Over the years, I’ve had great success buying and selling on OfferUp, and today I’m going to share my top 10 OfferUp tips with you! These tips will help you to sell your items faster and make more money in the process.
Selling on OfferUp is a great way to make some extra money. We’ve sold all kinds of things—home decor, baby gear, furniture, camping equipment, a Blentec blender, snow shoes— you name it!
Our small apartment has limited storage space, so unwanted items are promptly donated or sold.
It’s always nice to declutter your home, clean out your closets, and bring in some extra cash!
Why Use OfferUp?
Personally, I like using the OfferUp app because it’s fast and easy—and not as creepy as Craigslist!
Buyers and sellers have profile pictures and ratings (based on past purchases and sales), so it’s somewhat less anonymous. That alone makes me feel safer, both as a buyer and a seller.
Plus, it’s super easy and convenient to have a conversation right in the app. I don’t have to give out my phone number or email address to anyone!
10 OfferUp Tips to Sell Faster & Make More Money
When you take the time to present your items nicely, market them well, and communicate effectively with potential buyers, you greatly increase the odds of selling your stuff. Plus, you’ll make more money in the process!
1. Before You Sell
Before you start the listing process, spend a few minutes cleaning up the items you want to sell.
Wash clothes, wipe down dirty equipment, repair broken items (if possible), and touch-up scuffed furniture with fresh paint.
2. Photograph Like a Pro
Good pictures make all the difference when selling online! I can’t tell you how many listings I’ve passed by simply because of poor photo quality.
When the details and condition of an item aren’t clear right away, it’s usually not worth the hassle of trying to investigate further.
Do not photograph your items in a dimly lit room. Instead, place your items near a window—or, better yet—take them outside! Make sure the background is as clean and uncluttered as possible, and make sure the image is sharp.
Take pictures at multiple angles to see which ones look best. Also, take pictures of the entire item, as well as close-up detail shots.
Be sure to edit your pictures before uploading them to OfferUp. Adjusting the brightness, contrast, sharpness, and saturation will go a long way. This should only take a couple of minutes, and will help your items to stand out.
Make sure to upload several photos—not just one. This is especially important for bigger-ticket items.
Of all my OfferUp tips, improving your images will probably make the biggest difference! These tips will increase your buyers’ confidence, both in you as the seller and in the item for sale.
3. Create a Smart Title & Description
Use strong keywords in both your title and description. Include important information, such as the brand, size, model, and color. Good keywords will help potential buyers find your listings!
Be honest and accurate in your wording, and describe your items properly.
4. Price it Right
When deciding how much to sell your item for, I recommend first doing a quick OfferUp search. Then check Craigslist and eBay to make sure you’re pricing your item correctly.
If I see that most people are asking $25-$30 for a particular item, I’ll usually price mine a couple of dollars less (especially if there are several already listed for sale).
This helps my items to sell more quickly. I’d rather sell it in a few weeks, than wait a few months before someone bites.
5. Communication is Key
Respond to messages from buyers as quickly as you can! Be clear and courteous with your wording.
I like to use complete sentences, good grammar, and even smiley faces when appropriate! When you communicate effectively, you’re telling your buyers that you are trustworthy.
Sometimes, buyers will stop responding to your messages, which is incredibly frustrating (especially when they’ve already told you where and when they want to meet)! When that happens, just shrug it off and move on.
6. Know How to Negotiate
If someone offers you less money than you feel your item is worth, you can always counter. Try to find a happy medium.
When a buyer sends me lowball offer, I try countering with something reasonable. If they continue offering me unreasonable numbers, I just send them the lowest price I’m willing to accept.
“Thank you for your offer, but the lowest price I’m currently able to accept is $50.”
Sometimes, it’s worth accepting an offer that’s a bit low in order to sell an item more quickly. Buyers can be fickle, and coordinating can take a few days, so I like to jump on sales whenever I can!
7. First Come, First Served
Some buyers will not be considerate of your time, and will not keep their word. I’ve experienced this firsthand.
I have a rule: The first person to give me money for an item gets it!
In the past, buyers have asked me to hold items until a certain date. I would agree, and end up turning down other potential buyers while I waited. Then, the original buyer would change their mind and wouldn’t follow through with the purchase.
Talk about frustrating!
So now, if someone comes along, ready to meet with cash in hand, they’re the one I’m doing business with!
8. Confirm Before You Go
Before you leave your house to meet someone, send them a quick message to confirm the place and time. This is especially important if you agreed to meet a few days prior.
(I like to add reminders to my Apple calendar so that I don’t forget to meet my OfferUp buyers.)
And don’t forget to let someone know if you’re running a few minutes late. Be courteous!
9. Choose a Convenient Meeting Place
When choosing a location to meet buyers, I don’t drive long distances in case they flake out on me. Plus, the farther I drive, the more time and gas money I’m spending.
Instead, I have buyers drive to a location that’s convenient for me—especially if I’m selling a small item. The bigger the item, the farther I’m willing to drive.
10. Be Wise
Be wise about where and when you’re meeting someone.
I prefer to meet in front of a large store during the day, when there’s lots of light and plenty of people around. The safest place to meet is up by the entrance of a store, but parking lots can work, too.
