I Sold $2,200 Worth of Clutter Across Five Apps Last Year — Here's What Each One Actually Took
I did a real closet purge last year — old electronics, clothes that didn't fit anymore, a box of books I was never rereading. Rather than dump it all on one app, I spread it across five different platforms specifically to see which fees actually ate into what I made. The gap between them turned out to be bigger than I expected.
eBay: Best Reach, Real Fees That Add Up
eBay's current final value fee runs around 13.6% in most categories, plus a small per-order fee on top — up from the roughly 13.25% it used to be, so if you're going off an older estimate, adjust it up slightly. I sold a mix of electronics and collectibles here, $680 total, and the fees took a real bite — about $95 across those sales once everything was accounted for. Worth it for items with a genuinely broad buyer pool, less so for anything niche where you're not benefiting from eBay's reach anyway.
Facebook Marketplace: Free, But You're Doing the Legwork
Zero fees for individual local sellers, which made this the highest-margin platform by a wide margin — I sold a bookshelf and an old TV here for $210 combined, keeping every dollar. The tradeoff is real: you're coordinating pickup times, dealing with people who don't show up, and handling your own safety logistics. I always met in a public spot with decent foot traffic, never at my apartment, and once brought a friend along for a higher-value electronics sale — not because anything felt specifically off, just as standard practice for a larger cash transaction with a stranger.
Poshmark vs. Depop: The Fashion Fee Gap Is Bigger Than It Used To Be
This is where the numbers actually surprised me. Poshmark charges a flat $2.95 under $15, or 20% at $15 and above — I sold about $340 in clothing there and lost $68 to fees. Depop, which I hadn't used before, dropped its seller commission to 0% for US sellers as of this year — genuinely free selling, a real shift from its old 10% structure. I moved a smaller batch of vintage pieces there, $95 worth, and kept the full amount minus a small payment processing charge. If Poshmark's community and prepaid shipping labels are worth the 20% to you, it's still a reasonable trade — you're not shipping-cost-hunting yourself. But for anyone pricing out where to list fashion items specifically for margin, Depop's current fee structure is meaningfully better than it was even a year ago, and worth checking before assuming Poshmark or Mercari are your only real options.
🎁 Stack Cashback While You Declutter
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👉 See How It WorksMercari: The Flat, Predictable Middle Option
Mercari's current structure is simpler than it used to be — a flat 10% seller fee, no separate payment processing charge on top the way it once had. I sold $190 in household goods and a couple of games here, losing $19 to fees, exactly the flat rate with no surprises. Their prepaid shipping labels run noticeably below retail postage rates too, which matters if you're shipping anything with real weight.
Decluttr: Fastest, Lowest Payout
For a stack of old DVDs and a phone I wasn't using anymore, Decluttr's scan-and-quote system was genuinely the least effort of anything I tried — barcode scan, instant offer, free shipping label, done. The tradeoff is exactly what you'd expect: the quotes are noticeably below what the same items might fetch through a listing-based platform. I made $85 total here on items I estimated could've gotten closer to $130 elsewhere, but for stuff I mostly wanted gone with zero listing effort, the discount was worth the convenience.
Quick FAQ
Which app should I use for selling clothes specifically?
Depop if minimizing fees matters most to you now that US commission is 0%. Poshmark if you value its larger, more established resale community and don't mind the 20% cut.
Are these apps actually safe for local, in-person sales?
Generally yes with basic precautions — meet in a public, well-lit location, never at home, and bring someone along for higher-value items. Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp both have designated safe-meetup spot features in many areas.
Which platform has the lowest fees overall?
Facebook Marketplace (free, but local/manual), Depop (0% commission for US sellers as of this year), and Mercari (flat 10%, predictable) are your best options in that order, depending on what you're selling and whether local pickup works for the item.
Conclusion
$2,200 total across five platforms, with roughly $185 lost to fees combined — real money kept versus real money paid depending entirely on which app I chose for which item. Depop's fee change specifically is worth knowing about if you haven't checked it recently; it's a meaningfully better deal than it was a year ago.
More real-numbers money guides like this are up on Tech & Rewards.