Everyone has stuff in their house that they don’t need.
Maybe it’s clothes that aren’t your style anymore, books you’ve finished reading, or furniture that you’re replacing.
Instead of throwing it out, why not get a few extra dollars in your pocket?
Letgo is an app that makes it easy to sell your stuff online to people in your neighborhood.
That means no shipping your stuff to buyers or driving an hour to make a sale.
What Is Letgo?
Letgo is an app that helps you list goods for sale to people in your neighborhood. You can list items such as cars, furniture, and books. You can even post about jobs you need done or services you can provide. Take a few pictures, write a description, and wait for people to contact you to work out a deal.
Pros:
- Sell goods locally: no expensive shipping or significant travel
- The app is easy to use
- No fees
- Set your own prices
Cons:
- Local focus means fewer potential customers
- Used goods can be in any condition from like-new to completely non-functional
- No fees to make an account or listings means there are some scammers
Related: 20+ Easy Side Hustle Apps to Make Extra Money in Your Spare Time
How Does Letgo Work?
Letgo works like the classified ads that used to be popular in newspapers. Instead of using newspapers, letgo uses an app and website.
To get started, visit the letgo website or download the letgo app to your phone. Then, set up your account by providing your email address or signing in with Facebook or Google.
On the homepage, you’ll see listings that are local to you and a list of categories. You can browse all the local listings or use the categories feature to search for specific types of products.
Some of the categories include:
- Cars
- Housing
- Electronics
- Free stuff
- Sports and leisure goods
- Home goods
- Movies, books, and music
- Fashion
- Jobs and services
Each listing will include a picture taken by the person who posted the listing. It will also have a description. The descriptions are generated by the user who made the listing, so their quality will vary.
When listing your own items, remember that the better your listing looks, the better your chances of making a sale will be. Good listings should include a description of the items and an asking price.
When you see something that you’re interested in, message the seller directly through the app. You can use the messaging system to agree to specifics about the transaction and where to meet to make the sale.
Shipping
One of the best aspects of letgo is that it’s designed to be used by people who all live in the same area. You’ll be buying from and selling to people who live in your neighborhood or town. Ideally, there should be no need to ship things because you can meet up with the other letgo user in-person.
Sometimes, you’ll find an item that’s listed in another city or state, or receive an offer from someone who isn’t local to you. In this situation, you can choose to ship the item to the buyer or have it shipped to you. This can be risky, since you have no guarantee that the other party will hold up their end of the deal.
Bump Feature
Items listed for sale on letgo are listed in the order that they were posted with the most recently listed items showing up first.
If you post something for sale and nobody buys it, it will slowly move down the list of items for sale, making it harder and harder for buyers to find it. To combat this, letgo offers bumps, which move your listings back to the top of the page.
You can only bump listings that have been on the site for a while, and you can’t bump listings right away. Each bump costs $1.99, so it might not be worth the cost if you’re selling a $5 shirt. But this can be a good way to get your listings noticed if you’re having trouble making a sale.
Item Quality
Letgo is a marketplace where anyone can post their stuff for sale. That means that the quality of items available varies widely. Some people have brand new items still in the box. Others will be selling old phones that they’ve used for years, books with the cover falling off, and other things in less than ideal condition.
Expect to get anything you find on letgo to be used and don’t be afraid to closely inspect anything you’re buying before completing the transaction.
Return Policy
When you’re buying or selling on letgo, you’re working with other users of the app, not with letgo itself. That means that there’s no official return policy that’s enforced by letgo.
Unless the listing states otherwise, assume that any transaction that you make is final and that you can’t get a refund. Most people on letgo are selling their stuff to get rid of things that they don’t need anymore. Very few are going to be willing to take things back.
Letgo Pro
Letgo PRO is letgo’s premium service that’s targeted at car sellers. It offers a few features that make it easier for sellers to find customers.
