Okay, so right out of the gate, I really need to say, I am probably the only person on the planet who is not a fan of craigslist. Something about meeting a total stranger in a Walmart parking lot to do a transaction feels sketchy. The HH loves craigslist, though. To date, he has bought a weight lifting set, a punching bag, and some sort of weird storage rack for the garage. {All of which I ended up donating to the Goodwill because they were absolutely dumb purchases. He felt bad not buying them during the meet-up, though, so he bought them anyway.}
SELLING your crap on craigslist is awesome, though, because you don’t have to pay shipping costs like you would on ebay, and you just never know, your crap can literally be the exact crap someone has been dreaming about.
Here are what I think are craigslist basics:
- Take pictures. No one wants to contact you just to get pictures you promised them “if they are interested.” Provide good quality pictures. Plain and simple.
- On the same picture topic, clean up the area around where you will snapping the photo. Yes, you may store the item in the garage, but if people see it amongst dust-laden items and on an oil-stained floor, they will automatically think it is dirty and used {which it might be, but there is absolutely no reason to advertise that.}
- Clean your item. You are getting rid of it for a reason, but make it look appealing. Dust it, vacuum it, spit shine it…whatever, just make it sparkle.
- Price it to sell. This is where it gets tricky in my opinion. Price it too high and you won’t get a single bite, price it too low and people will think something is wrong with it. Search for like items in your area and set your price accordingly.
- Write a good description of the item. Give details–not the bad ones, feel free to leave out: “the cat peed on it last week.” But provide details about how old the item is, if appropriate, why you are getting rid of it. Be real about the condition of the item too {i.e. “Not in perfect condition, but perfect for a college student”}.
- If possible, meet somewhere other than your home {in a neutral location–like a Walmart parking lot.} It keeps you safe.
- Provide a phone number. If you are serious about selling an item, don’t make it frustrating for the buyer, provide a phone number so that they don’t have to email, wait for your response, and potentially send follow-up questions. When you list your phone number, spell out some of the numbers, like call at 5-five-five-5-five-five,5–that way you don’t get put on some random computer generated spam calling list.
- You will get offensively low offers. It’s just what people do. Know your bottom line and don’t be afraid to let a sale pass you by. Say no, and wait for the right buyer to come along.
- #8 leads me to this little gem: never be in a hurry to sell something on craigslist. If you are, you will cave at the wrong price. Patience is key.
- Forget listing it, take it to the Goodwill and then pay yourself for your time you would’ve spent selling it. Ha! Kidding, but wouldn’t it be soooo much easier?
Happy sales,
~Mavis
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karen says
The HH decided that Cragslist would be the perfect place to sell my car; and it was! I (we) priced it to sell, but at a price that i considered to be fair. HH cleaned it and took really nice photos and got it up on the site. Within a couple of hours it was sold! I met the buyer the next day at the bank to make the transfer, etc. It could not have been easier. I only tried it because my neighbor had sold a boat; not a dinghy, but a large boat. You never know if you don’t try. As a caution, the HH was home when the buyer came to look at the car and I would always make that a condition.
Madam Chow says
Great tips! Have you heard of freecycle.org? I’ve used it to give away tons of stuff, thereby saving a trip to Goodwill many times. The number one rule is that the stuff you offer has to be free. I donated old bedding and towels to an animal foster mom, and old yarn to a lady who knits for the homeless. It’s a great resource.
The Smallest Acre says
It’s great meeting in public and you can just pretend you’re an undercover agent or something. I’ve gotten 3 dogs, all my chickens, and 1 rabbit, and free scrap wood. I scored some great stuff at a yard sale because they had posted pics of the stuff they were selling. I agree with your tips. I hate when the pictures have junk all in the background. I’ve skipped some purchases because it looked like their house should be condemned.
Cecelia says
I have to add that accurate measurements make all the difference when I’m shopping. If the dimensions aren’t listed I will pass on an item because I don’t want to waste their time or mine if it won’t fit my space.
honeychile says
My father-in-law had an interesting concept of selling an older car. He said to NEVER clean it up. Leave it dirty with coffee cups in the back floorboard. His theory was that if you don’t clean it, people look it over and think about how great it will look when they spruce it up. But if you clean it up, then their attitude is more like, “whoa…that’s as good as it’s ever going to look!” I’ve never sold anything on Craigslist, but I bought my current chicken coop/run there!
Donna says
We do a lot with CraigsList. We don’t buy much, but we’ve sold a lot. However I have learned to never list anything electronical because every time I do, the only ones who respond are scam artists who expect me to pull the ad from CL, send them my name, physical address, phone numbers, and my absolute lowest price I’ll sell at, and then they will send me a certified check for the amount, and then will pick it up after I have received the payment. Oh, and they are usually traveling in Europe at the time they answer my advertisement!
jestjack says
I’m with HH ….Craigslist rocks! I’ve sold and bought a bunch of stuff. AND rented property effectively. I will say it is not as good as it used to be but it is a great tool and you can’t beat the price. Sure you get calls from some “crazies” BUT that’s what I call free entertainment….
DANA says
I WOULD TOTALLY LOVE TO BUY THIS TABLE YOU USED IN THE STORY. I THINK IT IS SO CUTE AND RUSTIC. LOVE YOU SITE.