Selling a stock on E*TRADE takes about two minutes once you know where to look

To sell stocks 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 stock sells at the current market price (or a price you set) and the cash lands in your account within two business days. The whole process happens on the Trade tab or through the mobile app.

The main decision you'll face is whether to sell at market price right now or set a specific price you're willing to accept. Most people use a market order because it executes immediately. A limit order waits for the price to hit your target, which can take days or never happen at all.

Key Takeaways

  • Market orders sell your shares at today's price within seconds; limit orders wait for a price you choose and may not fill.
  • E*TRADE settles stock sales in two business days, so the cash won't be available to withdraw or reinvest immediately.
  • You can sell partial positions (some of your shares) or your entire holding in a single order.
  • E*TRADE charges no commission on stock sales, but the bid-ask spread (the difference between buy and sell prices) is a real cost you pay.

Step-by-step: selling through the web platform

Open E*TRADE and go to the Trade tab at the top. Click Stocks on the left side. In the search box, type the stock symbol or company name. When the stock appears, click on it to open the order ticket.

The order ticket shows two radio buttons at the top: Buy and Sell. Click Sell. Below that, enter the number of shares you want to sell in the Quantity field. If you own 50 shares and want to sell all of them, type 50. If you want to sell only 30, type 30.

Next, choose your order type. Market is the default and sells at the best available price right now. Limit lets you set a minimum price — the order only fills if the stock reaches that price or higher. For most people, Market is simpler and faster. Leave the time in force set to Day unless you have a reason to change it (Day means the order expires at market close if it hasn't filled).

Review the order summary at the bottom. It shows the stock symbol, number of shares, order type, and an estimate of how much cash you'll receive. Click Preview Order, check everything one more time, then click Submit Order. You'll see a confirmation number. The sale is done.

Selling through the E*TRADE mobile app

Open the app and tap the Trade icon at the bottom. Tap Stocks. Search for the stock by symbol or name and tap it. Tap the Sell button (it's usually red or highlighted differently from the Buy button).

Enter your quantity, choose Market or Limit, and tap Review. Check the details and tap Confirm or Submit depending on your app version. You'll get a confirmation number on screen. The process is identical to the web version but condensed for a phone screen.

Market orders versus limit orders

A market order sells your shares at whatever price the market is offering right now. If you own Apple stock and submit a market order at 10:30 a.m., it fills within seconds at the current bid price. You know it will sell, but you don't know the exact price until after it's done. For liquid stocks (ones that trade millions of shares daily), the difference between what you expected and what you got is usually a few cents.

A limit order sets a floor price. You tell E*TRADE: "Sell my 50 shares, but only if the price is $150 or higher." If the stock is at $148, the order sits and waits. If the price climbs to $150 during the day, it fills. If it never reaches $150, the order expires at market close (if you set it as a Day order) and you still own the shares. Limit orders are useful when you have a specific price target, but they can leave you holding stock you wanted to sell.

For most stocks, use a market order. For thinly traded stocks or when you're selling a large block, a limit order protects you from a bad fill, but accept that it might not execute at all.

Understanding settlement and when you get your money

When you sell a stock, E*TRADE doesn't put the cash in your account immediately. Stock trades settle in T+2, which means two business days after the sale. If you sell on a Monday, the cash arrives Wednesday. If you sell on a Friday, it arrives Monday (assuming Monday is a business day). Weekends and market holidays don't count.

During those two days, the shares are still technically yours, but the buyer owns them. You can't spend the cash or reinvest it yet. This is a rule of the stock market itself, not an E*TRADE rule, so it applies everywhere.

Once the cash settles, it sits in your E*TRADE cash balance and you can withdraw it, buy other stocks, or leave it there. If you're planning to use the money for something, account for the two-day delay.

Selling partial positions and tax-lot selection

You don't have to sell all your shares at once. If you own 100 shares of a stock, you can sell 40 today and keep 60. Just enter 40 in the Quantity field. E*TRADE will ask you which shares to sell if you've bought the same stock at different times (this is called tax-lot selection).

Tax-lot selection matters because different purchase prices mean different gains or losses. If you bought 50 shares at $100 and 50 shares at $120, and you're selling 50 shares at $150, you want to choose which batch to sell. E*TRADE defaults to FIFO (first in, first out), meaning it sells the oldest shares first. You can change this to LIFO (last in, first out) or specify exact lots. Talk to a tax professional if you're selling at a loss or trying to minimize taxes — the choice can save or cost you money.

What happens if your order doesn't fill

If you placed a limit order and the stock never reached your price, the order expires at market close and you still own the shares. E*TRADE will notify you that the order was not filled. You can then decide to lower your limit price, switch to a market order, or wait another day.

Market orders almost never fail to fill (unless the market is closed or the stock is halted), so if you're worried about an order not executing, use a market order instead. The trade-off is that you accept whatever price you get.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does E*TRADE charge a commission to sell stocks?

No. E*TRADE charges no commission on stock sales. You pay the bid-ask spread instead — the difference between what buyers will pay and what sellers are asking. For a liquid stock, this spread is usually a few cents per share. For thinly traded stocks, it can be larger.

Can I sell stocks after market hours?

E*TRADE allows after-hours trading, but the process is the same: go to Trade, select your stock, and place the order. After-hours orders are limit orders only (no market orders). Spreads are wider and volume is lower after hours, so your order may not fill or may fill at a worse price than during regular trading hours.

What if I sell a stock and immediately want to buy it back?

You can buy it back right away — there's no waiting period. However, if you're trying to avoid the wash-sale rule (a tax rule that disallows losses if you buy the same stock within 30 days), consult a tax professional. E*TRADE doesn't prevent you from triggering a wash sale; it's your responsibility to track it.

How do I know what price my order filled at?

After you submit a market order, E*TRADE shows you the fill price in your order confirmation. You can also see it in your Account History or Positions page. For limit orders, you'll see the fill price once the order executes, or no price if it never filled.

Can I cancel a sell order after I submit it?

Yes, but only if it hasn't filled yet. Go to your Orders page, find the pending order, and click Cancel. If the order has already filled, you can't cancel it — you'd have to buy the shares back separately. Market orders usually fill so fast that canceling isn't possible.