Is OfferUp a scam?
OfferUp itself is a legitimate marketplace, not a scam. But recent reviewers say it is heavily populated with scammers and dishonest sellers, that reporting them produces no action, and that some in-app ads are themselves deceptive, including fake malware warnings. Buy and sell with the usual marketplace caution.
There's too many scammers and dishonest people on this app. Be careful. OfferUp doesn't do anything about it when you report scammers and dishonest sellers. And it's slow to navigate around on this app.
24
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Is OfferUp safe to buy and sell on?
It can be, with precautions. Experienced reviewers advise meeting in a public place with a witness, never sharing your home address, and ignoring messages that push you to an outside "checkout" link, which they say almost always signal a scam. Reviewers report scammers and porch-pirate-style behaviour as the main risks.
Its a very good app, I've had much success with it. unfortunately there's people out there who are far less than honest. caution to all, be very careful with your home address, if possible when buying or selling meet in public places and have a witness or two. shady names usually are shady people. People that push hard for your home address are usually ill intended criminals. Lastly ' porch pirates love this app!
2
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Why does OfferUp have so many ads now?
Ads are the dominant recent complaint. Reviewers report full-screen autoplaying video ads with sound, ads appearing inside the message inbox, ads roughly every several posts while scrolling, and ad close buttons that open a website or the Play Store instead. Several say the free app is close to unusable because of it.
HOLY MOLY THESE ADS ARE OBNOXIOUS! Seriously I've never used an app with more intrusive unskippable loud ads. Full volume autoplay, look at one item and get an ad, fake sponsored items everywhere and ads that lead you to sketchy websites. AVOID IF YOU VALUE YOUR PRIVACY.
17
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Do I have to pay to sell on OfferUp?
You can list for free, but many reviewers feel that free listings now get little visibility and that you are pushed to pay to promote items. Reviewers who bought a promotion or subscription frequently say it delivered very few extra views, and some believe listings are throttled unless you pay.
Absolute rip-off. Do not waste your money on their premium subscription. I paid for their premium service specifically to get more views and visibility on my listings. Instead, I upload items and barely get two views within 48 hours. It is completely unacceptable to pay every month for a feature that does absolutely nothing to help sell your items. They are taking your money and delivering zero results. I am canceling my subscription immediately. Save your hard-earned cash. Screw ou.
3
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Why is OfferUp search not showing what I search for, or showing items far away?
Reviewers report search returning unrelated results, and the location or radius resetting on its own so results appear from hours away even after confirming a zip code. Several say the app changes the search location without being asked.
Location radius is pointless. You will set it to 10-15 miles- It'll even CONFIRM the zip code that you're searching in- and it'll always show you results hours away. Also, the ads are out of control. It's one thing to have ads spread out the app, but the random pop-ups when you're trying to navigate the app is so excessive.
5
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Why is the OfferUp app so slow or crashing?
A cluster of reviewers reports the app bogging down within minutes of use, freezing, crashing on opening a listing, and resetting to the home screen whenever you switch apps and come back, forcing you to find your place again. Older devices are mentioned as hit hardest.
BEWARE: SLOW -- Gets bogged down within mins of use, to the point of Uselessness or Crashing. Always Lose your place / resets to starting point with any deviation 👎 Too many "Similar to you interest Alert" Notifications that are Not & actual offer msgs don't Notify! Keyword search needs much Improvement - All the new audio/ video Ads aren't enticing- they're annoying & stall / ruin performance. Doesn't anyone there test this app with an average phone : updates don't fix anything.
13
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Why do sellers on OfferUp never respond, and why are listings so old?
Reviewers say OfferUp does not expire inactive listings, so search is cluttered with items years old whose sellers no longer use the app, and that many listings show no date. The result is a lot of unanswered messages to abandoned accounts.
Decent place to sell & buy. One very annoying inconvenience is the app won't take down inactive posts/profiles. You reach out to someone about a product & since they haven't received a message in so long, they probably don't even have the app anymore. This is fairly common and a waste of time on the buyers part. Perhaps take down posts if the seller does not respond within a certain amount of time? I have messages from over a year ago still never opened.
3
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Did an OfferUp update remove features like making an offer or seeing existing chats?
An August 2026 update drew complaints that it removed the ability to make an offer and to see at a glance whether you had already messaged a seller. Reviewers also ask for the ability to block a business and all its listings. These are recent, reviewer-reported changes.
The update removed the ability to make an offer, as well as, the ability to glance and see if you already messaged the person. 08/06/26 Who authorized this update? Someone who never uses the app I bet. CAN YOU FIX THIS ISSUE. JUST LET US BLOCK A SELLER AND ALL THEIR ITEMS. I like the idea of offer up, however, it is really annoying when businesses put all of their 400 items on display. They overshadow the posts of everyday people selling their items..
2
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Answers above are generated from real Google Play reviews of OfferUp Buy & Sell Marketplace, not editorial opinion.