8 Apps to Up Your Thrifting Game
A list of the best apps to browse secondhand items online as alternatives to Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for finding thrifty deals.
My idea of a perfect date is strolling the aisles of the thrift store. Or taking long morning walks at a community yard sale. Thrifting is almost literally my love language.
But since Robert loves picking through “old junk” right along with me, I know I’ve found my soul mate in that aspect (among many others).
Now that we’re in the baby phase though, getting out and about to thrift store hop isn’t quiiiiite as easy as say… scrolling through online listings right from our couch to browse all of the secondhand goodies instead.
Then last weekend, while I was sharing some yard sale shopping tips on my Instagram Stories, a couple of y’all mentioned to me some of your favorite yard sale navigating apps.
And it sent me down this glorious rabbit hole of ALL of the thrifting apps that make shopping yard sales, estate sales, and online secondhand listings a MILLION times easier. Honestly, this could be really dangerous for me. Haha!
But if you love the thrill of the chase to find all of the used decor and castoff furniture out there just waiting for a paint job or a second chance, I’ve done tons of research on reviews to round up all of the best apps for thrift browsing right from home as alternatives to Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace.
Some of them I’ve used quite a bit (and scored some great deals from); some are really new to me. But all of them are highly rated and will vary in listing volume depending on their popularity in your city.
1. Yard Sale Treasure Map
Use this app before the weekend to scout out your best routes at the best yard sales in your area. It is a paid app ($4.99), but if you like to scout out yard sales regularly, the app helps you optimize your shopping day to save time and gas, which can pay for itself.
Tip: The app pulls information from Craigslist ads though, so it’s still somewhat limited if yard sellers list on other platforms like Facebook to advertise their yard sales instead.
2. EstateSales.net
Similarly to Yard Sale Treasure Map, this app helps you navigate all of the estate sales, moving sales, and auctions in your area to plan your perfect route. And it’s free!
Tip: Some users have reported an app glitch that causes it to crash sometimes. Make sure your phone is updated to optimize it.
3. OfferUp
I’ve used this app as an alternative to Craigslist lately and love it!
I find it’s much easier to message and negotiate with sellers than it is through Craigslist, and you can save items to folders, if you want to keep an eye on them or come back to them later. You can give buyers/sellers you work with a star-system rating, based on your experience, so people are held accountable for being on time, communicative, friendly, and reliable in the selling/buying of an item.
I’ve scored our vintage bentwood chairs and breakfast nook chandelier so far and had a great experience with both.
Tip: The downside is there are ads mingled in with the listings, so that can be distracting, but since the app is free, I’m not complaining at all.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
4. LetGo
This one is really similar to OfferUp, but I like that the photos are larger when scrolling on the marketplace, and you can “favorite” items with one click instead of having to click through individual listings. I do wish prices were visible on the first screen though to make browsing through listings even faster.
Tip: Just like with any buy/sell site, beware of scammers. The “free items” category is apparently risky in that aspect.
5. 5Miles
This app is like if LetGo and eBay had a baby. It allows you to search local classifieds to buy items like you would on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. But it also has a “Dash” feature and Lightning Deals that allow you to bid on new items at a deep discount.
Tip: If you’re a seller, beware that you have to pay to boost items you post. To me, the auction type feature of this app is overwhelming, but it’s still rather new to me, so maybe that just takes some getting used to.
6. VarageSale
Every feature on this app is free, unlike some of the others that have extra bells and whistles you have to upgrade to use. It’s a virtual garage sale app that allows people to buy and sell items within their communities. Everyone goes through a review process before being allowed to buy or list items to help cut down on scammers.
Tip: Ads run on this app, which can be somewhat distracting. But if it’s a totally free app, I get it. They have to make their money from somewhere to keep it running. (There are ads on my own blog to keep things running, after all.)
7. EBTH (Everything But The House)
I LOVE this app for all kinds of vintage/antique finds that you normally wouldn’t find in such great condition on other secondhand sites. It’s like an online auction-style estate consignment sale. You can bid on items similarly to eBay.
Tip: Beware that shipping can be pricey, depending on the item and your location, since EBTH acts as a third-party seller in various cities that may not be local to you.
8. Nextdoor
We use this app mainly for announcements within our neighborhood, but it’s a great place to search for yard sales and curb alerts in your own community. And bonus: you can get to know some of your neighbors better.
Tip: This app has a lot going on, so I wouldn’t use it as my only source for finding yard sales / estate sales. But it’s great to take advantage of secondhand shopping as close to home as possible.
Now that we’re nearing a new declutter season with back-to-school in full swing and everyone gearing up to get their homes ready before the holidays, now is the perfect time to dive into them to find the good stuff.
I hope it helps make your treasure hunting search even more fun!
If you want to save this post for later, you can pin it here:
