Gone are the days when you had to rely on Craigslist or eBay to sell your unwanted clutter.
Today, there’s a plethora of websites and apps — from Facebook Marketplace to Letgo and OfferUp — that can help you get cash for your unwanted items by connecting you with buyers in your area.
But what happens if you don’t want to meet someone face-to-face to complete the sale? The coronavirus pandemic, as well as headlines about meet-ups gone wrong, can give you pause about selling your stuff that way.
If you don’t want to run the risk of an in-person exchange, you can sell your stuff to or through a website that allows you to mail it in. These sites pay you for your items and handle the resale. Generally, all you have to do is ship your items.
Following are several such options. Unless otherwise specified, all of these sites cover the cost of shipping your items, such as by giving you a prepaid shipping label.
1. Amazon Trade-In
There are retailers willing to take your unwanted stuff for cash or store credit, as we detail in “9 Companies That Sell Your Stuff For You.” Amazon is no different.
The Amazon Trade-In program will give you an Amazon gift card for the appraised value of eligible items, including video games, mobile devices and even Amazon devices.
To learn more: Visit the Amazon Trade-In program webpage. To find out how much Amazon will give you for an item, click on the relevant trade-in category, such as “Kindle E-Readers” or “Streaming Media Players.”
2. Gazelle
This is another website that buys tech items, particularly cellphones. Answer some questions about your item, and Gazelle will make you an offer. You can get paid via PayPal, check or Amazon gift card.
To learn more: Visit Gazelle.com and click on “Sell.” To find out how much the site will give you for an item, click on the relevant category, such as “Sell iPhone” or “Sell MacBook.”
3. Raise
Do you have a gift card you know you won’t use? Don’t let it go to waste. It’s possible to use Raise to sell your gift cards for up to 85% of their face value, according to the site.
Raise is an online marketplace for gift cards. In other words, it connects people who have unwanted gift cards with savvy shoppers who want to buy gift cards at a discount.
You list your card for sale there — at a price of your own choosing. When it sells, you get paid via PayPal, direct deposit or check.
While you’re there, you can also buy discounted gift cards to use at stores you actually visit.
To learn more: Visit Raise’s webpage for sellers. To list a gift card for sale, start by searching for the store name.
4. Decluttr
If you have tech items, CDs, DVDs, video games, books or even Legos to get rid of and you want cold, hard cash, Decluttr might be right for you. The site offers next-day payment via PayPal and direct deposit.
To learn more: Visit Decluttr.com. To find out how much the site will give you for an item, click on “Start Selling” and then search for your item.
5. ThredUP
Don’t want to take your clothes to a consignment shop? ThredUP might be an option for you.
One of the easiest ways to get rid of clothes in your closet is to order a free Clean Out Kit. Fill this bag with high-quality, gently used clothing or accessories and ship it to ThredUP. (You can drop it off at a FedEx Office or U.S. Postal Service location.)
The website will then take care of photographing and selling the items. Once they sell, you receive cash or credit.
To learn more: Visit thredup.com. To get an idea of how much your items might sell for, check out the Payout Estimator.
6. Powell’s
Do you have books you’d like to get rid of? You might be able to sell them to Powell’s, an independent bookstore chain in Oregon that also sells online.
It offers payment via PayPal or credit to your Powells.com account.
To learn more: Visit Powells.com. To find out how much Powell’s would offer you for a book, enter the book’s ISBN into the form on Powell’s “Sell Us Your Books” webpage.
Disclosure: The information you read here is always objective. However, we sometimes receive compensation when you click links within our stories.
