Are you looking to sell or trade shoes for cash but have no idea where to post advertisements?
Several platforms can help you achieve your goal. There’s no shortage of places to sell shoes on—both for online and in-person transactions.
Although having multiple sites to choose from seems convenient, first-time sellers might feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of options. But don’t worry—we have you covered!
We compared dozens of online stores and local outlets where you can sell used shoes, then made an unbiased roundup of the best options.
Our list only includes the most widely-known sites with a broad user audience. We want to make selling shoes as convenient as possible.
Check out our list, then see which place works well for you. We’ll also tell you where it’s easy to set up an account, what fees you’ll need to shoulder, and how you can successfully sell shoes right away.
Read until the end. Otherwise, you might end up wasting time and money scouring multiple online and offline eCommerce platforms.
Remember: choosing the wrong platform will hurt your business. In the worst case, you might not even get the best price for your shoes.
Let’s get started!
Where to Sell Shoes Online for Cash
Have you ever wondered what the best apps to sell shoes online are? Check out our in-depth comparison review of the most reputable, widely recognized shoe-reselling eCommerce platforms.
StockX
StockX undoubtedly ranks among the most popular platforms for everything streetwear-related. It has everything from iconic names like the Air Force 1 to the expensive yet sought-after pieces like the Jordan 1 Retro High Dior.
Typical Seller
Unlike other shoe-selling eCommerce sites, StockX sellers auction their items instead of just selling them to the first buyer.
This system gives you an advantage if you have hard-to-find pairs. Your projected total purchase price will keep increasing as long as buyers keep placing bids on your listing.
Site Policies
StockX has a stringent verification process. They will send back your shoes if they have visible defects, such as creases, scuff marks, and worn-out soles.
Moreover, StockX charges $13.95 or 15% of the sale price when returning shoes.
Seller Fees and Pricing Limitations
StockX charges a 3% payment processing rate on top of their seller fees—which vary based on your selling history. Newbie sellers pay 9.5%. However, those who have sold 30+ pairs totaling at least $10,000 only pay 8.5%.
How to Start Selling
StockX requires sellers to create an account and input their details before creating offers.
- Go to Stockx.com, then click the Sign-Up button on the top right corner of the page.
- Input your preferred login details. You can use your Facebook, Twitter, or email to create your account.
- Once you have an account, hit the Sell button and input the shoes you want to sell.
- Afterward, request a shipping label from StockX, then send your pair for verification. StockX will check if your shoes are unworn and authentic.
- Once your shoes are approved, you can go ahead and post your listing.
- Revisit the Sell tab and input the product you’re selling, you’ll see the Sell Now and Place Ask buttons.
- Select Place Ask if you want to make a listing offer, but hit Sell Now if you need to sell your shoes fast. Note: Sell Now awards your pair to the current highest bidder.
- Input your PayPal or bank account details, finalize the sale, then wait for StockX to send the funds.
Poshmark
As the site’s name suggests, Poshmark stands as the most trusted platform for upscale apparel. If you have a lot of used and unused shoes that you need to dispose of quickly, you’ll find this site helpful.
Typical Seller
Poshmark caters to both men and women. However, you’ll find that most listings on the platform include shoes for women, from high heels to boots to cute sneakers.
Also, most Poshmark users that achieve success sell luxury and designer items.
Although you can post listings of Nike and Adidas sneakers, brands like Stuart Weitzman, Prada, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton get more product searches.
Site Policies
Poshmark HQ prides itself on authenticity. It goes above and beyond to verify the legitimacy of all products sold on its platform.
Also, you must never misrepresent your product. Upload real-life pictures of your shoes, sanitize them before shipment, and never try to pass off counterfeit items.
Seller Fees and Pricing Limitations
Poshmark charges a $2.95 fee on sales under $15 and a 20% cut on all items sold upward of $15. You’ll receive the funds three days after the buyer receives the product.
How to Start Selling
The Poshmark app makes the selling process super convenient. You can list and sell your product using just your smartphone.
- Download the Poshmark app, then create an account.
- Next, shoot photos of your shoes and upload them onto the platform. Also, we advise against using filters. Poshmark has stringent guidelines on accurate product descriptions, so make sure to expose all imperfections and marks.
