Gumtree alternatives UK: an honest comparison

What are you trying to change?

You are probably trying to change Gumtree’s buyer charge, the risk a buyer does not show, or a classified advert that is not an in-app order. The checked payments page lists no seller transaction cost and a buyer charge of £0.70 plus 5%–10%, with delivery additional. A collection code is described for eligible adverts, not as a feature of every listing. See Vinted alternatives and Facebook Marketplace alternatives for the neighbouring searches.

How do seller cost, postage and handover compare?

Compare the row, not a slogan. Every competitor cell is a checked official summary, or it says Not stated, and the note under the table has the full sentence plus the official URL. SilentSale® is last so the page does not put us first.

1. Gumtree’s online payments guidance lists no seller transaction costs and a buyer charge of £0.70 plus 5%–10%, depending on the item. Delivery is additional for the buyer. https://www.gumtree.com/info/safety/p/payments/how-fees-and-selling-costs-are-charged/
2. Gumtree offers online payment for delivery-enabled eligible items up to £250. https://www.gumtree.com/info/safety/p/payments/how-payments-work-for-items-eligible-for-delivery-on-gumtree/
3. Gumtree’s buyer protection policy requires payment through its checkout and requires buyers to report issues through My Orders within 48 hours of confirmed delivery. https://www.gumtree.com/info/safety/p/trust-safety/buying/buyer-protection-policy/
4. Gumtree also describes collection with online payment: the seller enters the buyer’s six-digit Collection Code to complete the transaction and release funds. Check availability on the actual advert. https://www.gumtree.com/info/safety/p/payments/how-payments-work-for-items-eligible-for-delivery-on-gumtree/
5. Preloved describes no listing or selling charges, with optional account upgrades. https://www.preloved.co.uk/about
6. Preloved’s safety guidance says it does not handle transaction payments. https://www.preloved.co.uk/safesecondhand
7. Meta’s safety guidance says local pickups paid person to person are outside its Purchase Protection. Do not assume checkout features described for other countries apply to a UK deal. https://mydigitalworld.fb.com/ssa/lesson/strategies-for-avoiding-scams/
8. Shpock’s help centre says Buy Now and Shpock Wallet have been discontinued. Older help pages describing those features should not be treated as current checkout options. https://www.shpock.com/en-gb/help/32780362257809

What is Gumtree best for here, and where does it fall short?

Gumtree is best for a local advert when you can accept a buyer charge in exchange for no seller transaction cost on its payments page. The gap on Gumtree is that buyer charge, delivery as an extra, and a collection code that exists only where the advert supports it. That buyer charge is £0.70 plus 5%–10% depending on the item, and delivery is additional. Online payment for delivery is described for eligible items up to £250, issues go through My Orders within 48 hours of confirmed delivery, and collection uses a six-digit code where the advert offers it. Read SilentSale® vs Gumtree and check the advert, because that code is not on every listing.

Gumtree’s online payments guidance lists no seller transaction costs and a buyer charge of £0.70 plus 5%–10%, depending on the item. Delivery is additional for the buyer. Source

Gumtree offers online payment for delivery-enabled eligible items up to £250. Source

Gumtree also describes collection with online payment: the seller enters the buyer’s six-digit Collection Code to complete the transaction and release funds. Check availability on the actual advert. Source

Gumtree’s buyer protection policy requires payment through its checkout and requires buyers to report issues through My Orders within 48 hours of confirmed delivery. Source

What is Preloved best for here, and where does it fall short?

Preloved is best for a classified advert with no listing or selling charge on the page we checked. If you want another classified route beside Gumtree, Preloved also states no listing or selling charges, with a 12-day wait before a free member can reply. It does not handle transaction payments, so postage, a dispute window and in-person acceptance are Not stated. Free members normally wait 12 days to reply, paid members can reply immediately, and business-member adverts are the exception for free members. Read SilentSale® vs Preloved, and do not treat a missing upgrade price as a quoted price.

Preloved describes no listing or selling charges, with optional account upgrades. Source

Preloved’s free membership normally replies after 12 days; paid members can reply immediately. Business-member adverts allow immediate free-member replies too. Source

Preloved’s safety guidance says it does not handle transaction payments. Source

What is Facebook Marketplace best for here, and where does it fall short?

