OfferUp is expanding beyond used goods and into home services, partnering with Thumbtack to host a marketplace connecting consumers with a variety of local home repair and maintenance businesses.
“It’s a natural extension of what we already offer, creating a one-stop-shop where users can quickly and affordably find solutions for all their local needs,” OfferUp CEO Todd Dunlap said in a statement.
The Bellevue, Wash.-based company enters a competitive sector with other companies including TaskRabbit, Angi, and Handy offering similar marketplaces.
OfferUp said it plans to add “direct posts” early next year, which presumably would be outside of Thumbtack’s listings.
“Through this partnership, we’re connecting OfferUp shoppers with our community of 300,000 local service professionals for any job they need to get done, whether it’s moving to a new home or overhauling their landscaping,” Michael Kim, Thumbtack’s vice president of business development, said in a statement.
Founded in 2011, OfferUp competes against Craigslist, eBay, Facebook and other marketplaces where users buy and sell goods. The company says it facilitates 30 million transactions on its platform annually and is currently ranked No. 3 on the GeekWire 200, our index of Pacific Northwest startups.
The company generates revenue in part from advertisements and its OfferUp Premium service.
In 2022, OfferUp added job listings with the launch of OfferUp Jobs in the company’s mobile app.
In a letter from Dunlap posted at the outset of 2024, the CEO noted “many local businesses were using OfferUp to promote their inventory to potential customers in their communities.” He said the company planned to enhance accounts designed specifically for businesses.
“We do understand the concerns within our local communities regarding how this impacts their ability to connect with individuals but rest assured, we are 100% committed to removing any friction from these local-to-local transactions while expanding our efforts to bring more local businesses onto the platform,” he wrote. “We will also ensure that their presence does not inhibit the core OfferUp experience of those looking to connect with individuals in their local communities.”
OfferUp raised $120 million in March 2020 and acquired rival Letgo.