Best second-hand selling apps in the UK in 2026 — honest comparison
Six UK marketplaces, very different strengths. Vinted moves clothes fast. eBay still pays best for electronics. Gumtree sells the bulky stuff. Here's which to use when.
Quick verdict — which app for which item
| If you're selling… | Use… |
|---|---|
| Women's high-street clothing | Vinted |
| Vintage / Y2K / streetwear | Depop (+ Vinted) |
| Designer accessories | eBay + Depop |
| Electronics, tech, cameras | eBay |
| Furniture, white goods | Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace |
| Children's clothes / toys | Vinted (+ Facebook Marketplace local) |
| Car parts / bikes | Gumtree, eBay |
| One-off oddities | eBay auction |
| Local pickup-only items | Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, Shpock |
Vinted
Use it for: Women's and children's clothes, shoes, accessories under £50. The fastest UK marketplace for clearing fashion volume.
Strengths: Zero seller fees, prepaid postage labels, large active UK buyer base, simple to use, secure escrow-style payments.
Weaknesses: Average prices are lower than eBay or Depop. Designer is undervalued. Men's clothes don't move as well. Some category restrictions.
Fees: Free for sellers (buyer pays a small protection fee).
eBay UK
Use it for: Electronics, designer fashion in larger sizes, collectibles, books, anything over £100, anything where the buyer needs trust signals (feedback ratings, seller history).
Strengths: Highest prices on most categories. 28M+ UK monthly users. No fees for private sellers since 2024. Robust buyer protection both ways. Sold listings filter for accurate pricing.
Weaknesses: Listing process is more involved. Cassini algorithm rewards good listings, punishes lazy ones. Some buyers are scammy.
Fees: Private sellers — free on most categories. Business sellers — around 10% final value. Payment processing 2.5% + 30p.
Depop
Use it for: Vintage, Y2K, streetwear, designer accessories, anything aesthetic. Targets a younger fashion-aware buyer.
Strengths: Higher prices than Vinted for the right items. Discovery-driven feed — well-curated shops grow fast. Strong for branded resale.
Weaknesses: You arrange your own shipping. Slower sales than Vinted. Photo aesthetic matters more — flat-lay shop won't grow.
Fees: UK sellers — no selling fee on most sales as of 2024 (the buyer pays a marketplace fee). Payment processing ~2.9% + 30p.
Facebook Marketplace
Use it for: Local pickup-only items, furniture, white goods, larger electronics, kids' toys, freebies, anything where shipping is impractical.
Strengths: Local audience, no postage hassle, no fees, instant messaging, large pool of buyers in every UK town.
Weaknesses: No buyer protection — cash on collection or pay through Marketplace's shipping. Plenty of timewasters. Less suited to small valuable items.
Fees: Free for local listings. Shipping listings — 5% selling fee with a £0.40 minimum (when shipping is enabled).
Gumtree
Use it for: Furniture, large electronics, bikes, cars, baby gear, anything bulky and local. The UK's go-to for "too big to post".
Strengths: Big UK user base for local pickup categories. Free to list. Established trust for furniture and bulky items.
Weaknesses: Algorithmic visibility is fading vs Facebook Marketplace. Heavy on scam-bait messages. Limited buyer protection on shipped items.
Fees: Free to list. Optional paid promotion (£3–£15 to bump or feature).
Shpock
Use it for: Mid-priced local items — bikes, furniture, electronics in cities where Shpock has reach (London, Manchester, Edinburgh). Less active outside major cities.
Strengths: Clean app, decent local search, focuses on quality listings.
Weaknesses: Smaller user base than Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace. Less suited to clothes. Limited reach in smaller towns.
Fees: Free to list with optional paid bumps.
Side-by-side comparison
| Vinted | eBay UK | Depop | FB Marketplace | Gumtree | Shpock | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Clothes | Electronics, designer | Vintage / Y2K | Local pickup | Bulky local | Mid-priced local |
| Seller fees | None | None (private) | None (UK) | None (local) | None | None |
| Postage | Prepaid labels | Self-arranged | Self-arranged | Local pickup | Local pickup | Local pickup |
| Buyer protection | Yes | Yes (strong) | Yes | Limited | Limited | Limited |
| Avg sale price | £8–£20 | £20–£200+ | £15–£40 | Variable | £10–£500+ | £10–£200 |
| Speed of sale | Fast | Medium | Slow-Medium | Variable | Variable | Slow |
Cross-posting: how the pros stack
Resellers who do this seriously don't pick one app — they cross-post to several. Typical stack:
- Clothes — listed simultaneously on Vinted + Depop, sometimes eBay. Move first whoever sells.
- Electronics — eBay primary, Facebook Marketplace as local backup.
- Furniture and white goods — Facebook Marketplace + Gumtree.
- Designer — eBay + Depop + Vinted. Highest price wins.
The tricky bit is remembering to delete from the other platforms once an item sells. Set a recurring 5-minute task on Sunday evening to reconcile.
FAQ
Vinted. Prepaid labels, simple listing flow, fast sales. Most people start there.
Depends on category. eBay for electronics and designer. Depop for vintage. Vinted for fast clothing volume.
No. Vinted is fashion + accessories + some kids' stuff. For furniture, use Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree.
Etsy is for handmade or vintage (20+ years old) items, not general secondhand. Different category.
All UK-operating marketplaces must comply with UK GDPR. Most use standard tracking and analytics. If "no tracking" matters to you, that's something to look up per app.
Yes — under DAC7, all UK-operating digital marketplaces report seller earnings to HMRC if you cross £1,000 in annual sales or 30+ transactions. Full HMRC guide →
Cross-post to all of these in one click
Snappy generates platform-specific listings — Vinted, eBay, Depop, Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree — from a single photo. 3 free listings, no card needed.
Try Snappy free → Built in the UK · Credits never expire