are relatively scant – though, much as was the case with eBay, you cannot sell anything intangible like your soul. Instead, make it clear to users what items you want to sell and list them on a local forum. While users from all around the world will be able to sell your listing, local buyers can react more quickly to take any unwanted goods off of your hands.

5. Nextdoor

Nextdoor is a newer marketplace. This app, however, is the ideal place to sell items locally. Nextdoor connects you with potential buyers in your neighborhood, meaning that you can get around any unwanted shipping fees or comparable costs if you want to sell any of your unused items.

That said, Nextdoor is more than just one of many selling apps. This app is traditionally used to allow members of the same communities to connect with one another. While that may make the marketplace seem a little less accessible, it’s actually a boon to the platform. If you take the time, for example, to build up your relationship with the people in your area, you’ll have a better idea of what you want to sell to them and what items, comparatively, you may want to post on an alternative app.

6. Tradesy

Looking to sell some of those items whose worth is based on their brand name? Look no further than Tradesy. Tradesy lets you sell designer clothing and accessories, making it the ideal platform for anyone looking to clear out their closet.

The limited inventory that Tradesy boasts makes it an exclusive platform for buyers and sellers alike. The exclusivity does have some benefits, however. The platform offers a prepaid shipping label to buyers, meaning that you won’t have to account for that cost when you’re establishing your listing. The app also retains a steady cost commission for sales under fifty dollars, only fluctuating that cost if you sell an item for more.

Creating The Perfect Listing

Finding the best apps for selling your unwanted items is just the first part of a future seller’s problems. Once you have an account set up on the app of your choice, you’ll need to create listings that draw in potential buyers. Creating an effect listing to sell items is an art. Luckily, with practice, you can make your stuff stand out from the crowd.

When you’re creating your first online listings, then, make sure that you focus on:

Your Description

What is a listing without its description? No buyer will know what to make of your home goods if you don’t include a thorough description. “Thorough” here, however, doesn’t mean that you should word-dump into a listing box. Instead, think through your description with care. Ideally, you’ll want to take advantage of the SEO offerings available through whichever app you choose to take advantage of.

SEO, or search engine optimization, helps get more eyes on the products that you want to sell. There are a few different kinds of SEO, but when you’re selling items online, you’ll want to highlight local SEO. Local SEO connects you with local buyers who can more easily come and collect your belongings.

Note that while you’re using a selling app, you may have the opportunity to take advantage of that app’s analytics. If you can customize the audience that gets to interact with your stuff, then you’ll have a better chance of seeing a sale through within a reasonable amount of time.

Your Photos

A picture is worth a thousand words – and perhaps doubly so when you’re looking to sell anything. The apps that you can list an item on thrive thanks to the photos that sellers are willing to share. With that in mind, do not overlook the benefit of quality photos. Take several from a variety of different angles, and future buyers will have more faith in both the quality of your product and its end cost.

Note, too, that you can use SEO while posting your photos. The ALT text of your photos is the perfect place to hide a few relevant keywords. Don’t overload these spaces, of course – Google is as like to reward your SEO diligence as it is to penalize you for keyword stuffing.

Your Delivery (or Lack Thereof)

Certain apps help you address the issue of shipping your sold stuff. Others do not. Do your research ahead of time to determine whether or not you’re going to factor the cost of a shipping label into your item’s price.

Buyers also appreciate knowing what kind of extraneous expenses they may have to contend with after putting your items in their carts. If you can, keep information about delivery costs – or the lack thereof – upfront. You’ll have better luck selling your goods if buyers know you to be honest.

Additional Product Information

If there’s anything that makes your product particularly unique, be sure to mention it in your listing. This can include an especially important manufacturer, free benefits that come with a buyer’s purchase, and future deals that buyers may benefit from should they shop your profile again.

Making Money With Swagbucks

Selling your stuff is just one way to make money in the age of the Internet. While you’re busy setting up your accounts on the different sales apps in the world, you can find other ways to supplement your income. Swagbucks will help you get started.

You can create an account with Swagbucks to make money without leaving the comfort of your home. Instead, you can take surveys, watch videos, and play games in exchange from online points. Later you can exchange those points for cash, credit, or gift cards.

At the end of the day, you can use the money you make from Swagbucks to help pay for your listing fees or other utility costs related to your online sales. If there’s a chance, then, for you to make money this way, why wait? Find a place to sell your belongings online while collaborating with Swagbucks today.

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