Oftentimes, I’ll send my husband to meet a buyer (especially in the evening).
Share Your Best OfferUp Tips!
I learned most these OfferUp tips and tricks through trial and error. They’ve helped me to develop the system I use today for selling on OfferUp, and have successfully made me some extra money!
Have you tried making extra money using OfferUp? What are your best OfferUp tips?
Awesome article, thank you for sharing. It is comforting to know that I am doing exactly what you have suggested, except I set my prices as firm and then lower prices sometimes,not always! Low ballers are more like an insult and less worth trying to negotiate with people looking for something for nothing. And although the selling process has been slow so far, I hope in time things will improve and make it worth my time, money, effort, research….You already know! Trying to stay positive
This is true! Stay positive!
I am new at this! I am Terri Hart and I would like to sell a sand blasting cabinet and some more items…
Does anyone meet people at their homes? I know it only takes one bad experience, but I’m wondering how many, if any meet at their home and deal on the porch?
Hi Sherry, I’ve done this several times in the past, but only for items like furniture that are really hard to transport, and only if the buyer seems reputable. Otherwise, I prefer to meet at another location.
He’s a cutie- you’re pretty lucky- my girl’s a teen now.
I think one of the coolest things about selling on offer up is shipping to the buyer. 99 % of my sales are items I ship. I only had one problem and it was my fault. I gave a ups to the USPS. Other than that it is so easy to ship stuff and get paid.
That’s great, Janet! Since I originally wrote this post, shipping items has become much more common on OfferUp! I’ve never tried shipping something through the OfferUp app.
Hi, new to OfferUp. How to know if I’m communicating with a bot? Its seems to me that there are many bots on the App.
Hi Samas, I’ve never had an experience like this. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
This is a great article! I agree that photos are so important , thank you for the tips about editing, I wouldn’t have thought of that.
I’m so glad you found it helpful! 🙂
Does offer up charge a fee each time I sell an item?
Nope! OfferUp is totally free to use, which is one reason I love it. 🙂
Offerup will not download properly. I’m using a Compaq Presario Windows 7 desktop computer. Is there a conflict with the soft ware with offerup app?
You know, I’m not sure that there is a computer app… I’ve only ever downloaded and used the app on my phone! But you could always try emailing OfferUp and asking!
Hello
Hi there, I’m trying to sell furniture and have had people say they want to buy and will overnight payment along with payment for the pick up delivery co and buyer wants me to pay delivery company. I think this might be a scam. I’ve said no and want the buyer to handle paying never to hear back from they. What do you think about i
Hi Linda! It sounds like a scam to me. Personally, I only accept cash in person!
Hi I just started using offer up. It will be a great help if you can give me more information about payments. As a seller what mode of payments should I be offering. Before joining I thought only option is meeting in person but then a guy offered to send a cashier’s check and asked for my full name address and phone number…honestly sounded fishy. Pls advice thanks a lot!
It sounds fishy to me, too! Personally, I only ever accept cash for anything I sell, and that’s what I would advise others to do, too. 🙂
My problem is, after I posted my first item “marked sold” appeared under my item, I could not remove it. Wondering what went wrong. Thanks!
Hi there! After marking as sold, you can archive listings (from either the “Buying” or “Selling” tab in “Offers”) by tapping the item’s photo and selecting “Archive” from the menu. It will help clean up your Buying and Selling pages. Hope this helps, and Happy Selling! 🙂
Thanks for the info. Im new and bumbling around.
You’re so welcome! 🙂
Hi Lauren. Thanks for all the info! I put a few things in to archive but don’t know how to get them out 🙂 please apprise. Thanks in advance! Sharon
Hi Sharon! You’re so welcome. 🙂 I’m not sure that you can move a listing out of your archives, but you could always copy and paste the text into a fresh listing!
Hi Lauren,
I believe CSims said after posting an item, the words “ Marked Sold” happened to appear and they tried to remove it from the item posted? It reads as if they only posted it but not sold?
Hi Brie, I’m sorry—I’m not sure I understand your question.
How often should I repost an item?
Hi TeriSue! Personally, I like to remove the listing and repost it about once per week. 🙂
Hi Lauren, by delete you mean just archiving it correct?
Hello! Yes, that’s what I meant. 😉
If you edit an item, is that the same as reposting it? Or when you edit an item, does it keep the posting date as old as the original posting date?
Hi Michelle! Editing an item is not the same as reposting it—the original post date stays the same. I’d recommend starting a brand new listing after a week or two in order to be at the top of search results again.
First time using offer up as a buyer. Are you required to buy before you see the item? Or is there a cash only option for payments?
Hi Jacinda! No, you typically pay the seller after you meet up and check out the item. 🙂 I’ve only ever done cash as payment, as I feel that’s the safest route. And I always meet in a place where there are plenty of other people around (e.g. Target parking lot, in front of the doors of a big box store, etc.).
Hi, I have big furniture (bedroom set, desks, treadmill, etc.) I want to sell. How do you handle meeting up? The only option I see is to have them come to your home to pick up items. Any advice? Thank you!