Facebook Marketplace is best for being found by people nearby, which is the local discovery its launch article described. If Gumtree’s buyer charge is the push, Facebook Marketplace does not publish a UK fee on the pages we checked, and that cell is Not stated rather than a claim of zero. Seller cost, buyer cost, postage and a dispute window are Not stated, and this page does not fill them in from other countries. The checked safety guidance says local pickup paid person to person is outside Purchase Protection. Read SilentSale® vs Facebook Marketplace before assuming a UK checkout exists.

Meta’s 2016 launch article introduced Facebook Marketplace as a place to discover, buy and sell with people in your community. Source

Meta’s safety guidance says local pickups paid person to person are outside its Purchase Protection. Do not assume checkout features described for other countries apply to a UK deal. Source

What is Shpock best for here, and where does it fall short?

Shpock is best for browsing items nearby, which is how its download page presents the app. If you want another local app beside Gumtree, Shpock is aimed at your area, and its Buy Now and Wallet checkout is discontinued. Seller cost, buyer cost, postage, a dispute window and an acceptance code are Not stated. Buy Now and Shpock Wallet are discontinued, so an older help page about those features is not a current checkout. Read SilentSale® vs Shpock if you need the payment recorded in the order.

Shpock presents its app as a way to buy and sell in your area. Source

Shpock’s help centre says Buy Now and Shpock Wallet have been discontinued. Older help pages describing those features should not be treated as current checkout options. Source

Where does SilentSale® lose, and when does it fit?

SilentSale® loses on seller cost against Gumtree’s published £0 seller payment charge, and on local reach because it is newer and smaller. It fits when Shipping and an in-person PIN should be two modes of one order. On £10, £25 and £50 each side pays SilentCover® of £0.60, £1.05 and £1.80, so before postage the buyer pays £10.60, £26.05 or £51.80 and the seller receives £9.40, £23.95 or £48.20. The catalogue is smaller because SilentSale® is newer, which you can judge in categories, and there is no postage-free shipping across the marketplace. Courier labels are bought through ShipEngine or Sendcloud at carrier cost, published as live prices by postcode area. PIN Pickup has £0 postage, the PIN is acceptance, and Stripe holds funds until the order completes under SilentCover®.

There are no listing costs. The standard seller contribution to SilentCover® is deducted after a successful sale; review your earnings preview.

SilentCover® is a discretionary protection service under the SilentSale® Terms. Both sides protected equally: buyer and seller each contribute £0.30 + 3% of the item price. Decisions depend on the Terms and evidence.

£10 item: buyer pays £0.60 SilentCover®, seller pays £0.60. Before delivery and any eligible adjustments, the buyer pays £10.60 and the seller receives £9.40.

Stripe processes payments and holds funds until the order completes.

For Shipping, report problems within 72 hours after confirmed delivery, or the collection scan for a locker or parcel-shop order. Confirming receipt closes the window early, so inspect first.

PIN Pickup is an in-person handover. The buyer inspects the item before sharing their six-digit PIN; the seller enters it in the app to complete the order. The PIN is acceptance. There is no shipping, tracking or post-handover dispute window.

Which should you pick?

Choose by the job you need done, with Gumtree as the starting row rather than as the winner. Work down the list, and stop at the first job that matches.

• If you want the lowest seller deduction, use the seller cell that states no selling charge, and accept the buyer cell beside it. On SilentSale® the seller pays SilentCover® as well.
• If the buyer’s total matters as much as your proceeds, compare the buyer column, including SilentCover® at £0.30 + 3% from the buyer. The worked buyer totals before postage are £10.60, £26.05 and £51.80.
• If postage is the reason for the search, open live prices by postcode area and compare them with the other checkout. SilentSale® does not make postage free.
• If the buyer may not show, use a handover that records acceptance. Where the cell says Not stated, do not invent a code. PIN Pickup is a six-digit PIN after inspection, and the PIN is acceptance.
• If the payment should stay in the app, read the protection column and SilentCover®. Stripe holds funds until the order completes.