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Is OfferUp a Legit Platform to Sell Your Stuff?


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offerup logo

OfferUp is a mobile app that features a peer-to-peer marketplace. The app operates very similar to websites like Craigslist, connecting sellers of all sorts of items ranging from clothes and electronics to furniture and vehicles with potential buyers. OfferUp also enables users to rate other users. This rating can help users ensure that the person they are dealing with is a legit buyer or seller.

Pros

  • List and sell your items for free – it cost $0 to list your items for sale on the platform and you can sell anything as long as it is not illegal.
  • Promote your listing from just $1.99 – choose from 1 to 3 day promotions, which can help your listings get an average of 14 times more views per day.
  • Low service fees – for every item that you sell and ship nationwide, you will have to pay either $1.99 or 12.9% of the item’s price as a service fee.
  • You have up to 3 days to ship your item – the app takes care of all the shipping details and will even provide you with a prepaid shipping label.

Cons

  • Long waiting time for payment – it can take anywhere between 10 to 14 days after you ship the item to the buyer before you receive payment for it.
  • Premium plans are costly – OfferUp offers a Promote Plus plan at $19.99 per month, which is costly but can increase the chances of your items selling.

Jump to: Full Review

Compare to Other Sites to Sell Stuff

Decluttr

Decluttr logo

Over 3 million products sold in 12 months with a year limited warranty

Sell smartphones, tablets, laptops books, watches, video games and Lego

Get a free instant item valuation, ship your item for free and get paid

Swappa

Swappa logo

No fees for sellers – buyers pay no fees up $50 items. $5+ thereafter

Sell computers, home tech, cameras, phones, watches, laptops and tablets

Sell your item directly to buyer and get paid the next day via PayPal

eBay

eBay logo

180+ million buyers, easy listings and sell directly from the smartphone

List up to 200 items for free every month, and only pay when they sell

Global brand trust and seller protections in place from buyers scams

How Does OfferUp Work?


Selling an item on OfferUp is very similar to other apps. You only have to take a few good photos of your item and upload them with a short description of your item along with a suitable title. 

When you’ve done publishing, potential buyers will start contacting you about the item. OfferUp advises you to communicate with these potential buyers through the app’s messaging function to avoid being scammed.

After the selling process is over, buyers are allowed to leave a rating to you and you’re allowed to do the same for the buyer. So make sure you provide accurate information and excellent service when you’re selling.

How Much You Can Earn with OfferUp?


What you earn with OfferUp depends on the items you are selling, demand and supply and how fast you sell them.

Who is OfferUp Best For?


OfferUp is best for individuals who want to sell everything from clothing to cars at no fee and earn extra income.

What Can You Sell with OfferUp?


OfferUp allows you to sell items such as;

  • Clothing.
  • Power Tools
  • Gardening Equipment.
  • Baby Gear. 
  • Furniture
  • Appliances
  • Shoes
  • Kitchen Stuff

How to Start Selling on OfferUp?


Selling your items through OfferUp is as simple as it gets. 

Step 1: Download the OfferUp App

The very first thing you have to do to start selling on OfferUp is to download the app easily on your iPhone or Android smartphone.

Step 2: Create Your Account

Once you’ve finished downloading the app, you are required to create an account. 

I recommend you to sign in with your Facebook account because you won’t have to fill out any data manually. Plus, Facebook-verified accounts look more credible to potential buyers.

Step 3: Upload Photos & Publish a Listing

The next step after creating your OfferUp account is to set up your listing by uploading photos and writing a detailed description. 

I recommend 4 photos – one from each side of your item. Also, make sure you upload photos of the actual item you’re selling and not stock photos from Google.

Step 4: Promote Your Listing to Sell Your Item Faster

If you want to get rid of your items and get paid fast, you can bump-up your ads through the Promote and Promote plus features. These features will push your listing to the top of the search results on the platform and will probably result in getting your items sold faster.

OfferUp will charge you a minimum of $1.99, or 12.9% of the sale price.

