Key Takeaways
- Online marketplaces like Etsy, eBay, and Amazon offer a wide range of categories for selling unique, handmade, or vintage items, as well as books, electronics, and more.
- Specialized platforms such as Decluttr, Gazelle, and Swappa are ideal for selling used tech devices such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets. These platforms often offer free shipping and quick payments.
- Selling unwanted items like gift cards, wedding dresses, and precious jewelry through niche websites like Raise, Once Wed, and Cash for Gold USA can help you turn these items into cash quickly and easily.
29 Trending Things to Sell to Make Money
Unique or Handmade Items (Etsy)
Etsy is an ideal platform for creating things to sell and make money. This eCommerce platform specifically caters to unique and handmade items. Plus, it offers a way for you to start a potentially profitable business, helping you build an online store.
With Etsy, you create your own storefront where you list your products. You can add all the products you want to sell here, and buyers can shop and check out items within your online store.
Etsy fees:
| Listing fee | $0.20 |
|---|---|
| Selling fee | 5% |
| Processing fee | 3% + $0.25 per transaction |
Games and Consoles (Decluttr)
Decluttr Summary
- Next-day payment upon delivery of goods
- Get the best prices for your used tech
- 2 different payment options available
- Get extra cash if you are a student
Games and consoles are also things to sell to make money online. Decluttr is one of the platforms you can sell these to. It claims to pay up to 33% more than other platforms, so you’ll surely get good cash for your devices.
What’s also good with Decluttr is that you can get a 10% bonus if you’re a student. To know how much you can sell your devices, you’ll need to get a price offer through the website or app.
If you’re using the app, you can scan the barcode on your items to add them to your list easily. Then, Decluttr will make a price offer.
After accepting the offer, you’ll need to pack your items and ship those to Decluttr. Like Cash for Gold USA, Decluttr will pay for shipping.
Textbooks (BookScouter)
BookScouter Summary
- Use the platform on mobile or computer
- Choose from over 30+ buyback vendors
- 5 star rating system for buyback vendors
- Quick processing time for payments
Selling old textbooks is another great hustle to make money online. For that, BookScouter offers two ways to trade:
- Through its website – simply enter your book’s ISBN
- Through the mobile app –scan the barcode on the books to automatically add it to the list
Then, BookScouter will show the buyback prices of different vendors.
From there, you can choose which vendor you want to sell your textbooks to, considering the offered prices and shipping options. Note that some vendors provide prepaid shipping labels, so watch out for them.
How much can you make with BookScouter?
| Book Title | Price Range |
|---|---|
| Introduction to Emergency Management | Up to $23 |
| Microbiology: Basic and Clinical Principles Plus Mastering Microbiology with Pearson eText | Up to $77 |
| Mathematics with Applications In the Management, Natural, and Social Sciences | Up to $43 |
| Refugee Law and Policy: A Comparative and International Approach | Up to $60 |
After the vendor receives your books, you’ll receive the payment within 3 business days.
Laptops or Tablets (Gazelle)
Gazelle Summary
- Sell your electronics with no fees
- Get an offer in less than 1 minute
- Up to 5 days to reject revised offers
- 3 different payment options available
If there’s any indication of how fast technology evolves these days, it’s that tech companies seem to release new devices every year. As a result, people tend to keep up by purchasing new devices as soon as the latest one comes out.
And to make some cash for your old devices, you can sell them on online platforms like Gazelle.
A list of electronics Gazelle buys includes:
- Laptops
- Tablets
- Smartphones
It works pretty similar to Decluttr, where you can get an instant quote online and ship it to the company for free.
You have three options to get your payment:
- PayPal
- Check
- Amazon e-gift card
Gift Cards (Raise)
Raise Summary
- Sell partially used gift cards
- Save money on gift cards
- Easy to use app
- Access discount codes
If you have some unused or partially unused gift cards, you can sell these at Raise to make some quick cash. The platform connects buyers looking for discounted gift cards to sellers, creating a profitable exchange for both of them.
Here’s how to start selling your gift cards via Raise:
- Create an account
- Verify your email
- Add shipping method
- Select payout method
- List your gift cards for sale
Typically, the platform shows the discounted rates of certain gift cards. If you want to sell your gift cards quickly, you can offer higher discounts to entice buyers.
After completing a sale, Raise will send you an email confirming that you can withdraw your earnings. Some of the options to do this is through PayPal, ACH, or check.
Smartphones (Swappa)
Swappa Summary
- No fees to list and sell your products
- Optional featured listing for just $5
- 2 days to ship the item after getting paid
- Instant payments via PayPal
Smartphones are also among the things you can sell to make money from home, along with laptops and tablets. Swappa is an excellent platform for this, as it’s a peer-to-peer online marketplace. This means you can sell your smartphone for the price you prefer.