- Once the listing is live, share the link to your social network. Poshmark limits users to 10,000 shares per day, but even seasoned users only have 5,000 shares on average.
- Answer customer queries until you get an offer.
- Close the deal, ship the shoes via Poshmark-provided cartons, then wait for your buyer to receive the parcel.
Kixify
Kixify has made a name for itself as the go-to platform for grails—limited sneakers.
Some customers complain of the platform’s lack of diversity, but the site claims it caters to casual sneakerheads and hardcore collectors. So, feel free to post sneakers from all brands.
Typical Seller
Kixify is like a cross between Shopify and StockX. It enables sellers to create a Shopify-like online storefront for multiple sneakers from varying brands.
This setup generally suits long-term sneaker sellers. If you only want to sell one or two pairs of shoes, you might do better on StockX.
Site Policies
Kixify does very minimal screening. Some customers even claim that they got fake sneakers from the platform.
As a seller, market distrust of the platform you use could also hurt your reputation. However, you can turn this disadvantage around and stand out from the crowd by linking verified profiles to your storefront.
Show customers that a real, legitimate seller is running your storefront. Trust us—when you’re selling $500+ sneakers, your customers would want some form of verification.
Seller Fees and Pricing Limitations
Kixify doesn’t charge for listing, subscription, or monthly fees. You’ll only need to pay a 10% fee every time you make a sale, so you wouldn’t lose money on low-traffic months or seasons.
Also, you don’t have to worry about purchasing domains because your storefront exists on Kixify.
How to Start Selling
Making a Kixify storefront is much easier than creating your website on Shopify or Wix.
- Visit Kixify.com, then press the Sell button on the top right corner of the web page.
- Since you don’t have an account yet, the website will prompt you to the Sign Up page. Here, you’ll input your login details.
- If you have a solid social media presence, you can take advantage of it by linking your accounts to your Kixify store.
- After creating an account, you can proceed with uploading listings—Kixify lets you upload as many shoes as you want.
- Once your listings go live, you’ll start receiving customer inquiries.
Where to Sell Shoes Offline or Locally
Are you looking for stores that buy shoes, or maybe you’d want to display your used shoes in a physical storefront? If so, check out these shops that allow you to sell shoes in person.
VarageSale
Where can you sell your Nike shoes locally? If you don’t want to go through the hassle of setting up shop, try VarageSale.
VarageSale combines the concept of eCommerce and in-person garage sales. It enables users to sell a wide range of items—footwear included—safely within their respective communities.
Typical Seller
VarageSale suits one-time sellers. The platform’s concept focuses on connecting you to interested buyers nearby, so you’ll likely dispose of your shoes quickly and efficiently.
Most people on the platform want to declutter their closets or storage rooms. So, if you plan on reselling or flipping used shoes for a living, you might want to explore other eCommerce platforms.
Also, most buyers on VarageSale prefer in-person sales. Shoe resellers might find it exhausting and time-consuming to meet with all their customers.
Site Policies
As a seller, you can bump 10 of your listings to the top of the page every two hours. This feature is convenient if you want to sell your listings as quickly as possible.
Also, bear in mind that VarageSale goes above and beyond to care for its users. Expect the team to suspend or limit your account if one of your customers reports you for breaching the site’s terms and conditions.
Seller Fees and Pricing Limitations
VarageSale charges a meager 2% to 3% processing fee per sale if you use Stripe. For in-person transactions, however, you can buy, sell, and even bump posts as much as you want for free.
How to Start Selling
You can start selling on VarageSale today without paying a dime:
- Download the VarageSale app and create an account. You can use your Facebook or email as login details.
- Next, click the Post button in the navigation bar. The app will redirect you to a page where you can upload pictures of the shoes you’re selling.
- Afterward, input more ad details. Include your geographical location and describe the condition of the shoes in your listing.
- After filling out all the details, hit the Post button.
- Once your ad goes live, you’ll start getting customer inquiries.
Craigslist
Craigslist is one of the most iconic selling platforms in the world. It allows users to advertise whatever product they want to millions of people—locally and internationally.
Typical Seller
Since Craigslist has a broad audience, you can’t categorize its sellers under one subgroup.
