Before the advent of the internet and ecommerce, yard sales and newspapers were the only places where you could sell your stuff without owning a storefront. Now, with all of the different selling websites and apps available, anybody can make extra cash selling just about anything, without having to leave your house.
Online selling has completely changed the way we think about starting a business. And there’s a good reason why: 63 percent of shopping journeys start online, making online sites an increasingly lucrative option for selling your own products.
Are you a hobbyist looking to sell kitchen equipment? Do you have a backstock of vintage jewelry? Have you got a connection to get a product at wholesale prices? Maybe you’re just looking to sell off that Beanie Baby collection? (Don’t lie, you’ve got one!) Or, perhaps you’re practicing feng shui and looking to declutter your living space or storage unit? If you still try to figure out how to find the winning products, don't forget to check out our newest course.
No matter what your objective is or what you’re selling, there’s a sales channel out there that’s a perfect fit for you. We’ve done the research and compiled the best sites for you to sell your products online.
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Try Our Course TodayCreate Your Own Store
Creating your own online store comes with its own challenges, but can also be extremely fulfilling and profitable if done right.
The biggest downside is that you have to market yourself and drum up your own traffic to your site. Essentially, you’re creating your own brand and that can take a little time.
The upside is that your profits are yours – there are no commissions, and you have complete control over your pricing strategy. Here's the best platform that you can use to create your very own online selling site.
1. Shopify
When it comes to creating your own website to sell your stuff, Shopify has got to be one of the easiest to use and most trusted. As of October of 2019, over 1,000,000 merchants were using Shopify.
The basic Shopify fee is $29 per month. This includes your own website, blog, SSL certificates, abandoned shopping cart recovery, social media sales channels, among many other tools and perks. There is no initial setup fee or other hidden fees unless you choose to use a different payment gateway than what Shopify provides.
Shopify is an excellent platform to start your own online selling site. It’s beginner-friendly and easy to use, with excellent customer service. Plus, there are various Shopify apps that you can use to customize your store. Here’s a guide you can use to launch your Shopify store in less than 30 minutes.
“Sell Anything” Marketplaces
These marketplaces are the most well-known online selling sites and accommodate just about any item you might have.
2. Bonanza
This Seattle-based company is relatively new to the online marketplace scene, yet is doing remarkably well. With over 50,000 sellers and 35 million different items, Bonanza is a large and growing community of online shops. Entrepreneur.com named Bonanza one of the “Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America” in 2016.
The fees for selling on Bonanza are relatively minimal and are based on what they call the Final Offer Value. The Final Offer Value is the combined dollar value of what the buyer paid plus the portion of the shipping fee that exceeds $10. So if you sell an item for $20, then charge $12 for shipping, the Final Offer Value is $22. The selling fee is 2.5 percent of the Final Offer Value, so in this example, your fee would only be $0.77. If you sell items for over $500, the same rules apply, but there is an additional 1.5 percent flat fee on any dollar amount over $500.
This online selling site works well for those that are not able to pay listing fees. Setting up a shop is easy, and you only pay fees if you make a sale.
3. Amazon
Amazon is a trusted, go-to website that sells over 400 products PER MINUTE. How’s it able to sell that much so quickly? Well, people feel a sense of comfort and trust when buying from this site. Amazon is known to verify sellers and keep counterfeit products out of its marketplace. And it’s earned people’s trust by delivering the items they want, on time. That’s why so many people consider it their go-to marketplace for online shopping . Such a large number of perks means that your products are more likely to be sold, but it also means that it comes with more fees.
A professional selling account on Amazon requires an application process as well as a $39.99 monthly fee. There are also fees for each item sold. If you don’t plan on selling more than 40 items a month, you can get an individual seller account that requires no monthly fee. The individual seller account charges a $0.99 per item fee plus percentage fees on top of that, depending on the category in which your item is selling.
Amazon is great for those looking to move large quantities of products or need exposure to a larger audience.
