How to Short Sell Stocks
Step-by-step guides, broker walkthroughs, cost breakdowns, and strategies for profiting when stocks go down. Written by Mike Dharni for traders at every level.
Start Here
New to short selling? These two guides cover everything from the basics of borrowing shares to the real costs involved.
How to Short a Stock: Complete Beginner's Guide
What short selling is, how it works step by step, what you need to get started, and the risks you must understand before your first trade.
BeginnerHow Much Does It Cost to Short a Stock?
Borrow fees, margin interest, hard-to-borrow rates, SEC fees, and the hidden costs that eat into your short selling profits.
How to Short on Your Broker
Platform-specific step-by-step guides. Find your broker and follow along.
Short Selling on Webull
Margin setup, finding shortable stocks, placing orders, and Webull's specific fees.
Short Selling on Robinhood
Why Robinhood does not support traditional shorting, and how to use put options instead.
Short Selling on Fidelity
Active Trader Pro setup, margin requirements, and Fidelity's large short inventory.
Short Selling on E*TRADE
Power E*TRADE walkthrough, order types, and Morgan Stanley's backing.
Short Selling Strategies
Methods for profiting from falling prices, from index shorting to options strategies.
How to Short the S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Dow Jones
ETFs, inverse ETFs, put options, and micro futures for shorting the entire market.
IntermediateHow to Short a Stock Using Options
Put options explained. How to profit from drops with defined risk and no margin required.
IntermediateHow to Make Money Shorting Stocks
What profitable short sellers do right, what losers do wrong, and a beginner strategy to start with.
BeginnerHow to Invest in Short Term Stocks
Swing trading and short-term investing strategies for holding stocks for days to weeks.
Research and Analysis
Tools and data you need before entering any short trade.