You’ll find users from all walks of life. Whether you plan on selling decade-old boots or custom-designed Nike dunks, Craigslist will connect you to your ideal buyer.
As for sales, Craigslist users often do meetups. Sure, you can offer to ship, but expect most local customers would request to see your shoes in person.
Site Policies
Craigslist will only allow you to post in the same category and geographical area once every two days. Otherwise, the team will flag your account as spam.
Also, Craigslist doesn’t have automated posting. As a seller, you hold full responsibility for managing, updating, and editing your listings—which might require significant resources if you have a large shop.
For these reasons, explore other platforms if you plan on reselling dozens of different shoes.
Seller Fees and Pricing Limitations
Craigslist charges $3 to $5 per listing, depending on the item you list, your seller history, and geographical location. Don’t worry—the site explicitly states their rates right from the get-go.
How to Start Selling
- Go to Craigslist.org, then select your geographical location. The site will prompt you to your local web page.
- Next, choose your desired category and subcategory.
- Create an ad account or log in to your existing one.
- Afterward, input your ad’s details, such as the title, posting body, postal code, photos, and price, among other crucial information.
- Go through your listing again and edit as needed.
- Once you’re happy with your work, hit the Publish button.
- After your ad goes live, you’ll start receiving inquiries about your shoe listing.
Can You Also Sell Your Own Shoe Designs?
Selling shoes you personally designed serves as a great way to promote your art.
Shoes might not have as much blank space as a canvas, but they gain significantly more exposure. Think of wearable art as walking advertisements.
Although rewarding, note that you’ll face a lot more challenges selling personal shoe designs than reselling used sneakers. Very few custom-design shoes achieve success.
If you’re serious about selling custom shoe designs, focus on personal branding first.
Strive for a massive following on your personal and business social media accounts to improve your ad engagement rates and monthly sales.
Let’s face it—customers often don’t buy no-name, off-brand shoes. We live in a fast-fashion era where big brands dominate the retail industry.
However, first-time markets don’t have to worry. Social media connects you to billions of people globally with just a few clicks—making marketing exponentially easier.
You don’t have to spend millions to get ad exposure. If you create a solid brand vision, upload enticing content, and engage with your audience, your follower count will grow organically.
Can You Make Money Flipping Sneakers?
The sneaker resale market stands at an all-time high. People have been selling used Jordans since the ‘80s, but the market only spiked upward of $6 billion recently.
Nowadays, millions of people make substantial profits from reselling shoes. News reports even show teens as young as 16 generating well over seven digits just by selling sneakers.
Can you emulate these successful sneakerheads’ strategies? Reselling shoes definitely wouldn’t make you an overnight millionaire, but you can turn it into a stable second source of income.
To execute your business idea properly, find the best shoe-selling platform. You should understand where to sell sneakers, boots, boat shoes, dress shoes, and heels, among other footwear options.
Tips for Selling Used Shoes Successfully
Selling used, unwanted footwear is one thing, but flipping in-demand sneakers for profit is another. Flipping involves an entirely different business strategy.
If you’re serious about achieving success in the sneaker aftermarket, make sure you follow these tips:
Buy Low, Sell High
Whether you resell used or brand-new pairs, always look for pieces selling below their market value.
Remember: your profits largely depend on the difference between your buying and selling prices.
Although this rule seems like a no-brainer, too many sneakerheads neglect it when faced with hyped-up, trendy kicks. Never disregard price for exclusivity.
Yes, having rare, limited edition pieces might make your brand look good, but don’t compromise your profit margins. Only invest in shoes that you can flip for a profit.
Set Your Personal Preferences Aside
Who buys shoes? Customers do, so don’t prioritize your sneaker preferences when scouring the market. Instead, focus on shoes that you can flip.
For instance, let’s say you wear size 8 shoes. Considering that the most common shoe sizes globally range from 9 to 12, stay within this range.
Sure, you can get a few size-8 pairs now and then. However, keep in mind that they might not sell as quickly as you’d want them to.
Predict Trends—Don’t Ride Them
Although trend jacking yields significant results, incorrect execution could cost you thousands. Learn to differentiate between trends, classics, and hype.
