Letgo is one of the biggest and fastest-growing apps for buying and selling locally, and it makes it easy to sell what you don’t need and find great deals nearby. Thus, Letgo is a platform for selling and buying secondhand stuff locally.
The big question is whether this is just advert-speak or whether Letgo is really worthwhile for selling stuff you no longer need and getting great deals on stuff that others are letting go of.
That is, as a Seller on the platform can you really use Letgo to sell your items? Does it offer top services that you’ll want from the ideal selling app (such as good traffic, easy listing, low fees, effective customer support service, etc)?
Yes, of course, Letgo is legit. It is one of the most popular platforms online and definitely not a scam. You will receive any product you purchased from the store without a problem. But…continue reading to know more!
Top 5 Most Popular Fashion Stores Online:
Also, as a Buyer in the platform, can you really use Letgo to buy needed items? Does it offer top services that you’ll want from the ideal buying app (such as ease of use, a range of products, reasonable pricing, easy and fast delivery, easy returns, effective customer support service, etc)?
This Letgo review will examine Letgo in order to provide the information that will help you answer these questions and more.
Letgo is an app-focused selling platform launched in 2015 by Alec Oxenford. It advertises with the tagline “Live & Letgo”. It explains this saying that your old bookshelf could be someone else’s new bookshelf, and someone else’s record collection could be your new dinner party playlists, etc. Thus, after living with those stuff of yours, you should let them go, so they can become someone else’s.
That said; Letgo comes out as a destination for buying and selling pre-owned items. Letgo itself says the platform was created to help make secondhand second nature by making it quicker, simpler, and more fun.
Since buying and selling take place in Letgo, it is simply an online marketplace. This means Letgo itself does not ‘sell’ anything. Letgo is simply a platform where independent users come as either sellers or buyers. The listings in the platform are posted by independent persons like you using the platform as “Sellers”.
However, Letgo differs from many of the e-marketplaces you’ll find on the internet. This is because the only services that Letgo offers are: posting of listing by a Seller; browsing of listings and discovering an item by a Buyer; and chat between a listing’s poster and the interested buyer.
Thus, Letgo is only a marketplace in that it is a place that connects Sellers and Buyers. However, transactions happen outside of Letgo. After discovering an item, you can communicate with its seller; and if a deal is reached, both parties will arrange a face-to-face meeting for the exchange and payment. Thus, unlike in many other online marketplaces, there is no in-app payment system, and the Seller won’t be shipping the item to you.
There is no denying that people are still getting ripped off on the web. Thus, before using any online platform, it’s wise to determine that it is legit. The big question here is therefore whether Letgo is legit. The simple answer to that is “YES”.
Our first check of a legit online platform is legality. This is because online platforms that are backed by 100% legal companies are less likely to be scams. Interestingly, Letgo ticks this box. It was incorporated in The Netherlands as Letgo USA B.V. and has its registered offices in Gustav Mahlerplein 5, 1082 MS Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Suffice it to say that scam online platforms do not bother with company incorporation.
Another check of a legit online platform is visibility and industry-wide recognition. This is because the scam platforms operate mostly in the shadows. Interestingly, Letgo ticks this box. At one point in 2017, it was recognized as the fastest growing app in the US; and has over 10 million downloads of the app since its launch. Letgo has also seen different rounds of funding from top financing institutions. Suffice it to say that a scam platform will not be trusted by millions of followers or earn investment from investors.
Another check of a legit online platform is the test of time. This is because the scam platforms are usually short-lived. In this era of fast communication, scams are discovered in no time; and with such exposure, the platform usually shuts down. Interestingly, Letgo ticks this box, as it was established in 2015. Though, it is about 5 years of existence is relatively young; suffice it to say that a scam platform cannot go on for half a decade.
However, the ultimate check of a legit platform is fitness for purpose. The purpose of an eCommerce platform is to allow Sellers to list their items and sell them, and to allow buyers to discover items and buy them. Interestingly, Letgo ticks this box. If you have anything to let go, you can list it for sale in Letgo and you’ll get interests from persons nearby; also if you need to make purchases, in Letgo you’ll find persons near you offering stuff.
That said, with Letgo operated by a 100% legal company, by not operating in the shadows, and for having almost half a decade operating record of connecting Sellers and Buyers for the trade of pre-owned items, there is no doubt that it is a legit online selling/buying platform.
