Sarah listed a second-hand dining table on TradeMe last month. It sold for $450. She was stoked, until the invoice arrived: $49.50 in success fees, plus the original $3.99 listing fee. That's $53.49 gone, almost 12% of the sale price, for what amounts to a listing on a website. She'd already cleaned the table, taken photos, written the description, and arranged pickup herself. TradeMe's contribution? Hosting the listing. For $53.49.
If that story sounds familiar, you're not alone. Thousands of Kiwis are paying hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars a year in platform fees just to sell their own stuff online. And most of them don't realise there's an alternative where those fees are exactly $0.
nz.social is a New Zealand-only platform where you can list anything, sell anything, and keep every single dollar. No listing fees. No success fees. No monthly subscriptions. This isn't a trial offer or a limited promotion. It's just how the platform works.
Here's what you need to know.
How Much Are TradeMe Fees Actually Costing You?
Most sellers don't track their total TradeMe fees. They see $3.99 here, $12.50 there, and it doesn't feel like much. But it adds up fast.
Here's what TradeMe charges:
Listing Fees: $3.99 for a standard listing, more for featured listings, bold titles, or homepage gallery placement. A "Super Feature" can cost $39.95 on top.
Success Fees: This is where it really stings. TradeMe takes a percentage of every successful sale: - 7.9% on the first $200 - 4.9% on the amount from $200 to $1,500 - 1.9% on the amount over $1,500
Let's do the maths on common items Kiwis sell:
| Item | Sale Price | TradeMe Fees | You Keep | % Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kids bike | $80 | $10.31 | $69.69 | 12.9% |
| iPhone | $500 | $34.69 | $465.31 | 6.9% |
| Couch | $300 | $28.79 | $271.21 | 9.6% |
| Car | $8,000 | $148.69 | $7,851.31 | 1.9% |
| Dining table | $450 | $31.49 | $418.51 | 7.0% |
Now multiply that by everything you sell in a year. A regular seller moving $5,000 worth of items annually is losing $300-400 to TradeMe. A side hustle doing $20,000? That's easily $1,000+ in fees.
On nz.social's Marketplace, every single one of those sales costs $0 in fees. The $80 bike? You keep $80. The $8,000 car? You keep $8,000.
Why nz.social Charges Zero Fees
You're probably thinking "what's the catch?" Fair question. When something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. But this time, the explanation is straightforward.
TradeMe and Facebook make money in fundamentally different ways from nz.social:
TradeMe's model: Charge fees on every transaction. They need you to pay to list and pay again when you sell. Their revenue depends on taking a cut of your sales.
Facebook's model: Give you a free marketplace, then harvest your data and sell it to advertisers. You don't pay in dollars. You pay in personal information.
nz.social's model: Neither. No fees and no data mining. nz.social isn't built to extract maximum profit from Kiwis. It's built to give New Zealanders a platform they can trust.
The question isn't really "why is nz.social free?" The question is "why have we been paying so much for so long?"
nz.social vs TradeMe vs Facebook Marketplace: The Full Comparison
Let's compare all three options Kiwis currently use to sell online:
| Feature | TradeMe | Facebook Marketplace | nz.social |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listing fees | $3.99+ per listing | Free | Free |
| Success fees | 7.9-1.9% of sale | None | None |
| Data mining | Limited | Extensive | None |
| Who sees your listing | NZ mainly | Global | NZ only |
| Scam risk | Moderate | High | Low |
| Business accounts | Paid ($59+/month) | Free | Free |
| Booking system | None | None | Free built-in |
| Social features | None | Full (with tracking) | Full (no tracking) |
| Buyer/seller profiles | Rating system | Facebook profiles | nz.social profiles |
| Payment | Ping, bank transfer | Cash, bank transfer | Direct between parties |
The biggest difference is obvious: TradeMe charges you coming and going, Facebook tracks everything you do, and nz.social does neither.
What You Can Sell on nz.social
Everything you'd sell on TradeMe or Facebook Marketplace, you can sell on nz.social:
- Furniture and homewares: Couches, tables, beds, appliances
- Electronics: Phones, laptops, gaming consoles, cameras
- Vehicles: Cars, motorbikes, boats, caravans
- Clothing and fashion: Adults, kids, designer, vintage
- Baby and kids gear: Prams, car seats, toys, clothing
- Sports and outdoors: Bikes, camping gear, fishing equipment
- Tools and trade equipment: Power tools, hand tools, workshop gear
- Collectibles and hobbies: Records, books, art, instruments
- Property and rentals: Flatmates, rentals, holiday accommodation
- Services: Tutoring, repairs, gardening, cleaning
The listing process is simple: take a photo, write a description, set a price, post it. No fee calculator needed because the fee is always zero.
Ready to list your first item? Join nz.social free and post your first listing in under 5 minutes.
The NZ-Only Advantage for Sellers
Here's something sellers rarely think about but matters enormously: who can actually see and respond to your listing.
On Facebook Marketplace, your listing is visible globally. That's why you get messages from accounts in Nigeria asking to "ship the item overseas" or wanting to pay through some obscure payment app. Every seller has wasted time on these. Some have lost money.