What’s great about Swappa is that you can list your items on the platform for free. And Swappa won’t take a commission even after your item sells.
Instead, Swappa charges buyers an additional fee for their service. You’ll receive the payment to your PayPal right after a buyer pays for your product.
Shoes (OfferUp)
OfferUp Summary
- List and sell your items for free
- Promote your listing from just $1.99
- Low service fee of just 12.9% or $1.99
- You have up to 3 days to ship your item
If you’re looking for more things to sell from home, you might want to check your closet for some shoes. Then, with the OfferUp app, you can list them and wait for potential buyers to contact you within the app’s messaging feature.
From there, you can agree on the shipping and payment options. After completing the sale, buyers can leave you ratings, helping you build a trusted store.
OfferUp is quite ideal for people looking to sell stuff online without needing to pay listing fees. Also, you can sell other items here, such as clothes, appliances, gardening stuff, and anything that is considered legal.
Fashion Clothes and Accessories (Depop)
Depop Summary
- Receive payments via PayPal
- Ability to chat with the buyers
- No limit to the type of products you can sell
- 100% secure
Selling fashion clothes and accessories can also bring you some extra cash from home. Just head over to online marketplaces, like Depop, and create your free account. From there, you can list items you want to sell by taking photos and adding some details.
The platform also introduces a mobile app to make selling fashion clothes and accessories easier for you. It does pretty much everything as the website, so you can manage an online fashion store with just your mobile phone.
Depop is also an ideal platform if you’re looking to skip listing fees. However, it will charge you a 10% commission after your item sells.
Baby Stuff (Facebook Marketplace)
Facebook Marketplace Summary
- Buyer and seller accountability as you need a Facebook account
- Built in messaging system to keep on top of queries
- Access to a massive marketplace
- Ratings system maintains honesty
It’s highly enjoyable to watch babies grow up and start running and playing around. Besides the sweet memories they leave, baby stuff might end up taking space in your closets, attics, and garages.
Fortunately, platforms like the Facebook Marketplace offer an easy way to sell these for cash. What’s great about the Facebook Marketplace is that both sellers and buyers need a Facebook account to use it.
This means that you can conveniently confirm if you’re dealing with a legit buyer or otherwise just by checking their Facebook profile. Also, you need not pay any seller or listing fees when you sell baby stuff on the Facebook Marketplace.
You have the freedom to set a price, choose a shipping method, and even sell to selected groups of people.
Bicycles and Biking Equipment (GearTrade)
Geartrade Summary
- Easy to use interface that helps customers find what they need
- Personal data protection as the site is SSL certified – SSL helps affirm identity and protects personal data
- Geartrade only lists sporting goods; this is one of the things people like the most about the site
- You can opt to have a higher price tag for your gear
If you’re looking for things to sell to make quick cash, unused bicycles and biking equipment are great options. It’s also easy to sell these with the help of platforms like GearTrade.
GearTrade exclusively caters to sporting goods, connecting you with potential buyers who can appreciate your bikes and their accessories.
GearTrade is also an ideal platform for selling since it does more than provide a safe and legit place to sell. After you create a listing for the gear you want to sell, GearTrade will market it and process the payment when a buyer purchases it.
From there, you only need to ship out your item and receive the payment through:
- ACH
- PayPal
- Venmo
Sports Gear and Equipment (eBay)
eBay Summary
- High user traffic – over 187 million users
- No listing fees for small scale sellers
- Promote your listing from as little as 1%
- Quick processing time for payouts
Sports gear and equipment are also some of the things you can sell to make money online. When it comes to online marketplaces, eBay is surely one of the most preferred due to its extensive market reach. The platform has over 180 million active users globally.
Listing your sports gear and equipment via eBay is pretty straightforward:
- Add some photos
- Add details about your sports gear
- Set a price
- Choose your preferred payment and shipping options
There are zero listing costs unless you’re listing more than 250 items. In addition, eBay charges a selling fee of at least 3.5% and up to $350 only. If you want to promote your listing, you can also work with a 1% marketing budget.
Photos (Foap)
Suppose you’re looking for things to sell to make money from home without having to pay for anything. In that case, you might want to sell photos taken from your mobile phone using the app called Foap.
Installing this app on your mobile device allows you to take photos and upload them to its marketplace. When someone purchases your photos, Foap shares a $5 profit with you, which is 50% of the wholesale.
What’s great about Foap is that you can upload as many photos as you can. Also, you need not use the photos taken with the Foap app. You can upload photos that are already on your device and sell them at the Foap marketplace.
Vintage and Collectibles (Mercari)
Mercari Summary
- Listing your items on the platform is free
- Mercari has a low commission of 10% on every item you sell
- Mercari provides a prepaid shipping label with insurance worth up to $200
- You’ll get paid quickly – within 3 days after the buyer has received your item
Vintage and collectibles are among the creative things to sell to make money online, and Mercari is an app you can use for this purpose. With it, you can take photos of your items and list them in minutes. There’s also no fee to do this.
