Comments on: Successfully Selling on Craigslist

By: Jill

Jill — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 20:14:09 +0000

My sisters and I SO LOVE Craigslist that we made our own Craigslist just for maternity and kids stuff! It’s called http://www.LaBump.com! I totally agree that good pictures are the #1 most important thing for success on sites like CL and La Bump!

By: Maya Andrews

Maya Andrews — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:54:33 +0000

I too love craigs list. I am on a break but will be posting again soon. I’m giving my stuff a break so it won’t annoy people to see it again! It is nice when you have an account, you can repost relatively easy.
I have sold things from other’s trash also! Cleaned up and a few screws added, made $45!
And my friend bought her house off craigs list!

By: Kate

Kate — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:00:49 +0000

I have made thousands of dollars selling children’s toys and clothing on craigslist over the years. I let people come to my house (generally it’s other moms buying kid items during the day) and have never had a problem. Personally, I prefer this to meeting at another location because if they don’t show up (which happens often) or show up late, it’s no skin off my nose. I have even left low value items on the doorstep and told people they could come pick it up anytime during the day so I wouldn’t be tied to the house, and I’ve never had anybody take an item without leaving money under the mat.

The only real problem I’ve ever had is that one lady paid me $40 with a check that bounced. I have had a “cash only” policy since then. Although on occasion I have accepted PayPal payments and then mailed an item. People have done this for me as well, which was wonderful because it saved me from driving across town with 4 kids.

For infant items and toys in “like-new” condition I think it’s fine to list the MSRP. I have always sold these items at half the MSRP and they have gone quickly.

By: Carrie from SpringsBargains

Carrie from SpringsBargains — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:50:30 +0000

Kristine,

If a seller won’t respond to your inquiries, I’d stop contacting them. If they really want to sell something they’ll contact you right away! If it’s not sold already and they really want to sell it, I would guess they’ll repost if it’s legit!

BTW, regarding getting spam emails from your listings – an easy way to tell if an inquiry email is spam is by taking note of whether or not the responder mentioned ANYTHING about the item in the email body.

If it says “is the item you listed on craigslist still available?”, it’s quite possibly a spam email sent by an automated thing.

For this reason, it’s a good idea to name the specific item you’re interested in if you’re inquiring about an item. Some sellers also list multiple items in one day so if you legitimately email them without mentioning what you’re interested in they’ll have no clue which one you want.

Ultimately, you want to be the easiest to work with. If you need to know if an item is from a pet-free home, email and say “is this item from a pet-free home? if so, i can pick it up tonight at 6 pm! call me at 000.000.0000 to confirm”.

By: Carrie from SpringsBargains

Carrie from SpringsBargains — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:39:36 +0000

Megan, whether or not I’d mention the original retail price depends on how much you’re going to charge for it. If you paid $650 and it’s only a year old and is of a size and style that a lot of people would be desirous of, you could potentially get away with saying “I paid $650 and am only asking $100″.

You just have to remember that the person who will wear a brand new dress they got for 50% off at the store will probably not want to buy a used dress off craigslist for the same percentage savings

Michele, I’d definitely list the piano on craigslist! Our local area has lots of free pianos, as I’m guessing most locales do, so I doubt you could make money on it, but if you just want someone to take it away my guess is that you’d have no problem finding someone to take it off your hands!

By: Kathy

Kathy — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:22:55 +0000

I agree with you! We’ve had much success selling on Craigslist. It’s very nice to be able to get rid of the boys toys and make room for newer ones.

Great post!

By: Finance Girl

Finance Girl — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:45:42 +0000

I think people would definitely be interested in taking a free piano off your hands, even if moving it is fairly expensive (at least a few hundred). When I have to have people come to the house, I make sure my husband is home.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:10:02 +0000

I *just* pocketed $10 for a printer I posted for sale on Craigslist late last night. It was my first Craigslist experience and it went off without a hitch. I’m so happy to be rid of that old printer AND to have made a little extra money.

By: Tasha Via

Tasha Via — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:07:36 +0000

I absolutely LOVE Craig’s List!!! We have saved so much money by selling things that we no longer need or don’t want anymore and use that cash to go toward other things that we DO need. For instance, we sold enough things on Craigslist to save up for our kid’s bunkbeds at IKEA and didn’t really have to pay a penny OOP for them! We have had a couple of bad experiences like you mentioned earlier but for the most part it is a great way to de-clutter your house, save money and give your stuff to someone else who can truly use it=)

Great Post!

By: Kathryn Devlin

Kathryn Devlin — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:49:29 +0000

I don’t think its appropriate to be calling people asking questions about merchandise one is selling deadbeats. In fact, I find it personally insulting. Some information may be necessary to decide whether its worth seeing, worth purchasing, etc.

Some ads don’t include info like: smoke free/pet free home, dimensions (can be crucial with furniture), tag may say 3T but having scrunch the garment is really the size of a 2t, etc.

If one included in one’s ad all the info one could reasonably want than that’s one thing. But as a frequent buyer on craigslist, I can attest that most ads do not provide the information necessary to know if I should make a drive (sometimes many moons away) for a piece of furniture (for example). And to tell people not to respond to such inquiries is not only bad business (especially with bigger ticket items), but it shows a lack of common courtesy and sense. Its not disrespectful to ask questions.