When using online platforms it’s not enough that the platform is legit. You’ll share such sensitive data as personal information and credit card details; so you’ll want the platform to be safe in ensuring the protection of sensitive data that you share with it.
In this regards, Letgo says it maintains administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to ensure protection of users’ data. One of such is the use of SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) technology, which is the industry standard for ensuring protection of data transmitted in the internet. With the use of SSL technology amongst other measures, it is safe to say that Letgo is safe.
You’ll definitely want to know what you can list for sale in a marketplace, or what you can expect to find for purchase. The good news is that Letgo supports a wide range of products – just about everything.
The product categories that you’ll find are: Cars; Housing; Electronics; Motor Cycles and Other Vehicles; Sports, Leisure and Games; Home and Garden; Movies, Books and Music; Fashion and Accessories; Baby and Child; Other, Jobs and Services
Location! Location!! Location!!! Sellers know that where their store is sited is a strong determinant of success. In the same vein, when considering an online marketplace to list your items for sale, to have any success, it’ll have to be where the items can be seen. Thus, one of the first things to look out for in a marketplace is its reach.
Thankfully, Letgo ticks this box. It has millions of users. Thus, there may be no better place to list your pre-owned items where they will be seen especially be thousands of persons nearby.
To sell in any online platform, you’ll have to list your items for sale. Thus, you’ll want the process to be as easy as possible.
In this regards, Letgo says its tagline about making selling easy isn’t a joke. As such it makes it possible to list an item in less than 60 seconds. It’s advertising that it is as easy as snap, post, chat and sell.
If you are ready to let go and sell any of your pre-loved items, you can start by downloading the Letgo app. Opening the app, you’ll find a “Sell Your Stuff” button; click this to get started. The camera will open; and you can either select a picture of your item from the camera roll or snap a new picture of your item. Then hit “Post”.
You can then proceed to set the price for your item; then click “Done”. You’ll then be prompted to select a category for your item. Select the category that best fits your listing, or select “other” category. After that, you should be greeted with “Congratulations! Your listing has been posted”. You can then click “Post another item” if you have other items to sell, or click “Add more details” to give a detailed description of the item posted. To have success, you should add more details. This is where you can add more photos (up to 5) of your item showing the item from different angles; it’s also where you can add a product title and a detailed description. Buyers generally want to view a couple of product images, and a detailed description to help with their buy decision.
Letgo also supports video listing, which is also relatively easy. After clicking the “Sell Your Stuff”, select a category then tap “video”. Record your video which should be between 3 and 15 seconds, then click “Done” or “Next”. You can then proceed to enter details of the listing, and then hit the “Post” button.
However, in Letgo, listings expire after 30 days. After posting your item, it’ll fall down the feed with time, but after 30 days, it’ll expire and disappear. Thus, if your item has not sold, you may want to list it again after 30 days.
If your item is posted in Letgo; all you have to do is wait until someone who sees it and is interested chats you up. The communication between you (the seller) and the interested buyer will usually be to agree on a price and to schedule a meeting for the exchange.
Remember that in the regular online marketplace, an important consideration is shipping – that’s how you’ll deliver items to customers who place orders for them. However, Letgo discourages its sellers from shipping their items to buyers. Rather, it strongly encourages Sellers and Buyers to meet in person to exchange the item and cash payment.
If the communication is positive; then you meet with the interested person as arranged; the buyer can then physically inspect the item, and the exchange takes place (you give the buyer the product and collect payment).
Another important consideration when checking online marketplaces is fees. Marketplaces generally charge fees. However, you’ll want these to be as low as possible; because fees can easily eat into your profits, especially if you want to price your items low for them to remain competitive.
In this regards, Letgo shines brightly. First, Letgo can be used for free – 100%. That is, you won’t have to pay to list items in the platform. Interestingly, you also will not be charged sellers’ commission. Know that typically “free” selling platforms are free until a sale is made; but when a sale is made, the platform will proceed to charge a percentage of the sales amount as a commission. However, Letgo is truly free, as it does not take any percentage of its users’ sales.
However, Letgo offers some in-app purchases which will give your listings more visibility. However, such featured listings are optional.
