eBay vs. Poshmark vs. Facebook Marketplace: Where to Sell Your Goodwill Bins Finds
You’ve sourced the item, scanned the comps, and cleaned it up. Now comes the question that decides whether you actually make money: where do you sell it?
New resellers often default to whichever platform they already have an account on, list everything there, and wonder why some items sit for weeks while others fly off the shelf. The real answer is that eBay, Poshmark, and Facebook Marketplace behave very differently - different fees, different buyers, different categories that perform well.
If you haven’t nailed down your sourcing and scanning workflow yet, read how to scan items at the Goodwill Bins first. This guide picks up right where that one leaves off - once the item is in your hands, here’s how to decide where it sells best.
👉 Free Download: The Goodwill Bins Reseller Checklist - because the selling side only pays off if the sourcing side is dialed in too.
1. Fee Comparison
Fees eat into margin fast, and they’re structured very differently across platforms.
| Platform | Selling fee | Payment processing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| eBay | ~13.25% final value fee on most categories | Included in final value fee | Fee drops slightly above $7,500 per item |
| Poshmark | Flat $2.95 on sales under $15; 20% on sales $15+ | Included | No separate listing fee |
| Facebook Marketplace | Free for local, in-person sales | N/A for cash/local | 5% fee (min. $0.40) only if you ship via Marketplace checkout |
What this means in practice: a $50 sale nets you roughly $43 on eBay, $40 on Poshmark, and the full $50 on Facebook Marketplace if sold locally for cash. Facebook wins on fees every time - but only for buyers willing to meet up in person, which limits your pool significantly.
2. Best Categories Per Platform
Not every item performs the same everywhere. Matching the item to the platform is often worth more than the fee difference.
eBay:
- Best for anything with a barcode or clear comp history - electronics, books, board games, name-brand kitchenware
- Best reach for vintage and collectible clothing (see our guide on vintage clothing at the Goodwill Bins)
- The largest overall buyer pool, so anything niche or hard-to-place usually finds a buyer eventually
Poshmark:
- Built specifically for fashion - clothing, shoes, and accessories perform best here
- Strong for mid-range and premium brands (Lululemon, Nike, Coach, Kate Spade)
- Weaker for anything outside fashion - don’t bother listing kitchenware or electronics here
Facebook Marketplace:
- Best for heavy or bulky items where shipping cost would kill your margin - cast iron, furniture, large toys, appliances
- Strong for local, fast-turnover items where buyers want something today, not in five days
- Works well for lower-value items that aren’t worth the time to photograph and ship properly
For a full breakdown of which categories are worth sourcing in the first place, see The Best Items to Resell from the Goodwill Bins.
3. Listing Speed
Time is money once you’re sourcing regularly, and listing speed varies a lot between platforms.
- Poshmark is the fastest for clothing - snap a few photos, use their guided listing flow, and you’re done in under 3 minutes for straightforward items
- eBay takes longer per listing since you’re writing a full title, description, and item specifics - but its listing tools save templates, which speeds up repeat categories
- Facebook Marketplace is fast for simple items but slower if you’re trying to write a compelling description - most buyers there are price-driven, not detail-driven
A practical workflow: batch-photograph everything from a single trip in one sitting, then list across platforms in category batches (all clothing on Poshmark, all books/electronics on eBay, all heavy items on Facebook) rather than jumping between platforms item by item.
4. Buyer Behaviour Differences
Each platform attracts a different type of buyer, and understanding that changes how you price and describe things.
- eBay buyers are comparison shoppers - they check Sold Listings before buying, so your price needs to be competitive with recent comps, not just “what you hope to get”
- Poshmark buyers respond well to bundling and “offers” - Poshmark’s built-in offer/counter-offer system means listing slightly above your target price and expecting negotiation is normal
- Facebook Marketplace buyers want speed and simplicity - long descriptions and haggling over small amounts are common; expect lowball messages and don’t take them personally
Knowing this in advance saves you from underpricing on Poshmark (where negotiation is expected) or overwriting a Facebook listing that buyers will skim in five seconds anyway.
5. When to Cross-List
Cross-listing - putting the same item on multiple platforms at once - can multiply your sell-through rate, but it comes with a real risk: selling the same item twice.
Good candidates for cross-listing:
- Fashion items with broad appeal (list on both Poshmark and eBay)
- Anything mid-value ($20–$75) where the extra exposure is worth the tracking effort
Not worth cross-listing:
- Very low-value items - the time cost of managing multiple listings exceeds the benefit
- Anything you can only make one of, if you’re not disciplined about marking items sold everywhere the moment they move
The rule that prevents double-selling: the second you get a sale notification anywhere, immediately delete or mark “sold” on every other listing for that item - before you do anything else, including packaging.
6. A Simple Decision Framework
When you’re not sure where something belongs, run through this quickly:
- Is it fashion (clothing, shoes, accessories)? → Poshmark first, eBay as backup for vintage/collectible pieces
- Does it have a barcode, model number, or clear comp history? → eBay
- Is it heavy, bulky, or low-value enough that shipping doesn’t make sense? → Facebook Marketplace
- Is it valuable, collectible, or niche? → eBay, for the widest buyer pool and best comp data
- Do you need cash fast and don’t mind a lower price? → Facebook Marketplace, local pickup, same day
This isn’t a rigid rule - plenty of experienced resellers break it depending on their local market - but it’s a solid default while you’re building experience across all three platforms.
The Lowdown
There’s no single “best” platform - the right one depends on the item, and knowing the difference is worth real money over time.
- eBay wins on reach, comp data, and anything with a barcode or collectible value
- Poshmark wins on speed and buyer fit for fashion specifically
- Facebook Marketplace wins on zero fees for local sales and heavy/bulky items
- Match the item to the platform rather than defaulting to whichever app you open first
- Cross-list selectively - and mark items sold everywhere the moment they move
- Buyer expectations differ - price for negotiation on Poshmark, comps on eBay, speed on Facebook
Once you’ve sold across all three a few times, you’ll stop thinking about it consciously - you’ll just know where a pair of Hokas belongs versus a stack of textbooks versus a cast iron skillet.
The selling side only works as well as the sourcing side feeding it. Grab the free checklist below to make sure your trips are as dialed-in as your listings.
👉 Free Download: The Goodwill Bins Reseller Checklist
