If you’re ready to meet with a buyer or seller in person, OfferUp can help you find a location to conduct your trade as safely as possible. Our mobile app suggests official Community MeetUp Spots and lets you share them through messaging.
Sharing a Meetup Spot in the app
Before you begin, you’ll need to have a message thread open with the person you’re planning to meet. To learn more, see Send a message.
To find and share a MeetUp Spot, complete the following steps:
- Open the OfferUp app and log in to your account.
- Tap Inbox and open the message thread with the person you’re meeting.
- At the bottom of the message thread, tap the
Location icon.
- On the Suggest MeetUp Spot page, tap Current Location to see MeetUp Spots near you, or tap Item Location to see MeetUp Spots near the item.
- Choose a location by selecting from the list or by tapping on the map icon, then tap Send.
- The suggested Community MeetUp Spot will drop into your message thread for you and the recipient to see. Tap on it to view the location on a map and to get directions.
NOTE
The map icons will indicate if a spot is aLocal Business or a
Police Station.
Now, it’s up to the other person to accept the location or to suggest a new spot. Chat back and forth until you agree on a location that you’re both comfortable with.
TIP!
For your safety, only communicate through the OfferUp app. Never share personal information, such as your phone number or email address. Coordinating your MeetUps through our system keeps your contact info private. To learn more, see Tips for messaging.
Need more options? Try the Safe Trade Spots Locator
If the app suggestions don’t work for you, you can do a broader search outside of the app for Community MeetUp Spots. To see a complete list of official Community MeetUp Spots across the US, visit our Safe Trade Spots Locator. This website is the largest national database of police stations and law enforcement agencies that have designated locations for in-person trades.
Arriving at the MeetUp Spot
When you arrive at the Community MeetUp Spot, look for the green OfferUp sign to ensure you’re at an official location. Signs are typically posted on a pole or a wall near the entrance of the business. You don’t have to meet directly in front of the sign, but it’s a good indicator that you’re in the right place. Here’s an example of what the sign may look like.
Some locations opt to use a generic, non-OfferUp sign that says something like "Internet Meetup Spot" or "Online Sales Meetup.” This is so buyers and sellers from other online marketplaces know they’re welcome to use this safe trade space too. If you’re concerned about a location’s validity, use the Safe Trade Spots Locator to see the full list of official OfferUp MeetUp Spots nationwide.