4. eBay
The original online selling platform, eBay, has been on the internet since 1995. There’s no denying the power of eBay selling. There is almost nothing that you can’t sell on eBay, so if you’re looking to sell something a little weird, this might be the online selling site for you.
Be aware of the selling fees when selling on eBay. They charge a non-refundable fee to list an item and another “insertion” fee if you decide to list the same item in another category. There’s also a “final value fee” that is a certain percentage (they say it’s 10-12% for most categories) of the price that your item sells for plus a percentage of the shipping fee. These fees vary and are calculated based on what your product is, how many, and what types of categories it is listed in, as well as shipping.
eBay has over 1.3 billion listings and 182 million users worldwide, according to 2021 eBay Statistics. Similar to Amazon, it’s an incredibly large buyer network. However, keep in mind that there is less trust based on eBay for your customers than in Amazon.
5. VarageSale
VarageSale is a Toronto-based online selling platform created by an ex-elementary school teacher who grew frustrated with the scams and illegitimate listings on classified sites. The site requires sellers to create a Facebook verified profile to ensure that merchants use a real profile image and name, along with a personal bio. This helps buyers feel comfortable doing transactions as they have a better idea of who they are dealing with.
VarageSale members can sell products online for free. As a seller, you can create a listing with a headline, description, and product photo. If someone is interested in making a purchase, they can reserve your item and plan an offline meetup for exchange or use Stripe to make an online payment. As of this writing, the platform isn’t charging a seller or transaction fee from merchants.
Homemade Goods, Art, and Vintage Marketplaces
There are a number of online selling sites where you can sell jewelry, homemade goods, art, vintage items, and antique merchandise. Here are our top three sites in this category.
6. Handshake
Built and operated by Shopify, Handshake is a wholesale marketplace designed to bring suppliers and retailers together. Retailers can join Handshake whether they are brick-and-mortar or online (or both), and suppliers are handpicked by the Handshake team. If you sell unique, distinctive products under your own brand, you can apply to sell wholesale on the platform.
In addition to hosting a massive collection of unique, non-mass-produced products, Handshake stands apart from other online selling sites because of its integration with Shopify.
Shopify is the world’s leading ecommerce platform, which enables wholesale creators and retailers to manage inventory, track sales, and execute new orders from within the same ecommerce ecosystem they might be using already. This stands out in the world of wholesale marketplaces, which often require CSV uploads and other manual upkeep.
7. Ruby Lane
Probably the best online selling site and shopping forum for vintage and antiques, Ruby Lane was voted the number one recommended selling venue in 2019 by the EcommerceBytes survey. As of November 2020, Ruby Lane received more than 1.80 million unique visitors every month.
There’s no fee to set up a shop with Ruby Lane, and the platform doesn’t charge you for listings. However, you need to pay a $54 monthly maintenance fee for shops with 50 items or more. The maintenance fee changes depending on how many items you have listed. Additionally, RubyLane charges a 6.7% service fee on purchase Purchase Order totals (excluding sales tax).
This online selling site is designed to bring collecting enthusiasts together. If you are looking for a niche selling website for your antiques and collectibles, this is likely the site for you. Be mindful of the fees, though.
8. Etsy
Much like Ruby Lane, Etsy caters to more of a niche market than that of eBay or Amazon. Here, you can sell your handmade goods, art, collectibles, and antiques. With annual sales exceeding $4.97 billion on the site in 2019, Etsy is considered to be a lucrative platform for online selling.
Etsy charges a $0.20 listing fee for each item. The item stays in your shop for four months or until it sells, whichever comes first. When you sell an item, there is a five percent transaction fee and a three percent plus $0.25 processing fee (this varies based on the location of the seller’s bank). And the transaction fees apply to just the listed price (not to sales tax) if you’re selling from Canada or the US. However, the platform will take 5 percent of the overall shipping charges should you decide to charge customers a separate shipping fee.
Etsy is well-known and respected. Their ease of use and overall good standing in the online selling world make this site one of the best places to sell your stuff online.
