What Is Subito?
Subito is Italy’s largest classifieds platform for buying and selling secondhand goods, attracting over 8.8 million unique users per month and more than 2.6 million daily active users. Founded in Milan in 2007 and owned by the Schibsted Media Group, it operates across 38 categories including electronics, furniture, clothing, cars, motorcycles, real estate, and jobs. For anyone looking to sell something in Italy, Subito is where the majority of Italian buyers look first.
Like Leboncoin in France and Kleinanzeigen in Germany, Subito operates primarily as a classifieds platform. You post a listing, interested buyers contact you directly through the platform’s integrated chat, and the transaction — payment and collection or delivery — is arranged between the two parties. Subito also offers TuttoSubito, its integrated payment and shipping service, for sellers who want a more managed transaction experience.
How to Create a Subito Account
Go to subito.it or download the Subito app on iOS or Android. Registration requires a valid phone number, which Subito uses for OTP (one-time password) verification. You can register using your email address or an existing Google or Facebook account. Once your phone number is verified, your account is active and you can begin posting listings immediately.
Private seller accounts are free. If you are a business or professional seller, Subito offers a Pro subscription with additional tools, higher listing limits, and greater visibility — but for casual private sellers, the free account covers everything you need.
How Much Does It Cost to Sell on Subito?
Posting a basic listing on Subito is free for private sellers. There are no listing fees and no commission taken from your sale when you transact directly with the buyer — whether that is cash on collection or a direct bank transfer arranged between yourselves.
Optional paid features are available to increase visibility. These include highlighting your listing, bumping it to the top of search results in your category, and featuring it on the Subito homepage. Costs vary by category and duration. Most casual sellers do not need these features, particularly for items priced under €100.
If you use TuttoSubito — Subito’s integrated shipping and payment service — a buyer protection fee applies. This is structured similarly to other European classifieds platforms: the buyer pays a protection fee on top of the item price, and funds are held in escrow until delivery is confirmed. As a seller using TuttoSubito, you receive the full item price you set.
How to Write a Good Listing on Subito
Italian buyers on Subito are practical and respond to complete, honest listings written in Italian. A listing in Italian consistently outperforms one in English in both search visibility and buyer response rate — Subito’s algorithm prioritises Italian-language content and most buyers search in Italian.
- Title: Keep it short but specific. Include the brand, model, and condition. Example: “iPhone 14 Pro 128GB nero — ottime condizioni — batteria 91%.” Subito also offers a “Prezzo suggerito” (suggested price) feature based on your item details — useful for calibrating your initial price.
- Category: Select the correct category carefully. Subito has detailed subcategories across 38 main categories. Items placed in the wrong section receive significantly less visibility from buyers who browse by category.
- Photos: Clear, well-lit photos from multiple angles make a significant difference to response rate. Include close-ups of any defects. A listing with good photos generates more enquiries and fewer disputes after the sale.
- Description: Write in Italian. Include condition, technical specifications for electronics, dimensions for furniture, and any accessories included. State clearly whether you accept in-person collection, shipping via TuttoSubito, or both. Including “trattabile” (negotiable) in your description signals to buyers that you are open to offers.
- Price: Research similar active listings on Subito to calibrate your price. Italian buyers typically expect 10 to 15% below the asking price as an opening negotiation move. Pricing slightly above your minimum gives you room to close deals without losing margin.
TuttoSubito: Integrated Shipping and Payment
TuttoSubito is Subito’s secure transaction service for sellers who want to ship items rather than meet in person. When a buyer purchases through TuttoSubito, the process works as follows:
- The buyer pays through the Subito platform. Funds are held in escrow.
- Subito provides a tracked shipping label.
- You pack the item and send it via the designated carrier — the buyer can choose home delivery or collection at a pick-up point.
- The buyer confirms receipt and condition of the item.
- Funds are released to your account.
TuttoSubito protects both parties: sellers are protected against non-payment and buyers against items not matching their description. For any transaction involving shipping, using TuttoSubito is strongly recommended over arranging independent payment and delivery.
Payment Options for In-Person Transactions
For local, in-person collection, payment is arranged directly between buyer and seller. The most common methods in Italy are:
- Cash (contanti): Most common for local transactions. Simple and immediate. Count notes before handing over the item and meet in a public place for higher-value sales.
- Bank transfer (bonifico): Used for higher-value items. Wait for the transfer to fully clear before releasing the item — not just appearing as pending.
- PayPal: Accepted by some sellers for in-person transactions, though it carries chargeback risk if the buyer uses PayPal’s buyer protection to dispute a completed sale.
Avoid Western Union, MoneyGram, or any payment method that offers no recourse if the transaction goes wrong. These are the most common vectors for fraud on Italian classifieds platforms.
What Sells Well on Subito
Subito performs strongly across a broad range of categories. Electronics — smartphones, laptops, gaming consoles, and audio equipment — consistently generate high transaction volumes. Furniture and home goods sell well, particularly in larger Italian cities where buyers prefer collecting locally rather than paying for delivery. Cars and motorcycles are a major category on Subito, as are children’s items, sports equipment, and musical instruments.
Clothing and fashion items can sell on Subito but generally perform better on dedicated platforms like Vinted, where the audience is specifically looking for secondhand clothing. Subito’s particular strength is in higher-value items and categories where buyers want to inspect before purchasing.
Staying Safe on Subito
- Communicate through Subito’s integrated chat rather than moving conversations to WhatsApp or email. Keeping all communication on-platform gives you a record of the negotiation if a dispute arises.
- Use TuttoSubito for all shipped transactions. Never ship an item before payment has cleared, and avoid informal payment arrangements for remote sales.
- Meet in a public place for in-person collection, particularly for items above €100.
- Check the buyer’s rating and feedback before agreeing to a transaction. Subito’s user rating system is a meaningful signal of trustworthiness.
- Be cautious of buyers who ask you to move the conversation off Subito or who offer unusual payment methods. This is the most common pattern for fraud attempts on the platform.
Tips for Selling Faster on Subito
- Refresh stagnant listings. Editing a listing resets its activity and improves its position in search results. If an item has received no interest after a week, make a small change to the description or reduce the price slightly to trigger a refresh.
- Respond quickly to messages. Italian buyers on Subito often contact multiple sellers simultaneously. A fast, clear response is frequently the difference between making a sale and losing it to another listing.
- Enable TuttoSubito on eligible listings. Offering shipping through TuttoSubito expands your potential buyer pool from your local area to all of Italy — particularly valuable for electronics, clothing, and collectibles.
- List at the right time. Listings posted in the early evening — between 7pm and 9pm — tend to receive more immediate visibility as Italian buyers browse after work.
Is Subito Worth Using in Italy?
For anyone selling in Italy, Subito is the most widely used and actively browsed classifieds platform available. Its free listing model, large user base, and the safety of TuttoSubito for shipped transactions make it a practical first choice for furniture, electronics, cars, and most other categories of secondhand goods. Write listings in Italian, price with negotiation in mind, and use TuttoSubito for any transaction involving shipping — those three habits cover the majority of what makes selling on Subito work.