The online marketplace platform Letgo announced that it has merged with former competitor OfferUp, and the two will combine into one app.
Big news! letgo is now part of @OfferUp! ???? Download the app today to find everything you love in a bigger, better marketplace: https://t.co/EZ1viHV1Jf pic.twitter.com/9ZR1Wz9KQ2
— letgo (@letgo) August 31, 2020
“Our marketplace has never been this flush with so many new buyers and sellers — this is a win-win for anyone in America who is looking for a great deal or to make money from the things they don’t need,” said Nick Huzar, OfferUp CEO in a press release. “We’re combining the complementary strengths of OfferUp and Letgo and delivering an even better buying and selling experience for our communities.”
Both companies were circumspect in their statements about why, exactly, this was happening, noting only that the move will “combine the strengths” of both apps and offer a wider marketplace for users. Despite seeming very sudden, a spokesperson for OfferUp told Digital Trends the acquisition was actually announced last March, and that this will allow a wider range of access for more than “20 million monthly active users” on the combined platforms. The two apps together also have more than 100 million downloads.
While both apps allow users to buy and sell items on their platforms, OfferUp said they will not support certain listings that were on the Letgo app, such as jobs, services, rental listings, and gift cards. Anyone who was subscribing to the “Super Boost Mode” on Letgo has also had their subscription automatically canceled, and the app will also cease support in Canada starting on September 21.
Some users have not taken the news gladly. People on Twitter reported opening the LetGo app today to find all their chats and listings were completely gone, despite being in the middle of making arrangements for sales. Others have pointed out that this means many sellers would have to completely rebuild their reputation ratings on the platform from scratch, and that this was particularly unfair to Canadian users.
Absolutely terrible business decision. There was no heads up about the merger and everyone who had listings up to sell items are completely fucked. Everyone has to make a completely new account and relist everything. The backlash is well deserved. Fuck outta here
— egg salad (@pickledquartz) August 31, 2020
So now I have to start my profile completely over and I have no seller reputation, totally not right! Bad business move!
— sim (@matthewsimak) August 31, 2020
BOOOOOOO!!! I JUST listed 20+ gd things on letgo this weekend and now I have to list them all again??? Y’all didn’t want to give me a damn heads up on that??? What BS. Off to a GREAT start…
— el mar (@foxenden) August 31, 2020
The spokesperson told Digital Trends that any users who are having difficulty migrating their account should contact them on Twitter or via the OfferUp help center.
An earlier version of this story suggested that OfferUp and Letgo provided no prior warning of their plans to merge. That was incorrect, and the headline has been updated to remove that suggestion.