Hi Lili,
In the past, I have always had people come to my house and pick it up. However, I would recommend that someone else is also there with you as a safety precaution (I’d always make sure my husband was home). And scheduling the pickup during the daytime is also good. Thankfully, I’ve always had very nice people show up on my doorstep! 🙂
How do you respond to people that say they want an item your selling, but then go no further. This happens to me slot. I pronly with questions like ” when would u like to pick it up?” But so far it’s just weird when there’s no response. So what do you say when told a buyer wishes to purchase an item?
I’ve had that happen to me as well. Usually, if I message them and receive no reply, I just assume that they’re no longer interested. I always try to reply in a timely manner, whether I’m the buyer or the seller, because good communication goes a long way! Often, I’ll try another message a couple of days later because sometimes buyers (and sellers) just forget to reply or are busy when they read your message. But if it’s radio silence, I’ll just move on…
Just want to say I think the tips offered are smart and accurate. Especially about posing pix and using correct wording. If going to put effort into it anyway, why not put 100% effort. I find when I’m clear and excited about getting a post just right, I generally get immediate results. I think attitude shows through our postings and positive vibes are contagious.
So, so true, Donna! Thanks for sharing your thoughts! 🙂
Hi Lauren, I have a lot of used/ new clothes to sell. I posted a lot of them on OfferUp with fair prices but somehow not able to sell them. Do you have any advice on how to sell them faster. Thank you
Hi Amna! Sometimes clothing sells well in lots, so you could try that. But the only clothes I’ve tried to sell on OfferUp are baby clothes. If you’re selling adult-sized clothing, you might want to try another place like Poshmark or eBay, where people are more likely to be looking for clothes.
Good article, my wife and I work as a team, I take pics of our merchandise, I make sure to provide a good platform with a backdrop, take several diff pics of the product box and contents, she takes the pics and edits them and makes the post, once its posted I go back and look at the post as if I where the buyer and look at everything from pics to the way that the listing is worded, I give her my inputs on what I thought can be changed and then we adjust and finalize the post.
Wow! It sounds like you guys have an awesome system down. Keep up the good work!
I’ve posted several items a week ago but when I go on Offerup I don’t see them. I scroll and scroll for my zip code but don’t see them. Where are they? How do you get them to be up at the top of the listing?
Hi Rebecca! After a week or so, I typically just delete my initial post and repost the listing as a new one. That way, it jumps to the top of the search results again! 🙂
Hi!
I am researching OfferUp before using and I noticed your comment about no fee involved, but according to OfferUp a fee is involved in the form of percentage’s.
How has this worked in your experience?
Hi Wendy,
I believe that the fee only applies when you are selling through the app, which is a more recent addition to OfferUp. I only have experience selling my items locally in person.
Hi Lauren, Great article. Very informative. I was interested in buying a camera. The seller posted pictures of the camera body and lens, but didn’t specify, if batteries and charger will be included. I politely asked, if those items are included. A check mark revealed that the seller read my question, but never answered. Is that a red flag?
Soon after I created an account, I received three badges: payment verification, Facebook – and email confirmation. How does one get a “TruYou” verification? That option is nowhere to be found.
Thank you in advance!
Hi Michael, It could be a sign that they’ll be difficult to communicate with. I’ve had some frustrating experiences because of poor communication. But occasionally, they haven’t responded simply because they forgot to. I’ve done that myself. 😉 Try messaging them again and see what happens. As for the TruYou verificaton, I honestly have no idea!
Never accept a cashier’s check. These are easily made fraudulent. Even the banks cannot determine the authenticity up front. So once you cash it you’ll be liable to pay it back. This is a very common scam. Beware.
I paid a lot of money for a vacuum cleaner. it only worked for 20 minutes. The machine was dead. I tried to message the seller to let her know what happened.
She completely disappeared from the app. Any advice?
I’m so sorry, Denise! That’s just terrible. 🙁 If she’s disappeared, she probably knew what she was selling you was no good… Buying things with motors is definitely more risky on OfferUp, which is why I typically only sell them. (e.g. I sold my like new Blendtec blender once for quite a bit of money, but I knew what I was selling was worth what the man was paying.) I wish I could help!
People make an offer for my item, but say they can’t come by until late afternoon or evening. I’ll say okay, then I get another offer from someone who can come over sooner. What do I tell the first buyer when I decide to take back my offer and give it to someone else? Or what should I say to them in the first place when they make an offer but can’t come over until later? I’ve had people get really mad (but I’ve also been stood up when I’ve had other offers that I put off). I guess I just want to know the best, polite wording to the first buyer I’m reneging on?
Hi Kris! That’s a tough spot to be in—I’ve been there many times. If I promise an item to someone, I keep my word and hold it for them until that first appointment. I don’t renege unless they aren’t communicative. But I also make a point to tell them that I have other parties who are very interested, to help increase urgency and their commitment to me. Just be sure to communicate well with everyone concerned, letting them know that several people are interested.
I don’t understand why my offer up app doesn’t allow me to sell or buy…
Hi Fernando,
In my experience, when you meet up with someone to buy or sell your item is when transaction takes place. I personally only accept cash in person.