Before I can buy anything used, I have to know it comes from a smoke free home. I have a son with severe breathing issues and to waste the time to go see somthing we utilimately wouldn’t be able to use is unfair to both the seller and the buyer.

By: Carrie

Carrie — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:40:18 +0000

We have done pretty well with Craigslist with some things.. We have bought an Ergo brand new carrier still in box for $40 and then I sold my Graco carseat this past weekend, and today I met someone to show my van.. and they say they want it.. Prayerfully they will pick it up in the next day or so. I agree with meeting people if possible. I am not a big believer in bringing strangers to your home, but sometimes you just can’t help it depending on what you are selling.

By: Laura

Laura — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:28:21 +0000

I do a lot with Craigslist as well. And I totally agree with all of these comments. I also think that selling kids clothes in LOTS is a great way to clean out closets. I take great pictures (upclose ones of the best outfits), describe every item in the lot with its price then total the lot at the end. This way I sell the normal stuff mixed in with the great items – it cleans out my kids closets the fastest and you make much more money than at a garage sale because it all sells that way. I price them like a garage sale though (typically $1-2/piece) so I’ve ALWAYS sold all my stuff. I also ask the buyers who were great to work with if they want me to let them know when I’m going to post the next season’s clothing. I have several (good) buyers who come to my house now every few months and clean me out before I have to list anything – it’s awesome!! And since I know them now I am fine with them coming to my house during the day when my husband is gone. New buyers I typically have come on weekends or during the evening. I highly recommend Craigslist – what a blessing!

By: Rae

Rae — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:18:57 +0000

Michele, yes somebody definitely would take it (there is a specific free section too). As far as giving out your address, if it’s really that big, there isn’t really a way around it. Make sure the time you schedule is during the day and have a few people come over. Don’t chitchat too much (have them be in and out) so that they are spending too much time there.

By: Sara

Sara — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:17:06 +0000

I agree with this post as I am an avid craigslist buyer/seller. The only thing is if it is a small item then you can meet at the McDonalds on the corner, but if it is a couch for instance there really is no way around them coming to your home. Just make sure to have someone there with you like a spouse or neighbor so you aren’t meeting them alone.

By: Lucky Cat

Lucky Cat — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:10:57 +0000

I have had great success selling things on Craigslist and love it how easy it is to post a listing and how easy it is to post quite a few photos- and it’s all free!

I sold my fifteen-year-old Volvo for $2K in 2 days- because I had lots of clear pictures, along with full descriptions of everything I knew to say about the car.

I’ve also sold furniture- both nice and so-so, other household items, auto and tech items, etc. I’ve noticed that sometimes an item will sit a while and then, voila, someone comes along wanting to buy it, just about when I was thinking of maybe reducing the price or removing the listing.

You can also give away things on Craigslist, by the way- just like you can on Freecycle.

In order to keep away spam and weirdos, I recommend doing what someone advised me to do: End all listings with “cash only, no delivery.” Even if you will deliver it, somehow saying this keeps the rif-raf away. If something is listing for over a few thousand, I would say, “Postal Service Money order only” or such.

I never list my telephone number and only reveal that once I am corresponding with someone whom I trust. Even in the small town I live in, where the buyer often turns out to be someone I know or recognize, it’s best to be careful, ’cause don’t forget- the whole world can read your ad.

By: Alexis

Alexis — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 12:52:05 +0000

Ah, I love craigslist. Granted there are some strange items listed and a whole lot of overpriced junk, but you can really find some great stuff from CL. I bought most of my textbooks for a fraction of the retail cost. My sister and her fiance have gotten so many great, high quality home items from the free listings on CL. And if you’re a seller, when dealing with accepting the money with the buyer, I suggest you only accept cash.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 12:51:21 +0000

i love craigslist and use it all the time, great post, i second everything! I also love that you echo-ed exactly how i feel about picky buyers and low bid offers. Gave me confidence! One more tip: I love the free section, its amazing what people just want to get rid of and don’t think is worth anything. One mans trash another mans treasure!
Great post!!!

By: Margaret

Margaret — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 12:45:02 +0000

We have sold two cars and an elliptical machine on Craig’s List. All within maybe 48 hours. The cars especially are a great idea since they can be listed for free (unlike most anywhere else) and get great coverage. We have actually purchased 2 cars from Craig’s List too…(and love them!)
I highly recommend though (at least for the bigger ticket items like cars) that you put a phone number down (cell number for safety) and have all contact go through the phone only. (not email even through Craig’s List) We did not the first time and got some really crazy scam emails but none in the phone calls. The second time the car sold just as quickly and we only took phone calls. The really serious people will call–even those like me, who hate talking on the phone and would far rather just email.
The scam emails were just a waste of time, not to mention they then get your email address if you have to respond to any questions they might have (and many seemed serious buyers at first glance).

By: Mandie Giedd

Mandie Giedd — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 12:07:56 +0000

Great post! Thanks so much for this!

By: Honey

Honey — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 12:07:14 +0000

Michelle, (I am not the guest poster, but just have a little experience with Craig’slist). About the piano. I would definitely list it. If not for sale, then list it in the “free” section. I never have trouble getting rid of free items on Craig’s list. And who knows maybe someone is looking for that very item. Maybe you could try it in the “for sale” category and if it doesn’t sale after a week then list it as free. As far as someone coming to your house, maybe schedule the pick-up for when your husbnad is home or another male family member/friend can be there.