Platform Comparison

Local Selling (FB/CL/OfferUp) vs Online Selling (eBay/Mercari)

Should you sell PC parts locally or online? Compare fees, speed, safety, and profit for each approach to find the best strategy for flippers.

The Verdict

The best strategy is both: sell bulky, low-margin items locally (cases, monitors, complete builds) and ship high-value, easy-to-pack items online (GPUs, CPUs, RAM, SSDs). This maximizes profit across your entire inventory.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Feature	Local Selling (FB/CL/OfferUp)	Online Selling (eBay/Mercari)
Fees	Free (local pickup)	10-15% platform + processing
Shipping Costs	None	$5-$30+ per item
Time to Sale	Hours to days	Days to weeks
Buyer Pool	Local only	National/global
Buyer Protection	Minimal	Strong
Scam Risk	Lowballers, no-shows	Fake returns, chargebacks
Best For	Bulky, low-margin items	High-value, shippable items
Effort Per Sale	Low (meet up, done)	Medium (pack, label, ship)

Which Platform Wins for Each Scenario?

Complete PC builds

No shipping risk or cost on a $500-1500 system; demo the build in person

Local

GPUs ($200+)

Larger buyer pool drives higher prices that offset fees

Online

Monitors and cases

Shipping large, fragile items is impractical and expensive

Local

RAM, SSDs, and small parts

Cheap to ship, easy to list, broader market

Online

Quick liquidation

Same-day cash, no waiting for shipping and ratings

Local

Maximizing price

Competition among buyers pushes prices up; auctions for rare items

Online

Track your sales across both platforms

Rig Flip calculates your real profit whether you sell on Local Selling (FB/CL/OfferUp), Online Selling (eBay/Mercari), or both.

Free forever. No credit card required.

Fee Calculators

Facebook Marketplace Fee Calculator

Calculate fees: Free for local pickup; 10% for shipped items

eBay Fee Calculator

Calculate fees: ~13.25% final value fee + $0.30 per order

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