What Is Leboncoin?
Leboncoin is France’s largest classified ads platform, attracting around 30 million visitors every month and hosting over 88 million active listings. Founded in 2006, it has become the default destination for buying and selling secondhand goods in France — from furniture and electronics to cars, clothing, and property. If you want to sell something in France, Leboncoin is where the buyers are.
Unlike dedicated marketplaces such as Vinted or eBay, Leboncoin operates primarily as a classifieds site. You post an ad, interested buyers contact you directly, and the two parties arrange payment and collection or delivery between themselves. This simplicity is both its main strength and the reason sellers need to take a few precautions.
How to Create a Leboncoin Account
Go to leboncoin.fr or download the app on iOS or Android. Registration requires a valid French phone number — only French numbers and numbers from border countries are accepted. You can register using an email address, Google account, or Apple ID. Once registered, verify your phone number and you can begin posting ads immediately.
If you want to use Leboncoin’s secure payment system — which holds funds in escrow until the buyer confirms receipt — you will also need to complete identity verification. This involves uploading a valid ID (carte nationale d’identité, passport, or new-format driving licence) and is handled by Leboncoin’s payment partner Adyen. This step is required only once and is strongly recommended for any transaction involving shipping.
How Much Does It Cost to Sell on Leboncoin?
Posting a basic ad on Leboncoin is free for private sellers in most categories. There are no listing fees and no commission taken from your sale. The platform makes its money from optional paid promotion features and, since April 2025, from car listings beyond the second free ad per year.
Optional paid features include boosting your ad’s visibility in search results, adding extra photos beyond the free allowance, and marking your listing as urgent. These range from a few euros to around €25 depending on the feature and category. Most private sellers do well without using any of them, particularly for items priced under €100.
For sellers using Leboncoin’s integrated secure payment, the buyer pays a protection fee at checkout. This does not affect your earnings — you receive the full amount you listed the item for.
How to Write a Good Ad on Leboncoin
The quality of your listing determines how quickly your item sells. Leboncoin’s search algorithm favours ads with complete information, multiple photos, and accurate category placement.
- Title: Be specific and include the brand, model, condition, and any key specifications. A title like “iPhone 13 Pro 256Go – Très bon état – Chargeur inclus” performs significantly better than “iPhone à vendre.” You have limited characters, so lead with the most searchable information.
- Category: Place your ad in the correct category. Incorrectly categorised listings receive far less visibility because buyers browse by category.
- Photos: Ads with more than five photos sell substantially faster than those with one or two. Use natural light, a neutral background, and photograph any defects honestly. Staged photos — showing furniture in a decorated room, for example — tend to generate more interest than flat shots on a bare floor.
- Description: Write in French. Include the condition, dimensions or measurements where relevant, reason for selling, and any accessories included. The more complete your description, the fewer clarification messages you receive, and the faster the transaction moves.
- Price: Research similar active ads on Leboncoin and position your price just below comparable listings. French buyers typically expect a reduction of 10 to 20% from the listed price, so build in a small margin. If you want a firm price, adding “prix ferme” discourages negotiation but may slow the sale.
Payment Options on Leboncoin
There are three main ways to receive payment as a Leboncoin seller:
- Cash on collection: The simplest option for local sales. Meet the buyer, hand over the item, receive cash. Count notes carefully and meet in a public place for anything above €50.
- Bank transfer: Common for higher-value items. Wait for the transfer to fully clear before handing over the item — not just appearing as pending.
- Leboncoin secure payment (Transaction Sécurisée): The platform’s integrated payment system, which holds funds in escrow until the buyer confirms receipt. This is the safest option for shipped items and is strongly recommended over any informal arrangement when you cannot meet the buyer in person.
Never accept payment via Western Union, Paylib from someone you do not know, or any method outside the Leboncoin platform when shipping items. These are the most common vectors for fraud on French classified platforms.
Shipping on Leboncoin
Many Leboncoin transactions involve local collection, which eliminates shipping entirely. For smaller items, you can offer shipping through Leboncoin’s integrated delivery options, which include Mondial Relay and Colissimo. When shipping through the platform’s secure payment system, a prepaid label is generated and the buyer covers the shipping cost.
If you arrange shipping independently, use a tracked service and do not dispatch the item until payment has fully cleared. Mondial Relay is popular in France for its dense network of drop-off points in supermarkets and convenience stores across the country.
How to Keep Your Ad Visible
Without paid promotion, Leboncoin ads begin losing visibility after 48 to 72 hours as newer listings push them down in search results. A few free tactics help maintain exposure:
- Edit your ad every two days. Making even minor changes — rewording a sentence, adjusting the price slightly — refreshes your listing’s position in results.
- Post at the right time. Ads posted on Sunday evenings, Wednesday evenings, and Friday afternoons consistently receive more views. Peak browsing hours are 7–9am, 12–2pm, and 6–9pm.
- Delete and repost if stagnant. If an ad receives no interest after five days, deleting it and creating a fresh listing resets its position. Do this no more than twice a week to avoid being flagged by the algorithm.
- Respond quickly. Buyers on classified platforms message multiple sellers simultaneously. Replying within ten minutes of receiving an enquiry significantly increases your chances of making the sale before the buyer moves on.
Staying Safe on Leboncoin
Leboncoin has improved its security significantly since 2023, introducing escrow payments, stronger identity verification, and improved fraud moderation. However, scams do still occur. A few consistent habits protect you:
- Only communicate through Leboncoin’s messaging system — not via WhatsApp, SMS, or email provided by an unknown buyer.
- Never ship an item before confirming payment has cleared in your Leboncoin wallet or bank account.
- Be cautious of buyers who cannot collect in person and want to send a courier on their behalf — this is a well-documented scam pattern.
- Any link that does not begin with leboncoin.fr is a phishing attempt. Leboncoin will never ask for your login details or bank information via a link sent in a message.
Is Leboncoin Worth Using in 2026?
For anyone selling in France, Leboncoin remains essential. Its 30 million monthly visitors represent the largest pool of active buyers available on any French platform. The free listing model means there is no cost to try, and the secure payment system provides meaningful protection for remote transactions. For furniture, electronics, cars, and higher-value items where Vinted’s clothing-focused audience is less relevant, Leboncoin is consistently the most effective platform available in France.