Needing some cash, fast? Many people turn to Craigslist.com to sell their odds and ends for a quick buck. But there are some best practices to selling on Craigslist to stay safe and get the most cash for your gizmos. This is the art of selling on Craigslist. Pile up your trinkets and let’s begin!
What To Sell, That Is The Question
A good rule of thumb is to pick out things to sell according to this criteria:
- The item is something that you no longer need, or you have not used for a year or more.
- The item is valuable enough to make it worth your time to sell.
These might include:
- Appliances
- Antiques
- Computers
- Textbooks
- Furniture
- Jewelry
- Software
- Vehicles
These are just a few possibilities. Start by walking around your house and identifying potential items you could sell. Put these items into one big pile, and now you’re ready to start the sales process!
How To Effectively Price An Item
The first thing you must determine is the market price of the item. You can do this by searching for the item you’re trying to sell on Craigslist and see how others have priced the item. Don’t just use one listing to price your item, look over several listings to ensure the item you’re selling and what your competition is selling is like for like.
Once you have determined the price you’re willing to sell the item for, I recommend increasing your price by 10 to 20%. The reason for this is that many people on Craigslist want a deal, and they will try to negotiate you down. Increasing the price beforehand prevents a certain amount of loss. For example, let’s say you have an item that is generally going for $200. List it at $240, and see what responses you get. You might be fortunate enough to make a profit, but if they negotiate you down, sell it for $200 minimum.
Patience Is Key
When you post your item on Craigslist, expect to wait for responses. The last thing you want to do is take the first offer you get. Compare offers, and email the winning bid. The more pressure you’re under to sell, the less you’ll make on the sale. Take your time! Why be in a rush?
Pictures, Pictures, Pictures!
As you’re adding your product to Craigslist, make sure that you take high quality photos to post on the site. We live in an image-based society, and many people want to see the item in detail before they will buy it from you. This is perhaps one of the most powerful ways to get the sale.
Stay Safe, Keep It Public
I highly recommend meeting in a public place, and taking someone you know with you to the sale. The last thing you want is to have your valuables stolen. The more eyes on the transaction, the better. Be very mindful about where you do the sale, and the party that you are selling to.
Selling on Craigslist can be a great way to make some serious cash. Some have gone to the extent of buying antiques at garage sales and selling them for profit on a regular basis. I have known a few people to do this and make a great deal of money. It makes a terrific side job while you’re working your 9 to 5.
Have you sold anything on Craigslist? What are some tips and tricks you can share with us? We’ll meet you in the comments!
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Last Edited: 2nd August 2010
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I sold 6 pairs of Beyonce tickets on Craigslist once. The key to that was to be patient. My price was high at first, but as the date of the concert approached, I quickly had plenty of people contacting me about the tickets.
I have also bought many things on Craigslist and would contend that pictures are indeed a MUST! As you stated, we are an image based society and a few good pictures can REALLY seal the deal!
I agree completely about having good photos. I recently sold a treadmill on craigslist for close to full retail price because – although there was tons of competition – our pictures were the best and they showed the treadmill’s condition in detail. I would also contend that having a full accurate description of the item will also help you to sell it quicker. If you just put “treadmill for sale” and then a price – people are left with questions. Add a more detailed description including details about it’s heritage, condition, etc – you’ll have a better chance of selling.
Pictures are a must. As well as posting a general location. Unless you have something rare, chances are people coming to get your items will live close to you. Spending time writing out a good description always builds trust too.
Yes to photos! I actually am a Beagle breeder in South Carolina. One of hundreds across the country, yet I get buyers from all over the US who want my dogs based solely on our high-quality photos. (Thanks to my hubby for that!) Same with selling on Craigslist or eBay.
I agree that good photos are necessary; however, I have seen and turned away from several ads that included photos that the poster had not rotated prior to posting. People do not want to turn sideways to see what you are selling.
The key to a good salesperson is to be the buyer and seller. Post it like you would want to see it.
-I’ve found that if you say something like “this needs to go asap” that buyers feel more compelled to bid.
-Always post pics. I would never buy anything(or waste someones time) without seeing it first.
-If you just need it gone, price it low! I have multiple listings and none of them are over $20. I get daily texts and phone calls.
After ebay hikes their listing fee, I went over to craigslist. I sold two personal items in the past, but as myfinancialobjectives suggested — the key point is patience. It is not always simple when your listing is quickly listed at the bottom or the next page after it was posted within a couple of hours. Then, you have to repost it again. And again and again… You get the point? There is so many selling similar items like yours and competition is quickly take its course. You see, the thing with craigslist is you have to wait for a certain time before you can repost. In addition, you have to go through its telephone validation. Lucky for me, I have no problem with that but many people in some states are frustrating with the telephone validation. Others complain why they can’t post two listings in different city because they live close to the border. You can! But you, again, have to wait before craigslist allows to repost. Suck! Yes, suck because I am one of those that live in between two cities.
A friend of mine suggests that I look into backpage.com, ebayclassifieds.com or loudheart.com. I tried all threes. Thus far, I like loudheart.com because I don’t have to recreate my ad by typing it up again if I need to list my ad in two different cities and I do not have to wait! loudheart allows me to write up my ad and tells where to list it — in what cities? Very convenient! I also like the fact I can upload a video along with my ad. Search for ads is also simple. Well loudheart meets this single mom’s expectations.