Letgo has some special features to make the platform even easier for selling your items. This includes the Letgo Reveal, Letgo Bot, and more
This special feature makes the process of listing items in Letgo super easy. When listing an item, one problem you’ll face is how much you’ll price your item. You’ll want to get the most for any item that you want to sell, but this can easily make you overprice it making the item hard to sell. Also, if you list items for sale in an eCommerce platform, you’ll want a sale as soon as possible. Letgo Reveal is designed primarily to solve these.
It uses real-time image recognition technology and artificial intelligence. You only have to take a picture of your item, and Letgo Reveal will immediately furnish you how much the item is worth and how soon you are likely to sell it. It draws its suggestions using data from similar listings in the platform.
Normally to set your price, you’ll do a little research to know how much similar items are priced in the platform. The Letgo Reveal feature automatically does this research for you, and the result is a suggested selling price and expectations on how long it might take to close the deal.
One problem with free listings is that the item can easily drop down the feed as more items are listed. Thus, before long your item may become difficult to find. This is one problem that the Letgo selling bot (Emma) was launched to solve.
Emma is just the name of a selling bot whose purpose is to help sellers sell faster in the platform. Thus, one of the things that Emma does is reposting your listings to give them more visibility. It’ll also message you occasionally with tips for selling faster.
ALSO READ: JJ’s House Review – Is Legit or Scam?
This is one of the optional in-app purchases of Letgo. This is also to combat the problem of your listing falling down the feeds and becoming hard to see. If you buy a featured listing, Letgo will put your listing at the top of the feeds for a period, giving you more visibility, and more sales.
The complaints section is always a part of our reviews because what real persons that have used (or still using) a platform have to say about it gives a real insight into how worthwhile the platform is. Very few complaints could mean that the platform is worthwhile, while too many complaints could mean otherwise.
That said, for the complaints section we checked the top independent online customers’ reviews platform such as Trustpilot and Sitejabber. Unfortunately, Letgo is not highly rated in these platforms. For example, at the time of writing this review, in Trustpilot, Letgo had been reviewed by 224 users, scoring 1.3 out of 5; and in Sitejabber, it had been reviewed by 794 users, scoring 1.5 out of 5.
The poor ratings tell you that there are many complaints. The seller-related complaints included: buyer’s fake interest, low balling buyers, no-show buyers, and more
A few Sellers complained about Letgo taking down their posts or accounts saying that rules have been broken when they (the Seller) cannot see how any rule has been broken. For example:
One Sellers’ complaint that was popular is that many buyers show fake interest in the listing, but do not follow through. For example:
Another complaint that was common is that many buyers will make you “insulting offers” for your items. For example:
There were just too many of this complaint that it comes out as a real problem you’ll face as a Seller. Granted, anywhere price negotiations are allowed (even in brick and mortar stores), you’ll find some customers that’ll make underwhelming offers.
However, this is something that Letgo can easily fix by setting caps. For example, we’ve seen a selling app that does not allow customers to make an offer below 75% of the listed price.
Another complaint that’s popular among the Sellers of Letgo is that many times after arranging to meet with a Buyer, the buyer does not turn up. For example:
Yet another complaint is that there are many phoney buyers in the platform – that is persons claiming to be buyers who are just there to scam unsuspecting sellers. For example:
It should be said that this is not something peculiar to Letgo. In virtually every online marketplace out there you’ll find scammers masquerading as buyers. However, it’ll seem that they populate Letgo.
In this regards, Letgo strongly warns against shipping your item to anyone, knowing that dishonest persons will refuse to honour whatever agreement was received (in terms of sending payment) after receipt of the item.
There are pros and cons of selling in Letgo. They are as follows:
When using any online platform, you don’t want the headaches. Thus, the ideal platform should be easy-to-use. In this regard, Letgo sings ease of use for not only Sellers but also for Buyers. Letgo is app-focused and has dedicated apps for Android and iOS devices. If you use other devices (such as a Windows phone) you can make use of the website instead. The website is mobile-optimized, so you’ll get an optimal mobile shopping experience whether you’re buying using the website or the apps.
You can easily discover great deals. Like you’ll do in any online marketplace, explore the different categories or browse the main feeds. Alternatively, you can use the search bar (the magnifying glass icon); simply type in some keyword, and it will call up listings related to your search enquiry.
