How to sell stock on E*TRADE
To sell stock on E*TRADE, log into your account, find the stock in your portfolio, click the sell button, enter how many shares you want to sell, review the order details, and submit. The entire process takes about two minutes. Your order goes to the market immediately, though the actual sale completes within one to three business days depending on market conditions and the stock's trading volume.
E*TRADE offers two main ways to sell: through the web platform or the mobile app. Both routes work the same way and reach the same market. The web platform gives you more detail about order types and timing; the app is faster if you already know what you want to do.
Key Takeaways
- Log in, navigate to your portfolio, select the stock, and click sell — you do not need to call anyone or fill out separate forms.
- E*TRADE lets you choose between a market order (sells at the current price immediately) or a limit order (sells only if the price hits a number you set).
- Your cash from the sale lands in your E*TRADE account within one to three business days, not instantly.
- You can sell partial positions — if you own 100 shares, you can sell 30 and keep 70 without closing the account.
Selling through the E*TRADE web platform
Open E*TRADE in your browser and log in with your username and password. Click on the Portfolio tab at the top of the page. You will see a list of all stocks you own, with the number of shares, current price, and total value for each position.
Find the stock you want to sell and click on it. A detail panel opens showing that stock's information. Look for a Sell button — it is usually blue and sits near the top of the panel. Click it. A sell order form appears with fields for the number of shares, order type, and timing.
Enter the number of shares you want to sell in the Shares field. If you want to sell all 50 shares, type 50. If you want to sell only 20, type 20. Below that, choose your order type: Market Order (sells at whatever price the market offers right now) or Limit Order (sells only if the price reaches a specific number you set). Market orders fill faster; limit orders give you price control but might not fill if the stock never reaches your target price.
Review the order summary at the bottom of the form. It shows the stock symbol, number of shares, order type, and estimated proceeds. Click Submit or Confirm to send the order. E*TRADE asks you to confirm once more — click Yes or Confirm again. Your order is now live.
Selling through the E*TRADE mobile app
Open the E*TRADE app and tap the Portfolio icon at the bottom of the screen. Scroll through your holdings and tap the stock you want to sell. The stock detail page opens.
Tap the Sell button, which is usually red or orange and sits below the stock price. A sell form appears. Enter the number of shares, choose your order type (Market or Limit), and review the details. Tap Confirm or Submit. The app asks for a final confirmation — tap Yes. Your order is submitted.
The mobile app works faster if you are on the go, but the web platform shows more order options and historical data about your position. Both send your order to the same market.
Understanding market orders versus limit orders
A market order sells your shares at the best available price right now. If you own Apple stock and the current bid is $150 per share, your market order sells at or very close to $150. Market orders almost always fill within seconds, which is why they are the default choice for most people. The trade-off is that you do not control the exact price — it could be $150.00 or $149.98 depending on how many other people are selling at the same moment.
A limit order lets you set a minimum price. You tell E*TRADE: "Sell my 50 shares, but only if the price is $155 or higher." If the stock never reaches $155, your order sits open until you cancel it or until the market closes that day (if you set it as a day order). Limit orders give you price certainty but no may provide the sale will happen. They are useful when you want to avoid selling at a price you think is too low.
E*TRADE also offers advanced order types like stop orders (sell if the price drops below a certain level, to limit losses) and trailing stops (sell if the price drops a certain percentage below its recent high). These appear in the Order Type dropdown on the web platform. For most people, market or limit orders are sufficient.
What happens after you submit your sell order
Once you click Submit, your order enters E*TRADE's system and goes to the market. For market orders, the sale usually completes within seconds to minutes during regular trading hours (9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time on weekdays). For limit orders, the sale happens only when the price condition is met, which might be immediately or might take days.
You can watch your order status in the Orders section of your E*TRADE account. It will show Pending, Filled, or Cancelled. Once it shows Filled, the shares are no longer yours — they belong to the buyer. Your cash appears in your account balance, but it is not available to withdraw or use for new purchases until the settlement period ends.
Settlement takes one to three business days depending on the stock and market conditions. During this time, the buyer's bank and your bank confirm the transaction. After settlement, the cash is fully yours and you can withdraw it or use it to buy other stocks.
Selling after hours and on weekends
E*TRADE lets you place sell orders outside regular market hours through its After-Hours Trading feature, but the orders do not execute until the market opens. If you submit a market order at 8 p.m. on a Tuesday, it waits until 9:30 a.m. Wednesday morning to sell. After-hours orders are riskier because prices can move overnight, and fewer buyers and sellers are active, so your order might not fill at all.
You cannot sell stocks on weekends or on market holidays (like Thanksgiving or Christmas). If you submit an order on Saturday, it queues up and executes Monday morning when the market opens. Check E*TRADE's holiday calendar if you are selling around a holiday.
Taxes and record-keeping when you sell
When you sell a stock at a profit, you owe capital gains tax on the difference between what you paid and what you sold it for. E*TRADE tracks your cost basis (the price you originally paid) and your sale price, and it reports this information to the IRS on Form 8949 at the end of the year. You will need this information when you file your tax return.
E*TRADE also lets you choose which shares to sell if you bought the same stock at different times and prices. This is called lot selection. If you bought 100 shares of Microsoft at $200 in 2020 and 100 more at $300 in 2023, and you want to sell 50 shares, you can tell E*TRADE to sell from the 2020 lot (lower tax) or the 2023 lot (higher tax). You control this choice at the time of sale through the web platform. The mobile app usually defaults to selling your oldest shares first (called FIFO, or first-in-first-out).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sell stock immediately after I buy it?
Yes. You can buy a stock and sell it seconds later if you want. E*TRADE does not lock you in. However, if you buy with unsettled cash (money from a recent sale that has not yet cleared), you may trigger a Good Faith Violation if you sell too quickly. Check E*TRADE's rules on day trading and cash account restrictions before rapid buying and selling.
What if I want to sell only part of my position?
Enter the number of shares you want to sell in the Shares field, not the total number you own. If you own 200 shares and enter 75, you sell 75 and keep 125. E*TRADE does not require you to sell your entire position.
How do I cancel a sell order before it fills?
Go to the Orders section of your account, find the order, and click Cancel. If the order has already filled (status shows Filled), you cannot cancel it — the shares are sold. Cancellation works only on pending orders.
Do I pay a commission to E*TRADE when I sell?
E*TRADE does not charge a commission to sell stocks. You pay no fee to E*TRADE itself. However, the bid-ask spread (the tiny difference between what buyers offer and what sellers ask) is a real cost you absorb, and some stocks have wider spreads than others.
What if my sell order does not fill?
If you placed a limit order and the stock never reached your price, the order stays open until you cancel it or until market close (if it is a day order). If you placed a market order and it did not fill, contact E*TRADE support — this is rare but can happen with very low-volume stocks. Most market orders fill within seconds.