Car dealers who sign up for letgo PRO can choose from three tiers of service based on the inventory that they want to sell through the site. The features available to letgo PRO include:
- Verified PRO profile badge
- Direct leads to customers with a click-to-call option
- Regular bumps of your inventory, free of charge
The pricing tiers for letgo PRO are:
- $99 per month for up to 30 vehicles
- $399 per month for up to 70 vehicles
- $599 per month for up to 150 vehicles
3 Tips for Selling on Letgo
When you’re trying to sell stuff on letgo, your job is to make customers want to purchase what you’re selling. There are a few tricks you can use to maximize your sales.
Related: 17 Ways to Get Paid to Shop for Others
1. Take lots of good photos
People want to know what they’re buying. You can increase buyer confidence by posting lots of honest photos that show any marks or imperfections.
Take multiple pictures and capture as much detail as possible. Make sure that the lighting is good and stage the photo so the product is visible. The clearer the photos are, the fewer questions that buyers will have.
2. Write a detailed description
In addition to photos, describe the item that you’re selling and be as detailed as possible. If you’re selling a movie, specify whether it’s a basic DVD or a Blu Ray. If you’re selling a video game, mention if it’s for the Xbox or the PlayStation. If you’re selling a computer, figure out the exact model and include it in the description.
The more detail that appears in the description, the fewer questions that you’ll have to answer from potential buyers.
3. Be honest on your listing
One of the worst things to happen when using an app like letgo is to set up a meeting with a buyer only for the person to decide they don’t want to buy what you’re selling.
If the items you’re selling are in less than perfect condition, be honest about it. You might get fewer people messaging you, but they’ll know what they’re getting into, and you won’t be wasting your time on failed meetups.
FAQ About Letgo
Using letgo for the first time can be a scary experience, especially if you’ve only ever sold online before.
Is it safe to buy and sell on letgo?
Yes, buying and selling goods on letgo is safe, but you should follow some basic internet safety rules.
Make sure to do all of your communication through the letgo app. Don’t let someone continue the conversation on another app when negotiating a transaction.
When you go to make a sale, do it in a public location and during daylight hours. Many local police stations are happy to let you make these types of transactions in their parking lot, helping you stay safe.
You’re making a deal. You’ve arrived at the meetup. Now it’s time to nail this thing and get what you came for!https://t.co/4Xej1tk60p
— letgo (@letgo) September 25, 2019
Can you get scammed on letgo?
Yes, it’s possible to get scammed on letgo. This can happen if you agree to a transaction that involves shipping something rather than making a cash transaction in-person. You might also make an in-person transaction only to find out that the item isn’t as advertised.
To avoid scams, keep your conversations within the letgo app, only make local sales, and inspect anything you buy closely before handing over the cash. If you’re selling something, only accept cash, not money orders or cashier’s checks.
What should I do if my account is pending moderation?
If your account is pending moderation it means that letgo has flagged your account due to suspicious activity. If this happens, you should contact letgo support to clear up the situation and get your account unlocked.
How does letgo make money?
Letgo doesn’t charge its users to make a listing or to buy things, so it can be hard to see how the company makes money.
Two of letgo’s major revenue streams are the bumps sold to regular users and letgo PRO subscriptions.
OfferUp vs. Letgo: How Do They Compare?
OfferUp, like letgo, is an online marketplace that helps people sell their old stuff to people who live around them.
The two sites are very similar. You can post goods for sales or browse different categories. OfferUp has fewer users than letgo, which reduces your potential pool of buyers. You can always try selling your stuff on both apps to maximize your sales potential.
Letgo Alternatives
There are many selling apps that help connect people who want to buy, sell, or trade their old stuff. Sites like Craigslist, OfferUp, Facebook Marketplace, and 5Miles are other local selling apps.
Each app has its strengths and weaknesses, so it’s worth checking them out. You can even post your stuff on multiple apps to maximize your odds of making a sale.
Who Should Use Letgo?
Letgo is a legitimate app for anyone who wants to sell their old stuff. There’s no listing fee, and you can meet with buyers in-person, so you don’t have to worry about shipping.
Letgo is also great for deal hunters. People who want to sell their old stuff usually offer a good deal, so you can save money if you don’t mind buying used goods.
