My Craigslist Selling Spree is over…

I just finished a Craigslist com selling spree. Over the course of just a few weeks I sold well over $1400 of stuff I did not need or want anymore. Most of the items I sold ranged from $30-75 a piece, but I had a $275 item in there as well. Nothing I posted took longer than two weeks to sell. More so, nothing I sold during these “rough economic times” could even remotely be considered a necessity. It was all “luxury” items such as musical instruments, photo gear, and electronics.

So, how did I do it? Four things:

• Pictures. Post a detailed picture of the item you are selling. People want to see what they are buying. You say you don’t have a digital camera? I bet you have a friend that does, and digital pictures are free! Or, hey, maybe you could find a used digital camera somewhere. Hmmm… I wonder where you could find someone trying to sell a used digital camera?
• Detail. Simply typing “For Sale” in the subject line does not give people any reason to click on your ad. Typing a model number of something that only three people in the entire world would recognize (e.g. “NS-2”) is just as bad. Give a description of what it is you are trying to sell (e.g. “Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor Pedal”). Give detail about the condition of item you are selling, why you are selling it, and why they should buy it.
• Price. People come to craigslist for a deal. Buying something used for 90% the price of new is not a deal (well, unless you have something rare or a collectors item, then people will pay 200% of new. Crazy!). People start seeing things as a deal when the price is set at about 50% of new or less. You would be amazed at how simply adjusting the price of an item you have posted for $285 down to $275 will make the difference between no responses and a full inbox just moments after posting.
• Courtesy. Be courteous! You are not doing anyone any favors by selling your stuff. They are doing you a favor by buying your stuff! Make it easy for people to give you their money! Give a phone number (out of all my postings 90% of my sales were over the phone), let people know right away if someone else made an offer on your item (several of my sales went to the second or third offer), and for the love of Pete, don’t be a Jerk! I cannot believe how many people thanked me, not for selling them something, but for making it easy on them, contrary to their previous craigslist experiences.

So, there you go.

Why did I waste my time typing this? Because I love to sell and search for stuff on craigslist, I frequent the for sale ads daily, and I now have $1400 to spend. Question is, is it you who is going to get my money?

Good luck and don’t forget this site for Craigslist Search.

Selling on Craigslist: helpful tips

Honestly, I’m not a garage/yard sale kind of person. When it’s time to unload my stuff, I do not put some tables out or place signs around the neighborhood. This takes time, and time is a precious commodity in my life. So, instead of selling stuff on a garage sale I always take a shortcut and use the world’s most popular classified ad service: Craiglist com.

This site is remarkable. It’s really huge and it doesn’t charge a thing to list ads under a variety of categories, such as personals, for sale, jobs, services, and community. It has almost single-handedly killed the print classified business. I honestly don’t get how the site makes money, but as long as it exists—popular, effective, and free—I’m ready to use it.

Here’s a few tips to help you to avoid scams when selling things on Craiglist com:

1. Don’t hesitate to create a new account on craigslist. It’s as easy as 1-2-3. The only thing required is your email
2. Don’t be affraid to give out your actual email – Craigslist will hide it from other users
3. Be informational – give brief but clear title e.g. “Slightly used Oak dinner table for sale” instead of “some furniture”. Most users will not look into posting details if the name is too vague
4. When selling furniture – specify the exact measurements of the item. This is the first question buyers usually ask
5. Always attach a photo to the posting. This is a good way to describe the item you are selling. Besides, most users will not even look at posts without photos
6. Repost your ads every 48 hours. This will make them appear at the top of the list.
7. Don’t abuse ‘repost’ feature. Remember that you may get banned if you repost them earlier than 48 hours
8. Don’t respond to emails asking to ship the item – this is a well-known scam