Are you trying to get rid of clutter and make more money? Try selling your stuff on OfferUp, an app that lets you post almost any item to make extra cash.
There are plenty of other platforms where you can sell things, but in this article, I’ll detail the steps for completing a safe and successful transaction on OfferUp. Here’s what you need to know:
- How OfferUp Works
- How to Make Your Listing Stand Out
- Is OfferUp Safe?
- How Does OfferUp Make Money?
- How to Delete an OfferUp Account
- OfferUp and Letgo Merger Information
How OfferUp Works
What Can You Post on OfferUp?
OfferUp lets you list a wide variety of items including:
- Vehicles
- Electronics
- Clothing
- Household items
- Toys
- Jewelry
- Musical instruments
- Antiques
- Tickets
- Tools and machinery
OfferUp specifies that you can sell only tangible items in your possession rather than something intangible such as a service or advertisement. You also cannot sell gift cards, alcohol or offensive items on the platform. See the entire list of prohibited items here.
Steps to Sell on OfferUp
OfferUp makes posting an item for sale pretty simple. Here’s how you do it:
- Set up an OfferUp account and set your location: OfferUp needs this in order to show the area where you are selling. It won’t show others your exact location.
- Click the “Post” button with the camera icon: You’ll find this button in the bottom middle of your app.
- Take or select photos of your item to be displayed: Pictures let buyers see what they’re really getting. Make sure you have a photo that clearly shows the item without other clutter.
- Title your item: Keep the title short and sweet — you can add more details later.
- Describe your item by selecting a category and its condition: The app gives you a list of options for this step. You can choose from a wide range of categories. The condition selection is a little more limited, but you can use the next step to clarify this detail.
- Write details further describing your item: Add any extra details about your item, like details on the item’s condition or whether you’re selling it with accessories included.
- Set your price: You can choose whether your price is firm or if it’s OK for buyers to haggle with you. You’ll find this section on the “Firm on price” option.
- Choose a delivery method: You can choose to sell only locally or ship your item nationwide. The upside of shipping is that more people will see your post. The downside is that there’s a service fee.
- Wait for buyers: If you’re antsy to offload your item you can boost your listing’s visibility for a fee, but there’s still no guarantee that it will sell.
How to Make Your Listing Stand Out
Keep in mind that your post is surrounded by other photos in someone’s feed, so you’ll want to try to make your item stand out.
If you want your post to catch a potential buyer’s eye, clean up your item and take a picture of it in good lighting. Adding multiple pictures to your post gives buyers a better idea of what they’re getting.
Posting your item to multiple platforms like Facebook Marketplace, Mercari and Craigslist will increase the chance that someone will see your item and want to buy it. You may also want to share the link to your OfferUp listing on social media so that more people see it.
Is OfferUp Safe?
OfferUp is as safe to use as any other digital marketplace like Mercari or Facebook Marketplace. This service doesn’t do background checks, but it does have steps to become a verified user including the TruYou program.
With TruYou, a user verifies their phone number, submits a scan of a state-issued ID and takes a selfie. With these steps, OfferUp will compare the information you provide and add the TruYou verification badge to your account if you are positively confirmed.
Remember that if you have a bad feeling about a seller or potential buyer, don’t risk it. You can block or report a user within the app if you feel uncomfortable.
How Does OfferUp Make Money?
OfferUp makes money by allowing users to promote their posts for a fee and through hosting ads on the platform. Each type of paid content is labeled “Promoted” or “Ad” respectively.
Just posting on the app is free.
How to Delete an OfferUp Account
OfferUp tells you how to deactivate your account, not how to delete it. However, emailing customer support about completely deleting your account may solve this problem.
OfferUp and Letgo Merger Information
OfferUp is absorbing Letgo into its marketplace. As of September 21, 2020, the Letgo platform is shutting down to complete the merger.
While OfferUp refers to the marketplace as the OfferUp & Letgo app, the platform is run by OfferUp. If you have a Letgo account and would like your information as a buyer and/or seller to transfer to your OfferUp account, follow the steps laid out here.
If you combine accounts, all you data, including your ratings, will be incorporated into your OfferUp account. However, you can opt-out if you wish.
If you do combine accounts, you’ll need re-list your Letgo posts on OfferUp. The good news is that OfferUp listings don’t expire!
The biggest difference between OfferUp and Letgo is that OfferUp does not currently support some categories that were available on Letgo such as jobs, services, rental listings, and gift cards. If you’d like to list something in these categories, check out Facebook Marketplace or another peer to peer marketplace.
Have you used OfferUp or another app to make extra cash? Let us know about it in the comments below!
Other Clark.com Articles You May Like:
Best Credit Card Sign-up Bonuses for 2023 - Team Clark spent hours reviewing the market for credit card sign-up bonuses and evaluated them according to the guidelines for usage set by money expert Clark Howard. Clark believes credit cards with exorbitant annual fees are a bad idea for most… 
Best Cell Phone Plans in 2023: The Cheapest Plan for Every Need - Team Clark ranks the best cell phone plans and deals! See our favorites for unlimited data, families and cheap plans starting at $10/month. 