What’s also good about using Mercari is that when your item sells, they’ll provide you with a free shipping label. There are no seller fees, but Mercari takes a 10% commission when your product sells.
Cars (Peddle)
Peddle Summary
- Sell used, damaged or junk car nationwide
- Free towing within 48 hours after offer
- Receive payment upon car collection
- Get free online quote – offer valid 7 days
- Instant quote available on (855) 925 4302
- No obligation to accept the offer
Whether you have a gently used car, a damaged one, or the one that doesn’t run, you can sell it to Peddle.
Peddle is one of the best car-buying companies that offer cash for your car in any condition.
Here’s what selling your car to Peddle looks like:
- Submit an online form with your car details
- Get an offer within a few minutes over the phone
- Accept the offer and schedule a pickup date
- Exchange your car for the money with the Peddle agent on your driveway
What’s more, Peddle can pick up your car within 48 hours of you accepting the offer and hand you the check right on your driveway.
Precious Jewelry (Cash for Gold USA)
Cash for Gold USA Summary
- Free shipping and $5000 insurance
- Quick 24 hour processing time for quotes
- Earn up to 3 times than elsewhere
- Sell all sorts of gold, even scrap gold
Precious jewelry is one of the best ways to make quick cash. Whether you have gold, silver, or diamond jewelry, Cash for Gold USA is the best way to sell it quickly.
Cash for Gold USA is an online platform that claims to pay three times more for items than its competitors. It also purchases gold coins and watches.
The company will provide you with a prepaid and insured shipping label to ship your precious jewelry safely and for free.
To start the process of selling, just visit the Cash for Gold USA website and request a prepaid shipping label. You’ll need this to send your precious jewelry to the company. After Cash For Gold receives your package, it typically takes up to 24 hours to receive an offer.
Suppose the price is fair enough; you can accept the offer and receive payment through your preferred payout option. These include:
- PayPal
- Bank transfer
- Check
Phone Lenses (Shopify)
Among the creative things to sell to make money online are phone lenses. If you want to build a business out of these products, the best way to do this is to set up your online store instead of opting for online marketplaces.
Shopify is an eCommerce website builder that can help you create a website even if you have no design or coding skills. The platform offers a variety of pre-designed templates you can choose from.
What’s also great about using Shopify is that it includes integrations to help you market your products. This way, you can increase your sales as high as you can.
Shopify plans start at $29 per month. The platform offers a 14-day free trial to test it out.
Handbags (Poshmark)
Joining the top things to sell to make quick cash are handbags, and Poshmark is just the place to look for your buyers. How it works is quite similar to Mercari, you can list items using the Poshmark mobile app.
Poshmark will provide you with a prepaid shipping label when buyers purchase your handbags. Listing your items on the platform is entirely free, too. However, it charges a 20% sales commission for items worth $15 or higher.
Poshmark also has an interface that works quite similarly to Instagram. It lets you and your friends share, like, and comment on your products.
Household Items (VarageSale)
Household items are also other things to sell to make money online. After all, these are products that will always be in demand, providing you with a consistent source of income. To do so, check out VarageSale and enjoy this completely free platform.
The process is pretty novel. First, you’ll need to provide your location, and then you’ll search for buyers near you.
Note that VarageSale is quite strict with its verification process. They also require linking your Facebook account.
Besides being a free platform, VarageSale also offers a mobile app, providing you with a more convenient way to sell household items online.
Grooming Essentials (Vinted)
Grooming essentials are some of the things you can sell on Vinted. It’s an online platform where you can create a free account and list your items to sell. On top of that, you don’t have to pay anything for listing and selling stuff there.
While the listing is free on Vinted, you can also pay as low as $1 to promote it. After a buyer purchases your product, you have 5 days to send it out. Like Poshmark, Vinted provides a prepaid shipping label.
Once the order is fulfilled, you’ll receive payments in your Vinted Wallet. You can then cash them out in your bank account.
Books and eBooks (Amazon KDP)
Books and eBooks are surely some of the things to sell to make money from home. With Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing or simply Amazon KDP, you need not worry about getting publishers to work with you as you can publish your book yourself.
Amazon KDP allows you to self-publish by listing your book on their platform. To do this, you’ll need to sign up for a free account and provide details about your book, including the manuscript and book cover.
Amazon takes around 1 to 3 business days to review your book. From there, they’ll list the book, and every time a buyer purchases, Amazon takes care of the printing and shipping.
You can practically sit back, relax, and receive your royalties with Amazon KDP, which are up to 70%. This is far better than the 15% royalties traditional publishing companies offer.