Note that promoting your listing is optional and you can go without a promotion.

Step 5: Complete the Sale & Get Paid

After you’ve negotiated with a potential buyer, meet them in a public space to exchange your item for cash. Having done this, the sale is completed. 

Here’s the list of some public places I recommend you to meet your buyer:

  • Cafe
  • Mall
  • Hotel lobby
  • Or even a police station lobby

Step 6: Rate the Buyer

OfferUp allows you to rate the buyer so the other sellers can understand whether the buyer is legitimate and safe to deal with. 

Note that this step is optional and the sale is complete even without rating the buyer.

OfferUp Benefits: What Does OfferUp Offer?


No Fees

No cost of joining OfferUp or listing the items.

Easy to Use

The convenience of the in-app messaging system.

Great Deals

OfferUp allows you to quickly get great deals on gently used items for sale locally.

Courteous and Friendly Transactions

OfferUp has courteous and friendly support. The platform also allows for smooth transactions. 

OfferUp Fees: How Much Does it Cost to Use OfferUp?


OfferUp charges neither the sellers nor buyers for simply buying and selling through their platform. 

Instead, they will charge you if you opt in to push your listing to the top of the page through their Promote and Promote Plus features. What’s convenient, OfferUp Promote Plus subscription costs $19.99 and is valid for 1 month.

OfferUp recommends you accept cash payments from buyers fbecause most scammers use personal checks, cashier checks, or other means to scam you. 

Alternatively, you can choose to ship items to buyers who don’t live in the same area as you and receive payment through OfferUp. And for this, OfferUp charges a fee of either a minimum of $1.99 or 12% of the sales price (whichever greater). 

Let’s sum up all OfferUp fees in the table below:

Type of fees Amount
Listing fee $0
Selling fee $0
Processing fee (only when you ship your item)  $1.99 or 12% of the sales price (whichever greater)
Promotion fee (optional) Up to $19.99 (valid for 1 month)

OfferUp Requirements?


  • Users must have a smartphone
  • They must be above the age of 13
  • Users who are not yet the age of 18 years they must use OfferUp under parental guidance

OfferUp Payout Terms and Options


Most sellers on OfferUp accept cash directly from the buyers. 

However, OfferUp allows you to accept payment through their platform. To choose this option, you need to deliver your item to the buyer. And once your item is delivered to the buyer, OfferUp will deposit money into your account within five business days. 

Note that OfferUp will deduct their shipping service fees before depositing them into your account.

OfferUp Reviews: Is OfferUp Legit?


While OfferUp is a legit platform, it doesn’t prevent you from scam buyers, because you’re selling your items locally, mostly in-person and that’s something the platform can’t control.

The lack of security is the reason many people complain about on review platforms, resulting in an overall score of 1.2 out of 5-star rating on TrustPilot and 1.2 on sitejabber. 

However, the situation is different when it comes to OfferUp app reviews. The app has an overall score of 4.8 out of 5-star rating on App Store and 3.9 on Google Play Store. Most reviewers on these platforms described it as an awesome platform that allows you to sell and make money. Otherwise, most negative reviews revolved around the lack of customer support.

What are the OfferUp Pros & Cons?


OfferUp Pros

  • It’s free to list and sell your items
  • You can see buyer ratings on the platform so you can easily identify if they are safe to deal with
  • The app is easy to use
  • There’s an in-app messaging system to ease the communication between buyers and seller

OfferUp Cons 

  • There’s a risk of getting scammed because OfferUp doesn’t filter out the buyers
  • Lack of good customer support

How Good Is OfferUp Support?


OfferUp has a knowledge base and support page including community,blog,press, and that answers most of your queries. You can also contact them if you have any queries.

OfferUp Review Verdict: Is OfferUp Worth it?


If you’re someone who’s looking to sell some unused or old stuff, OfferUp is a great place because it doesn’t charge you any fees selling through their platform. But if you’re looking into OfferUp to make more frequent sales, you may want to consider their promotion costs and bump-up costs for the ads.