On TradeMe, it's mostly NZ buyers, but it's still an open platform. Scam accounts exist, and TradeMe's dispute process isn't exactly painless.
On nz.social, the platform is only accessible from within New Zealand. That's a technical restriction, not a suggestion. If someone isn't physically in NZ, they can't access the site. Period.
For sellers, this means: - Every message is from a genuine Kiwi buyer - No time wasted on scam enquiries - No shipping-to-overseas requests - No fake payment confirmations - You can check a buyer's profile and community presence before meeting
Dave, a Wellington dad who sells restored furniture as a side project, switched three months ago. "I was spending maybe 30 minutes a day just deleting scam messages on Facebook Marketplace," he said. "On nz.social, every single enquiry has been legit. I've sold 15 pieces, met every buyer in person, zero hassles."
Turning Your Side Hustle Into a Business (For Free)
Selling regularly? nz.social makes it easy to level up from casual seller to proper business, without the costs that usually come with it.
On TradeMe, a professional seller account starts at $59 per month, plus transaction fees. On nz.social, you can create a free Business Page that includes:
- Professional profile: Business name, logo, description, location, contact details
- Service listings: Describe what you offer with pricing
- Booking system: Customers can book appointments or consultations directly
- Customer reviews: Build a reputation through genuine feedback
- All your listings in one place: Buyers can browse everything you're selling
This is especially valuable for:
Tradies who want to advertise their services and take bookings online without paying for a website or scheduling software.
Crafters and makers who sell handmade goods and want a professional storefront without Etsy's fees or TradeMe's charges.
Service providers like tutors, cleaners, photographers, and personal trainers who need a simple booking system.
Anyone selling regularly who wants to look professional without paying professional-platform prices.
Karen runs a small dog grooming business from her home in Napier. She was paying $49/month for a booking system, $59/month for a TradeMe professional account, and $29/month for basic website hosting. That's $137/month, or $1,644 a year, just in platform costs. She moved everything to a nz.social Business Page. Her total platform costs now? Zero. "I put that money toward a proper grooming table instead," she said.
How To Get Started Selling on nz.social
Getting set up takes less than 5 minutes:
Step 1: Create Your Free Account
Head to nz.social/register. Enter your details and you're in. No credit card, no trial period, no "freemium" limits.
Step 2: Set Up Your Profile
Add a photo and a bit about yourself. Buyers trust real people with real profiles, so don't skip this.
Step 3: List Your First Item
Tap "Sell," add photos, write a description, set your price, and post. That's it. No fee calculator because there are no fees.
Step 4: Respond to Genuine Buyers
Because nz.social is NZ-only, the messages you get will be from actual interested Kiwis. Arrange pickup or delivery, do the deal, keep every dollar.
Step 5 (Optional): Create a Business Page
If you sell regularly or offer services, set up a free Business Page for a more professional presence with bookings built in.
Tips for Selling Successfully on nz.social
Whether you're clearing out the garage or running a side hustle, these tips will help you sell faster:
Take good photos. Natural light, multiple angles, show any flaws honestly. This is true on any platform, but it's especially effective on nz.social where buyers already trust you're a real Kiwi.
Price fairly. Check what similar items sell for. Because there are no fees eating your margin, you can price slightly lower than TradeMe and still keep more money.
Write honest descriptions. Include dimensions, condition, brand, and age. Mention any issues upfront. Kiwis appreciate straight-up honesty.
Respond quickly. First to respond often gets the sale. nz.social notifications make this easy.
Be specific about pickup. Include your general area (suburb or town) so buyers know if it's convenient before they message.
The Numbers Don't Lie: What You Save by Switching
Let's make this concrete. Here's what a typical Kiwi seller saves by switching from TradeMe to nz.social over a year:
Casual seller (sells $2,000 worth of stuff per year): - TradeMe fees: ~$180 - nz.social fees: $0 - Annual saving: $180
Regular seller (sells $10,000 worth per year): - TradeMe fees: ~$650 - nz.social fees: $0 - Annual saving: $650
Small business seller (sells $50,000 worth per year): - TradeMe fees: ~$2,500 (plus professional account) - nz.social fees: $0 - Annual saving: $2,500+
That's real money. Money that can go toward your next purchase, your business, or just staying in your bank account where it belongs.
It's Time To Stop Paying To Sell Your Own Stuff
For 25 years, Kiwis have accepted that selling online means paying a platform fee. TradeMe built a near-monopoly, and because there was no real alternative, the fees kept climbing.
That era is over.
nz.social gives you everything you need to sell online in NZ, and it doesn't cost you a cent. No listing fees. No success fees. No monthly subscriptions. No data mining. Just a straightforward marketplace where Kiwis buy and sell with other Kiwis.
Every dollar TradeMe takes from your sale is a dollar you could keep. Every scam message on Facebook Marketplace is time you could save. Every monthly subscription for business tools is money you could invest in your actual business.
Join nz.social free today and list your first item. Zero fees, zero data mining, zero hassle. Just Kiwis trading with Kiwis.
nz.social is New Zealand's own social platform with a completely free marketplace. No listing fees, no success fees, no data mining. Built by Kiwis, for Kiwis.