What happens to an OfferUp account when someone dies
OfferUp publishes no process specific to a deceased person's account; a written request goes in through OfferUp's support ticket system.
OfferUp decides what happens to an OfferUp account after a death case by case; its terms promise no transfer.
OfferUp publishes no process specific to a deceased person's account; a written request goes in through OfferUp's support ticket system. The request takes 4 documents.
How to request a transfer
- •Use live chat, 7 days a week from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm Pacific, or the Contact form, which gets an agent reply within 24 hours.
- •Give the email address or phone number on the account.
- •Send the death certificate, letters testamentary or letters of administration, and the requester's photo ID, and ask support what else it requires.
- •Deletion permanently removes sales, purchases, messages, payment methods and ratings.
- •Use the Contact Us form, then Data and Privacy, then Delete My Data or Account.
Required Documents
- The email address or phone number on the OfferUp account: Support needs it to find the account.
- Death certificate
- Letters testamentary or letters of administration: Documentation showing the requester is authorized to act for the estate.
- Government-issued photo identification for the person making the request
What OfferUp Inc.'s terms say at death
- Section 7 (Prohibited Conduct)
“You will establish and use your OfferUp account only in accordance with any guidelines issued by OfferUp. Without limiting the forgoing, you will not: Create more than one account; Transfer your account to another user; Attempt to obtain the password, account information, or other security information of another user; or Attempt to use another user's account without authorization from that user and OfferUp.”1
What OfferUp Inc. says happens7
- Closing the account
Section 9 of the Terms of Service lets OfferUp "revoke or terminate your License to access or use the OfferUp Services for any reason without notice at OfferUp's sole discretion."1
An account can be deactivated, which is reversible and saves the sales history, messages and ratings, or permanently deleted.2
Deactivating requires being logged in; deleting does not, and the desktop route runs through the Contact Us form, then Data and Privacy, then "Delete My Data or Account" from the Reason dropdown.2
- Deletion and data retention
Deleting the account permanently removes all account data and history, including sales, purchases, messages, payment methods and ratings, and cannot be undone.2
A deletion request enters the queue for deletion, and OfferUp confirms the request by email.2
- Subscriptions and billing
Neither deactivating nor deleting the account stops a paid subscription; it is billed through the Apple App Store or Google Play and can be cancelled only there, each subscription separately.2, 1
Cancellations are not refunded; a cancellation takes effect at the end of the current renewal term, and the benefits run until then.2, 1
- Balances, payouts and refunds
Since nationwide shipping was retired, OfferUp holds no funds for an ordinary sale; only a seller with an unpaid balance from a shipping sale made before the retirement has money still to come.3, 4
OfferUp holds that balance until a deposit method, a debit card or bank account, is added from inside the signed-in app and confirmed by a verification code sent by text message or email.3
- Continuing a shop, channel or listing
Listings stay live until someone takes them down; they can be removed from the account, and deactivating the account takes all of them out of circulation while preserving the data.3
- Disclosure of account content
A consumer in a state with privacy laws may ask OfferUp what personal information it collects and for "a copy of the personal information we collect (in a portable format, if possible)," through the Contact Us form under My Account, then Other.5
- Court orders and legal process
OfferUp's law-enforcement article states: "A search warrant is required for all account data. A valid subpoena is required for basic account information."6
Not in OfferUp's published guidance8
- How long a request takes
- A process for a deceased account holder
- A mailing address for a written request
- A phone number for this
- A complete list of the documents to send
- Whether a certified death certificate is required
- An estate hold on the account
- How long the deletion queue takes
Sources6
- 1.OfferUp Terms of Service, Last updated July 21, 2026
- 2.Deactivate or delete your account
- 3.Nationwide shipping ending
- 4.Getting paid
- 5.Consumer Data Privacy Protection
- 6.Law enforcement resources
A written request to OfferUp can ask it to preserve the account while the estate is opened, provide purchase and transaction records for the estate inventory, refund an unspent balance and close the account.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter for OfferUp drafts that request from the estate's details.
Sources
Data sourced from OfferUp Inc. primary sources (8 pages reviewed). How we research.
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Forms for Settling an Estate
Free forms for settling an estate: the probate petition, small estate affidavit, notice to creditors, inventory, and closing forms.
Affidavit of Death
Put a joint owner's or a transfer on death deed owner's death on the land records with the affidavit your state's statute names, laid out for recording.
IRS Form 56
Notify the IRS that you are the fiduciary of an estate, a trust or a person, or end a notice filed before, on the official form.
Digital Assets Recovery Letter
Prepare a letter requesting a deceased person's online accounts, points, and balances from the program that holds them.
Petition for Probate and Letters
Open probate and ask the court to appoint you and issue Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
Notice to Creditors
Notify estate creditors and start the claim period — the published notice plus mailed copies for known creditors.
Renunciation of Executor
Decline an appointment as executor named in a will — the writing filed with the court before anyone is appointed.
Tools for Settling an Estate
Free tools for settling an estate: whether probate is needed, executor and trustee pay, creditor deadlines, and inheritance taxes.
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Do I Have to File Tax Returns for Someone Who Died?
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What Do I Do When Someone Dies?
A step-by-step checklist for the days, weeks, and months after a death, with state rules noted where they apply.
