People move during summer and throw things away, others weed out belongings for garage sales, while many donate to charity. But a lot of folks prefer online sales sites, such as eBay and Craig's list.
- With eBay, you pay a fee to sell, while Craig's List is free but can be iffy -sometimes crooks show up instead of legitimate buyers. To opt for an easier, safer way to sell online, take a look at these websites and free apps for iOS/Andriod phones.
- 5Miles weeds out would-be thieves. Each party in a purchase transaction can verify the other's identity by phone and/or Facebook account and check users' comments and recommendations. Nothing is 100 percent foolproof, but 5Miles does lessen the odds of being ripped off. (5miles.app.com)
- VarageSale might have a larger number of local listings than 5Miles. It also uses a safety-first with no cost to buy or sell. Buyers and sellers contact one another through Facebook before agreeing to meet. An independent VarageSale review of both parties must be established before engaging in the deal. (Varagesale.com)
- Poshmark Definitely a place for more upscale clothing, shoes and accessories (Michael Kors and Louis Vuitton), the app simplifies the selling process; take photos with your phone and fill in details such as size and price. Poshmark takes a 20 percent commission on most sales or a flat $2.95 commission on sales under $15 so, while not free, the higher sale prices helps it balance out. (poshmark.com)
- The Trove Marketplace app is great for selling antiques, used furniture and artwork locally because many antiques shoppers utilize the app. Prospective transaction partners can look at each other's profiles and ratings before ever getting to the "I'll meet you" stage. Decorating tips are another feature, including how to tell – and utilize – "good" clutter vs "bad" clutter. If Trove must process a credit card, it charges the buyer a 10 percent commission. (UseTrove.com)
- Amazon Seller app helps you sell books. Just use your smartphone to scan the book's barcode and most everything necessary is automatically entered into Amazon. (Amazon's website is simple to use to buy and sell, too.) While you can sell most anything on the app, it's pretty much the system for my book club books as well. Amazon usually takes a 15 percent commission, plus a 99-cent per-item fee.
For the tech-savvy, the simplest seller option is Kiiboo. Forget photos, listings, packaging, etc.; just go to the website and identify your product. If the site thinks your item is saleable, it'll send you prepaid packaging so all you need to do is pop in your laptop and send it on its way. Kiiboo handles everything else and, if the item sells, it claims an 18 percent commission. (Kiiboo.com).
Contact Ellen Phillips at consumerwatch@timesfreepress.com.