When you discover an item that you like, click on it to open its description page. You can then start a chat with the Seller using the text field at the bottom of the page. Chatting with the seller, you can negotiate, and then arrange a meeting place to carry out the exchange.
If you like a listing but have not decided on its purchase, you can add it to your favourite until you’re ready. Favoriting an item simply makes it easy to call it up in the future. Also, the Seller will be notified that you’ve added their listing to your favourites, but the Seller won’t be able to contact you until you choose to start a conversation.
Interestingly, Letgo allows buyers to write reviews of Sellers. So when browsing listings you can view customers’ reviews of the particular seller to know if the seller is perceived as a good seller.
When making purchases, you’ll want prices that are as low as possible. So the ideal shopping destination should feature prices that are perceived as reasonable. Thankfully, Letgo ticks this box. This is especially as the site focuses on secondhand selling and buying.
You’ll find really good prices for listings in almost every product category. Then you can chat with the Seller and negotiate a lower price. Interestingly, the records show that many buyers who negotiate are able to get a lower price.
Even sweeter, you’ll be able to get free stuff in Letgo. In fact, Letgo encourages persons to give stuff away for free. If you no longer have a need for an item, what way to let it go than gifting it to someone!
One argument for the online purchase is that it makes purchases easy. However, Letgo differs from the regular online marketplaces where payments are made online.
Letgo provides a platform where users advertise and search for a variety of items. Interaction and negotiations also happen in the in-app chat feature but exchanging and payment is the sole responsibility of the parties involved, and these happen outside Letgo.
This means that you can choose a payment method that is convenient for you. In this regard, Letgo strongly advises against transferring funds or using credit cards or checks to pay anyone in advance. Rather, Letgo strongly advises COD (Cash on Delivery) transactions.
If you make a purchase in the regular eCommerce platforms, the seller will have to ship the item to the shipping address you submitted. Thus, the typical considerations are: whether the platform ships merchandise to your location (shipping destinations), how long it’ll take the items to arrive (delivery times), and how much it’ll cost (shipping cost).
However, the considerations are a little different from Letgo. This is because Letgo is about discovering an item nearby and meeting in person with the seller for the exchange. Thus, the delivery considerations will relate to the place and time of the meeting.
For this, Letgo advises that meetings should be done in public places; and that if possible you should be there with someone else. Safety first! However, know that some Sellers in Letgo are usually willing to come to you.
One of the arguments against online purchases is that online purchase is characterized by “blind purchase”. That is, online purchases do not give buyers the opportunity to physically assess the item before completing the purchase and making payment. As a result, many times buyers receive their order and find that it is something they wouldn’t have bought had they assessed it beforehand.
This is a real concern; and for this, online shoppers gravitate towards online stores that allow buyers to return an item that is not totally satisfactory (and get a replacement or a refund of payment).
Unfortunately, Letgo does not allow returns. But the good news is that “blind purchase” which characterizes online purchases are eliminated in Letgo. Letgo strongly advertises that you (the buyer) inspect the item seriously before making payment. Letgo also advises that you should test items to ensure that they work properly; it adds that for certain items (such as cards, etc) it’ll be important to consult third-party sources to determine the authenticity and functionality of the items.
However, if your checks are insufficient, or you buy an item that you find to be overwhelmingly unsatisfactory, Letgo will have no remedies for you. This also means that if you are scammed by a seller, you are on your own.
It’s not news that it may not be easy to discover the right deal. Thankfully, Letgo helps in this regard with its “search alerts”. With search alerts activated you’ll get notifications of listings that match your search. It’s also very easy to activate. Simply enter a keyword into the search bar; then ensure that the toggle at the top of the app is set to red.
Letgo allows users to activate up to 10 search alerts. After that, each search alert will replace the oldest one. You can turn off these notifications at any time.
Just as we did in the Selling section, we also check for buyers’ complaints as this will give insight as to whether it is worthwhile to buy in Letgo. Unfortunately, one reason for the poor rating of Letgo in the independent online customers’ reviews platforms is because of numerous buyers’ complaints. These included: finding too many ads, finding long-dated and poor listings,
One complaint found is that you may have to sieve through numerous ads before you find anything you want. For example:
Another complaint found is that many of the listings are at best vague – not having the essential information that a buyer will need in making the buy decision. For example:
It should be said that Letgo focuses strongly on the easy listing. Sellers don’t even have to write a title, as the app’s image recognition feature will suggest a title. As such, you’ll find many listings with a very scanty title and description.