Take brand collaborations as an example. If a global brand like Adidas or Nike collaborates with a widely known celebrity, you can expect their release to receive massive hype.
People will line up for these pieces. However, what happens to the shoes after the release date? Will they hold value, or will they draw flak?
No one can predict the future, but seasoned sneakerheads can create objective, fact-based conclusions through research.
Don’t blindly hop on every trend in the sneaker industry. Instead, objectively assess what pieces have the potential to perform well and hold value over time.
Connections Over Bots
Many shoe resellers nowadays use shopping bots for sourcing sneakers. Instead of combing through eCommerce platforms and brand websites manually, they use bots to scan the web automatically.
This technology eliminates the need for tedious, time-consuming tasks like queuing or waiting in line. It’s ideal for those who want to resell used shoes in bulk.
Although shopping bots seem convenient and efficient, keep in mind that other resellers use the same technology. They’re not exclusive.
On the contrary, anyone willing to pay thousands in subscription fees can utilize reliable, effective automated shopping bots.
If you want to stand out from the competition, focus on building connections.
The pioneers of the sneaker aftermarket achieved massive success by networking with celebrities, brand executives, and VIPs. You can’t emulate them with bots.
Flip Quickly and Efficiently
Having a massive shoe collection might seem impressive. However, keep in mind that you’re flipping shoes, not collecting them.
Strive to flip shoes quickly and efficiently. Keeping track of massive inventories and maintaining multiple pairs of shoes will cost resources, which would come directly from your profits.
Learn to Restore Shoes Yourself
Restore your shoes yourself—especially if you specialize in vintage finds. Shoe cleaners charge a minimum of $50.
Spending this much overhead on $500 pairs could easily cut your profit margins by over 20%. On the other hand, quality shoe cleaning supplies cost less than $100, plus they’ll already last you several pairs.
Get Another Job
Don’t drop everything to resell shoes. Although focusing solely on reselling used shoes might seem like the quickest way to scale your business, this strategy often yields negligible results.
Adopt a more realistic mindset. Most shoe resellers don’t turn a profit until their third or fourth month, so you can’t expect a steady income right from the get-go.
If you solely rely on your shoe reselling for bills payment and daily essentials, you might end up using your initial capital—thus, compromising your cash flow.
It might be better if you have a day job. Use your salary to pay the bills, save at least 10% to 20% for shoe acquisition, and re-invest all your profits into your shoe reselling business.
How Much Can You Earn From Selling Used Shoes?
We’ve all seen stories about teens raking in millions from reselling shoes. Although profiting six digits from shoe reselling is achievable, you’ll have to scale your business from the ground up.
Don’t enter the game thinking you’ll clear hundreds of thousands in your first month. Instead, objectively assess your available resources, map out a feasible business strategy, and set realistic profit margins.
Sample Game Plan
Let’s say you have $500. Look for Nike and Adidas sneakers that you can flip for a profit of $80 to $100 per pair.
Keep flipping shoes within this range, but don’t touch your profits yet. Instead, save your earnings so that you can quickly move up to flipping shoes that cost upward of $1,000.
With this much capital, you can start exploring limited edition designs and sneaker collaborations. Most shoes within this price range sell for a profit of $100 to $500, depending on the exclusivity of your pair.
After tapping into the $1,000 sneaker aftermarket, stay within that price range until you secure sufficient funds to flip multiple pairs simultaneously. Don’t move up to hyper-rare, five-digit shoes until you start making at least $10,000.
Get Cash for Your Kicks
Anyone can make easy money selling their extra sneakers. If you set flexible prices and don’t mind getting less than what you asked for, you’ll get your first offer in just a few minutes.
However, if you want to turn a profit by flipping shoes, you’ll need to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset. Treat your shoe-selling project as a business.
Invest in shoes that hold value over time, spot limited edition pieces that sell higher than their SRP, and scour various shoe reselling eCommerce platforms for the best deals.
Also, don’t limit yourself to just one or two pairs. Instead, focus on how you can scale your shoe flipping project from a side hustle idea to a full-time business venture.
Aidan has been writing about personal finance for over 6 years. Prior to this, he worked as a Corporate Finance Analyst where he specialized in Due Diligence, Company Valuations and more. He is a CFA charterholder.
