9 sites (you haven't heard of) for selling your stuff online
By Maryalene LaPonsie/MoneyTalksNews
The holidays are bearing down on us, and that means you may want to think about unloading some of the stuff filling your house. Selling unwanted items can give you not only extra spending money, it can clear out space for all the presents and impulse buys that may be in your future.
Of course, eBay, Amazon and Craigslist are a few of the larger marketplaces for online sales, but they certainly aren't your only options. If you're looking for a new place, you might want to try one of the other sales sites that have sprung up in recent years.
These options don't necessarily have the same customer base as the big names, but you also won't face as much competition for sales. Plus, some of these sites make selling downright easy.
Click ahead for a look at nine sites that may make more sense for your goods.
Swappa
Swappa lets you list your smartphone or tablet for sale with zero seller fees. That's right: zero. The website makes its money through a flat fee paid by buyers. You might incur a fee from Paypal when you accept the payment, but the site is otherwise free for sellers unless you pay for a featured listing.
CarDaddy
Over at CarDaddy, you can sell your vehicle without paying any listing fees or commission on the sale. The website is short on details, but one would assume they get paid via a buyer fee.
If you have a forklift, race car, golf cart or small plane to sell, CarDaddy can help with that as well.
ValoreBooks
Valore is a company that owns, among other things, a service allowing students to buy, sell and rent textbooks.
If you have some old books to unload, you can head to ValoreBooks to input the ISBNs and get a quote. Then, if you agree to the price, the company will pick up the shipping cost and send you a payment via check or Paypal. Just don't go too crazy with the highlighter when studying -- damaged books, including those with excessive highlighting, will be rejected.
Despite the name, ValoreBooks wants more than your printed pages. They will also buy your old iPhone or iPad.
The RealDeal
Heaven knows we all probably have too many clothes filling our closets, and The RealReal is the first of a couple of online options to sell some of the excess.
The RealReal is specifically for those of you with designer duds. The website lets you consign luxury brands of men's and women's clothes, bags and jewelry. You can also sell any fine art you have lying around.
If you live in one of 16 cities, the company will send someone to pick up your goods. Otherwise, you can ship them for free via FedEx. You'll get 60 percent of the sale price of your items, unless you hit $7,500 in sales for the year. In that case, your cut will bump up to 70 percent.
Poshmark
Poshmark is another company with a focus on high-end brands. However, unlike The RealReal, this isn't a consignment shop.
You list and ship your items to the buyer while Poshmark takes care of processing the payment. The site also provides a prepaid shipping label good for up to 5 pounds, so you won't have to stress about paying for postage. If your item sells for less than $15, you'll pay Poshmark a flat $2.95 commission. For everything else, their take is 20 percent of the sale price.
Items you can sell on Poshmark are limited to women's fashion and accessories.
Tradesy
At Tradesy, they say you can sell any designer item from your closet that's in great condition, but the best sellers are bags made by brands such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Coach. Accessories and shoes are also in higher demand than clothes.
One perk of Tradesy is the shipping kit they provide for every sale. Rather than you trying to come up with an appropriate box, Tradesy sends you one along with a prepaid label addressed to your buyer. In exchange for this and listing your item, the company takes a 9 percent commission off your sales.
Threadflip
If you have more Gap than Gucci in your closet, then Threadflip may be the clothing consignment shop for you. Like most of the others, this site caters to women's clothing and accessories, but they accept a much broader range of brands.
To use the site, you ship your goods to Threadflip using a prepaid shipping label they provide. Then, they inspect, price and list your items for you. Anything that doesn't meet their standards is returned or donated to Goodwill.
Fees work on a sliding scale. If your item is listed for $10-$29, Threadflip takes 70 percent of the sale price. For sales between $30-$74, the commission drops to 40 percent, and if you have something priced at more than $75, Threadflip's share goes down to 20 percent.
It's worth noting that Threadflip prices your items, and you don't control the amount. Listings expire after 90 days, too. If your goods haven't sold by then, they will be donated to Goodwill or you can pay $15 to have them shipped back to you.
VarageSale
OK, enough about clothes. This site will help you sell clothes, but it can also be used to sell just about anything else as well.
VarageSale is something of a kinder, gentler Craigslist. You are still posting classifieds and meeting up with people to make sales, but you have to be an approved member of a community to do so. In theory, that process weeds out some of the scary people you might find on larger, more anonymous classified sites.
The site is free to use without any listing fees or commissions charged.
Everything but the House
Rounding out our list of lesser-known sales sites is Everything but the House. This isn't necessarily the place you want to go to sell off junior's baby clothes, but it may be a good choice if you need to liquidate mom and dad's house.
Specializing in online estate sales, Everything but the House will assess the value of your items, take photographs for online listings and ship products to winning bidders if needed. You don't need an entire house full of items to sell either. Everything but the House will work with those who want to sell specialty items such as art or antique furniture.
The site is mum on how much it charges, so you'll want to check that out before agreeing to let them sell your valuables.