Another complaint you’ll find is that there are some persons on the platform masquerading as sellers just to rip off unsuspecting buyers. For example:
It should be said that this is not peculiar to Letgo. In virtually every online selling platform, you’ll find these elements. However, it seems the problem is popular in Letgo, and that can be because Letgo in its bid to be “an easy to sell” app does not do any serious seller verification.
There are pros and cons of buying in Letgo. They are as follows:
There’ll definitely be persons who’ll have questions, and there’ll be others that’ll have one issue or the order. So the ideal online platform should have an effective customer support service for answering the questions or resolving the issues that its users will have.
The online platforms provide assistance using a combination of self-help resources and direct-contact support. Letgo does likewise.
In its “Help Ceter”, you’ll find a link to an FAQ page that holds answers to many of the questions that users have asked in the past. The subjects covered include: Getting Started, Your Account, Using Letgo, Known Issues, Trust & Safety, Messaging, Selling on Letgo, Buying on Letgo, and Tech Support & bug reports.
However, if you’ll rather directly contact a rep of the company, Letgo supports postal mail, email, and telephone service. US users can address their letters to P.O. Box 924, New York, NY 10014. We all know the slow feedback that plagues postal mail, so the email may be a better choice; the email address to send your submissions is info@letgo.com. However, if you’ll rather get instant feedback, you can pick up your phone and call: 347-433-8912.
You may also like: AliExpress Review – Is Legit or Scam?
Letgo is a legitimate eCommerce platform primarily for buying and selling of secondhand stuff locally. It says its mission is to make such secondhand second nature by making it quicker, simpler, and more fun. To a large extent, Letgo lives up to this.
For example, when using Letgo as a Seller, you’ll find that it is super-easy to list your items. With the Letgo Reveal feature, listing items is basically a matter of snap and post – a title and price will be suggested, which you can use. Also, Letgo can be used absolutely for free; there are no fees to list, and there is no collection of a portion of your sales as a commission/ seller’s fee.
Granted, fees are charged for a premium listing, but these are optional. You can sell without paying any fees. Also, you may not spend anything to deliver the item; because Letgo allows for Buyer and Seller to arrange to meet for the exchange.
However, the road of “selling in Letgo” is not without bumps. With Buyers allowed to negotiate; expect some “insulting” offers. Also, Sellers complain of too many cases of fake-interest buyers (who’ll show interest in a listing but not follow up).
There’re also many cases of Buyers not showing up after a meeting is arranged. Then as you’ll find in virtually every marketplace, expect to find some scammers (their stories always have something in common – ship what you’re selling and we’ll send your payment).
When using Letgo as a Buyer, there are some things to like about it. You may like that it supports a wide range of products and services, which includes clothing, electronics, cars, real estate, and even services (handymen, etc).
You may also like that it is super easy to use, especially in discovering the right deal. Also, pricing is generally fine; and you can chat up with the seller to get a lower price. You may even find great stuff for free.
However, it’s also not all smooth sailing. As said earlier, the app invests heavily in making listing easy. This comes at some cost to Buyers.
There’s hardly any serious verification done; so you may have to sieve through many “worthless” listings and duplicate listings. Also, you’ll find many listings lacking in details (such as one product picture, and one or two worded product descriptions).
If you’ll rather push buttons, and have your items delivered to your door. Letgo is not the buying app for you. This is because you’ll have to arrange a meeting in person (usually in a public place) with the Seller for the exchange. Crucially, Letgo does not support returns for any reason.
So, if you find out after closing a deal that your item is not as expected, there’ll be no remedies whatsoever for you. Then also, expect to find some scamming Sellers (no matter how they come, there’ll always be something like “send your payment or an advance before a meeting can be arranged or you can receive the item”).
If you're looking for where to buy CBD based products with ease, this PureKana review…
Hostwinds is a web host that has been in operation since 2010. They provide shared…
Zodiac Casino, renowned for its unique astrology-themed gaming experience, offers players a celestial journey through…
Romwe is an online fashion store that was started in 2010. It says that its…
Spin Station is one of the best online casinos at the moment. They offer many…
This HD 600 is a powerful, hi-fi/professional, audiophile-grade and open dynamic stereo headphone. Its advanced…