Letgo Review: Is It Safe & Easy to Buy & Sell Used Stuff with This App?

Letgo is similar to Craigslist except it’s solely an app, so you can’t use it on a desktop as you can Craigslist.

If you’ve got some unwanted stuff lying around the house, sell ’em through Letgo may be a good option to make some money.

Update: In the United States, LetGo is now part of OfferUp. You can read our review of OfferUp here.

How Does Letgo Work?

Letgo works like a mobile classified, where people can buy and sell stuff, quickly and easily. It’s aimed at people looking to buy and sell locally.

They currently operate in a dozen or so countries but the strongest market for now are the United States and Canada.

Selling an item through Letgo is super simple.

Through the app, you can snap photos, list items to sell and chat with potential buyers. It takes seconds to post an item for sale, and the app gives you the ability to chat with potential buyers instantly.

Here’s a little more information on exactly how Letgo works…

Getting started

As we said above, using Letgo is really easy.

All you need to do is:

• Download the app on your phone. You can get it for Android and iOS devices, handily enough.
• Register for an account with Letgo. All you need to do to sign up is enter a valid email address, create a password and ad a photo.
• Now, you’ve got your account and you’re ready to buy and sell!

Navigating the platform

It’s is a fairly simple app to navigate. On the main page of the app, you’ll see items that other users have listed for sale. You’ll also see a search bar that you can use to hunt for items.

From the homepage, you can view categories, like “movies, books & music” and “electronics” as well. It’s a good idea to take a look through them so that you can see where the items you want to sell should be listed and to see what things other people are selling.

The Letgo app has a “Top Cities” and “Top States” section you can look through too.

If you want to sell something, then all you need to do is click on the “sell your stuff” option, and from there, you can snap photos and chat with other users once your listing is live.

How to Sell on Letgo

After you’ve created your profile and have an item to sell, here’s what you need to do next:

• Tap on the camera icon and select a photo from your gallery or you can take a featured photo using the app. Remember that Letgo doesn’t allow you to list items for sale from your computer – you have to use the app for iOS or Android.
• Then, you’ll need to put a price on the item you’re selling. You can put a specific number on it, or you can leave the price as negotiable.
• To add a title, description, and category, just tap “add more details”. You can also upload additional photos this way. Adding these extra details makes it easier for potential buyers to find your items.
• After that, you need to tap the “done” button.

Letgo doesn’t allow you to put details, like your phone number, email or physical address or any URLs into the item description.

How to view your listed products

Once you’ve listed your product, check your profile to see if it’s been posted. Allow up to 40 minutes for your listing to appear.

Once your item has been listed, you can see how many times customers have viewed it by doing the following:

• Go into your profile and tap on the “selling” tab
• Tap the item you want to view
• Select the “more info” button that’s at the top of the screen.
• Alongside an eye symbol, the number of views your item has will appear.

It’s important to note that Letgo has a list of prohibited items. If a user tries to sell a prohibited item, then the listing will be discarded.

Avoid discarded products

Letgo is a really great app that allows you to sell almost anything, but there are, of course, exceptions.

Not all items can be sold through the platform. Fortunately, Letgo has a list of prohibited items, which you can view here, so it’s easy to see what you can sell and what you can’t.

If you try to list a prohibited item on the site, your listing will be discarded. Another reason the site discards listings is if a user repeatedly posts the same product for sale.

When you list an item on Letgo, you need to wait 40 minutes for it to appear, as mentioned above.

If your item doesn’t appear, then it might have been discarded. Check the prohibited items list and your email inbox to make sure your product item hasn’t been discarded.

If you haven’t tried to list a prohibited item or repost the same item, but your listing still hasn’t appeared, then you can get in touch with the Letgo customer service team easily.

All you need to do is go to the “help” tab at the top of the screen in the app. Next, go to the FAQ page, tap the “tech support & bug reports” button, and add your message. Click “send” and the customer care team will respond shortly.

Editing a listing

You can also edit listings after you’ve uploaded them.

All you need to do is:

• Go into the “selling” tab in your profile, as you did above and select the item you want to edit.
• Look for the pencil icon in the bottom right corner of your screen and tap it.
• Then, make the changes that you want to and select “update”.