OfferUp has definitely got some bad reviews the last few months but there’s a huge network of buyers and sellers out there. I think it’s safe to say it’s worth it to try out but always keep your eye out for scammers and stick to OfferUp recommendations to keep yourself protected. 

Who knows, maybe this might turn out to be your next big side hustle.

How to Sign Up with OfferUp?


To sign up with OfferUp;

  • Download the OfferUp app for free from the App Store for iOS, or from Google Play for Android, or visit the website
  • Tap in the app to sign up. You can sign up through Facebook,Google and Apple.
  • Enter your name, email address, and a password you’ll remember. Tap Sign Up. Then check your email, and tap the link in the verification email from OfferUp.
  • Choose an account name
  • Verify your phone number

Sites Like OfferUp


OfferUp Decluttr Swappa eBay
Fees No Fees No Fees No fees 13% for every item sold
Customer Support Phone supportTwitter support Email support Swappa’s support team is available 24/7 through live chat and phone Live chat, phone and email
What You Can Sell Clothing, power tools, appliances and all manner of items Old tech devices Used electronics All manner of items including household items and other appliances.

OfferUp vs. Decluttr


Decluttr Summary

  • Next-day payment upon delivery of goods
  • Get the best prices for your used tech
  • 2 different payment options available
  • Get extra cash if you are a student

Decluttr is an online app that provides you with a convenient way to sell your old tech devices, movies, and books, while the OfferUp app allows you to sell all manner of items, including clothing. While Declutter will inspect your items and issue payments the next day, OfferUp will deposit money into your account within five business days. Otherwise, both platforms provide you with a good avenue to sell items.

OfferUp vs. Swappa


Swappa Summary

  • No fees to list and sell your products
  • Optional featured listing for just $5
  • 2 days to ship the item after getting paid
  • Instant payments via PayPal

Swappa is an online marketplace where you can sell your gently used electronics. While Swappa’s fee is built right into the listing price and paid for by the buyer at the time of purchase, OfferUp doesn’t have fees for selling locally. However, sellers who want to ship an item pay a service fee based on the item’s final price, in addition to shipping costs.

OfferUp vs. eBay


eBay Summary

  • High user traffic – over 187 million users
  • No listing fees for small scale sellers
  • Promote your listing from as little as 1%
  • Quick processing time for payouts

eBay one of the largest online marketplaces in the world, allowing you to sell used (or new) items. While OfferUp allows sales only within the US, you can choose to sell your items internationally with eBay. Plus, unlike OfferUp, eBay charges you listing and selling fees.

Other Sites Like OfferUp


OfferUp FAQ


What is OfferUp?

OfferUp is a mobile app that allows you to easily sell all sorts of items including clothes, electronics, furniture, or even vehicles locally without any charge.

The platform was founded in 2011 and today it earns around $60 million a year and has an overall worth of over $1 billion. The OfferUp app is available on iOS and Android devices.

Can you get scammed on OfferUp?

Since OfferUp doesn’t filter out its users, there’s a risk you can get scammed. However, you can protect yourself by only accepting cash payments and not by checks, credit cards, or anything else.

How do I accept payment on OfferUp?

You should add your bank account to OfferUp to receive payments for items that you ship. And for the items that you sell in person, I recommend you always accept cash.

Who pays for shipping on OfferUp?

Usually, buyers pay for shipping, but you as a seller have to include the shipping fee in your final sale amount. Otherwise, you’ll have to pay your own money for shipping.

How do I cancel Promote Plus?

Visit the app store and follow the instructions. You’ll find the option to cancel by viewing your Apple ID in iTunes or the App Store 

How do I respond to offers on OfferUp?

If you get an offer below your acceptable limit, respond politely and share your preferred price or give a counteroffer.

OfferUp has a Promote feature that shows your item more often and gets featured placement in the browser and search results. It also allows you to pick a promotion that’s the right length for you.

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