Shapewear (Amazon FBA)
If you’re looking for things to sell from home, targeting a specific market group, you might want to consider selling shapewear on Amazon. The giant eCommerce platform offers the Amazon FBA, which stands for Fulfilled by Amazon.
In this option, you’ll be handling the production or at least looking for the manufacturer of your products.
Here’s how Amazon FBA business works:
- Set up your product page on Amazon
- Send your inventory to Amazon
- Buyer purchases a product from your Amazon page
- Amazon ships the product to the buyer for you
What’s great about this option is that it lets you focus on marketing your products since you don’t need to take some time packing and shipping them.
Also, Amazon has one of the largest delivery fleets in the US, ensuring that you can get your products anywhere. However, note that Amazon FBA charges up to an 18% referral fee.
Wedding Dress (Once Wed)
Understandably, you might just be looking for some things to sell to make quick cash. Selling wedding dresses can be a great option, as not only does selling them free up space in your closet, but it can also bring considerable cash.
If you’re looking for places to sell your wedding dress, make sure to check Once Wed. This platform is incredibly convenient, letting you create a listing in minutes. Plus, your wedding dress need not be on the couture list here.
Once Wed is an ideal place to sell if you’re looking to get the most money for your wedding dress. There are no seller fees, only a one-time listing fee of $19.95. This means you can list your wedding dress at Once Wed until it sells.
Camera Equipment (KEH Camera)
KEH Summary
- Several ways to get an instant quote
- Lets you talk to expert buyers
- Free shipping for qualified items
- Sends instant payments through PayPal
Selling your camera equipment for cash is possible through KEH Camera. On its website, you can fill out a form to get an online quote. For offers above $300, KEH Camera offers free direct pickup from the seller’s home.
You can also send them your camera equipment using their prepaid shipping label. Once they have your devices, KEH Camera takes 7 to 12 business days to inspect them and make a final offer.
If you’re okay with it, they’ll pay you through PayPal or check. In addition to the online process, you can also initiate a sale by contacting them by phone or email.
Unique, Uncommon Stuff (Bonanza)
Bonanza is an ideal platform for creative things to sell to make some money. Here, you can list your unique and uncommon stuff for free. Like Etsy, this eCommerce platform allows you to create a webstore, also called a Booth, for all products you want to sell.
Additionally, your Booth has the features necessary to complete their transaction. It’s practically your very own online store but with access to Bonanza’s extensive market.
Finally, Bonanza doesn’t charge any monthly store maintenance fees. Your Booth also stays there until you choose to take it down.
Hair (HairSellOn.com)
Hair joins the list of the things you can sell to make money online. There are several websites that are willing to pay you for them, such as HairSellOn.com. To sell your hair with them, you’ll need to register for a free account and post an ad to sell your hair.
At this point, don’t cut your hair yet. Wait for a buyer to make an offer and pay you before cutting your hair.
What’s great about this platform is that you can sell various kinds of hair, even dreadlocks and memorabilia. However, HairSellOn.com recommends selling hair of at least 5 inches long.
CDs and DVDs (Sell DVDs Online)
In the age of media streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple TV+, Netflix, and HBO Go, you might be considering boxing up your CDs and DVDs. Instead of taking up spaces in your garage, why not just sell them for some cash?
Sell DVDs Online is a website that buys back DVDs and books. On its website, you only need to enter the UPC code, a 12-digit number located just below the bar code on your DVD case. After that, you’ll get an offer and proceed with the sale.
Once you accept their offer, you can send them your CDs and DVDs using a prepaid shipping option.
Furniture (Kaiyo)
If you’re looking to get rid of some old furniture, depending on its condition, you might want to consider selling them instead. With Kaiyo, you only need to complete an online form and provide details about your furniture.
They will review your submitted form and proceed to pick your furniture up if it meets their standard. From there, Kaiyo will clean, store, and list it on their online marketplace until it sells. Finally, you’ll get a revenue share of up to 60%.
Craft Supplies (Cricut)
Using Cricut, you can create craft supplies and sell them for some extra money. It’s an online shop where you can purchase various tools and supplies for crafting. The platform also offers a subscription plan with online tools to create designs.
Cricut offers three subscription plans ranging from $0 to $9.99 per month. What differentiates the plans from each other is how many images you can create and other design perks included.
Musical Instruments (Music Go Round)
Musical instruments, if mostly unused, can also get you some cash. Just look for platforms where you can sell them, such as Music Go Round. It’s a popular resale platform for used gear for musicians. As such, they’ll buy yours for their inventory.
To sell with them, locate their nearest store and bring your musical instruments there. They’ll inspect your gear in-store and make an offer based on its market value.
If the price is fair enough for you, you’ll get paid within the same day. You can also opt to trade in for another instrument.