9. Chairish
This growing online consignment store is geared specifically for high-quality furniture and home decor. Listing items is easy on Chairish, and like any consignment store, they take a percentage of the selling price.
The percentage that Chairish keeps depends on how much your item sells for: 20 percent of the first $2,500, 12 percent of the next $22,500, and three percent of the next $15,000. In the example on their website, if you sell an item for $40,000, you get to keep $35,350.
The best part is that listing your items is completely free unless you sign up for their Elite service, then the cost is $149 per month. You list your items, and the curators at Chairish review them to make sure they meet their standards. Then they touch up your provided photos and make the item available for purchase. Chairish also takes care of the shipping logistics, so you don’t have to worry about shipping large pieces of furniture (just as you don’t when you engage in dropshipping). You can also arrange your own shipping if that suits you.
Chairish is a great online selling site for those that want to sell furniture and other home decors. They uphold high standards, which is ideal for buyers and collectors.
10. Swappa
Do you have a smartphone that you no longer use? A camera lying around gathering dust in your drawer? Maybe you can consider turning them into cash since they don't really have much utility for you. Swappa is a marketplace to buy and sell tech gadgets that you can trust. The guys behind the platform have done a great job at weeding out the trolls and fraudsters, which has helped it gain buyers' trust. Of course, this means they will thoroughly scrutinize your item, which won't be a problem if you're selling products in good working condition.
Swappa doesn't charge seller fees to create listings. However, you can choose to get a listing featured for a small $5 fee. Also, transactions on Swappa typically happen via PayPal, which charges a fee from sellers when buyers make a payment. Still, Swappa has one of the lowest fees amongst all the marketplaces on our list.
You can also choose to use Swappa Local, a version of the platform that allows you to sell tech gadgets within your own community.
Sell Locally
You can’t go wrong with these local “sell anything” sites if you are selling your stuff online to declutter your home, get rid of your old clothing or footwear, or if you don’t want to deal with shipping logistics. Free and easy to use, check out these well known online selling sites to trade locally.
11. Facebook Marketplace
Introduced in October 2016, Facebook created the Facebook Marketplace to bring people in communities together to buy and sell. What’s exciting about Facebook Marketplace is that the company is starting to support ecommerce merchants. Facebook has partnered with online selling platforms, such as Shopify, to facilitate online merchant presence on Marketplace.
There are no listing fees, but there are specific requirements and guidelines that you must follow as a merchant on Marketplace.
12. Craigslist
Basically just a forum, Craigslist is basic and easy to use. Started in 1995 by Craig Newmark, it was originally developed to provide information on local happenings around the San Francisco Bay Area. It is now a go-to online selling site for many individuals and even some businesses.
The downside of Craigslist is the rampant scams and the “you’re on your own” style of dealing with fraud and disputes, which makes it a higher-risk selling site.
This online selling site is best suited for those who prefer to sell locally and make deals in person. Some people take advantage of buying low and selling high on Craigslist, which can turn a pretty profit for those into market arbitrage.
13. Nextdoor
Similar to Craigslist, Nextdoor is about sharing with your community and neighbors. It is a platform where neighbors can share information about what’s going on in their communities – from announcing a neighborhood block party to complaining about the traffic on their streets.
Beyond being a neighborhood forum, Nextdoor also provides a free forum for selling your stuff online. Like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace, there are no listing or membership fees, but you do have to meet your buyer and make the exchange in person.
This platform feels a little safer than Craigslist as it requires that you sign up and create an account. Because of that, it tends to be more private and have fewer scams.
Something for Everybody
No matter what you’re selling or how you want to sell it, there is an online selling site that fits your needs. Whether you want to clear your cluttered home, expand your reach for your retail store, or are looking to break into the ecommerce scene with your unique brand, you’re sure to find a platform on this list that works for you.
Got a site that you love to use that isn’t listed here? Let us know in the comments!
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