Communicating with potential buyers

Talking to potential buyers is really easy with Letgo, and it’s definitely one of the best aspects of the app.

Once your item is listed on the platform, potential buyers can find it and contact you. The buyer can ask you questions, make an offer, or even arrange to meet up with you.

Handily enough, Letgo will send you a notification or an email each time you get a new message through the app – so you don’t even have to check it yourself. You can respond to messages through the chat section.

Letgo strongly warns it’s users against going off of the platform to chat for safety reasons.

The payment process

One of the downsides of Letgo is that it doesn’t handle payments. It offers no payment processing options and expects payments to be handled by the buyer and the seller.

This means that the platform doesn’t offer refunds or help with any disputes or payment issues.

The platform recommends that all payments be made using cash in person or through PayPal. It suggests against business or personal checks as well as wire transfers.

Letgo Vs Wallapop

Wallapop was an online classifieds app and virtual flea market that worked in a similar way to Craigslist. In May 2016, it was announced that Wallapop would merge with Letgo.

Wallapop user’s details, like usernames and listings, were not transferred to Letgo, and they also couldn’t use their Wallapop login details to sign into Letgo.

If a Wallapop user wants to continue buying and selling, then they’ll need to create a new account with Letgo.

Fees

Letgo is 100% free to use, so there’s no reason not to start selling on there!

Currently, it doesn’t charge any fees for listing items, and it doesn’t take a commission on sales either.

So, why not get started and sell some of the stuff you no longer need?

How Does Letgo Make Money?

Currently, it’s not clear how the company makes money or if it does yet.

It’s an app with millions of users, so it’s possible that Letgo is interested in mobile behavior and sees its user’s mobile behavior data as valuable.

Letgo might decide to incorporate ads into its platform, or it might start facilitating payments and taking a commission in the future. At the moment, how Letgo makes money is purely speculative.

Is Letgo Safe?

Letgo is a reputable company with millions of users. It’s been mentioned by a wide range of well-known publications and media outlets, like Bloomberg, Fortune, The New York Times, Fast Company, WSJ, USA Today College, and TechCrunch.

So, it’s a pretty safe place to sell your stuff.

However…

While most of the platform’s users are trustworthy, you still need to be careful when selling your stuff. Unfortunately, there are a few bad eggs out there that are out to scam people.

Safety tips

Whether you’re selling your stuff through the platform or looking to find a few bargains yourself on there, here’s what you should do to stay safe on Letgo:

• Don’t give out your email address, phone number, address or any other personal details to another user. Keep all communications within the Letgo app for safety reasons, as many scammers ask users to leave the in-app chat.
• Always meet up with other users in person. Meeting the seller in person allows the buyer to properly inspect the item.
• Don’t ship items. Letgo is designed for local sellers. If you ship an item to a buyer, then there’s a risk that they won’t pay you. You take away this risk when you meet in person and take cash payment.
• Always meet a buyer or a seller in a public place, and take a friend along with you. Supermarkets and coffee shops are both good choices.
• Don’t take payment in the form of certified checks, money orders, cashier checks and wire transfer.
• Take payments in the form of cash.
• If a user makes odd suggestions, unusual requests or just acts suspiciously, then be very cautious. For example, buyers that offer to send a check for way more than the asking price (according to Letgo this is a common scam), or sellers that won’t allow you to see the item in person first before buying it could be scamming you.
• The best way to stay safe when buying and selling is to exchange the item and pay in cash at the same time.
• Avoid users that aren’t verified, refuse to meet in person, and send spammy messages.
• Always check the potential seller’s or buyer’s profile page.

Reporting other users

There are millions of buyers and sellers on this app, so if a certain user seems suspicious, then move on and don’t deal with them.

If you feel that a user is behaving suspiciously or fraudulently, then flag that user and report them to Letgo.

Bottom Line

Whether you’re looking to get rid of some old stuff to make a little extra money on the side or want a certain item at a bargain, you should definitely check out Letgo.

It’s easy to use, and it’s a reputable platform too. So clear out your home and make a bit of money in the process!

If you have used Letgo to sell or buy stuff, please share your reviews and ratings by leaving a comment below.