How to Sell on CraigsList

How to Sell on CraigsList

We're starting the conversation about how to sell on CraigsList - the pros, cautions and tips for beginners selling on CraigsList. 

Here are tips from a regular CraigsList seller, who advises...

• Use accurate pictures and descriptions of an item you're trying to sell.  Don't overpromise or oversell.  If something's wrong, say so.  You only want to attract serious buyers who know the condition of the item when they come to see and buy it.
  
• Check other similar type items for going price.
• Price to sell - everyone's looking for a deal on CraigsList
• Don’t hold an item for someone.  They may not show up.  First person to show up with money gets the item no matter who called first.
  

Other people advise...

Figure out if you want to deliver the item(s) or have someone come pick it up.  If you have them come to your house, have someone else around for safety. 

It's easier if you create an account with CraigsList (it's free) because then you can monitor whatever you are selling.  

When you've sold something, remove the posts so you don't get contacted with calls and/or emails.

Figure out what phone number and email address you want to share - do you want to give out your cell?  work number?  That's up to you.  Just know you'll get calls at all hours of the day and night.

Expect people to bargain, even when they've agreed to a price and are coming to buy it.  They'll often ask if you'll take less for it.

Timing matters when you post something so pay attention to that.  You want your post to appear at the top of the list when most people will be online looking at items on CraigsList. 

Add several photos, not just one.

Look at the listings from the antique dealers who post a lot on CraigsList.  Many of them make their living selling this way so they've got things down for how to do it.  You can learn from and leverage their ideas when you want to sell something.

Only take cash.  People will try to offer you a check.  Don't take it.  It could bounce.  Safer to take cash.  Put that in your ad that it's cash only.

Place your ad Friday so it will be on the top of the list when most people start looking for things to buy that they can pick up on the weekend. 

Once you place your ad, you have to wait a full 7 days, unless you delete it and wait several hours to make sure it doesn't appear as a duplicate.

You'll be amazed at what people will buy...some things that never move at a garage sale and fast movers on CraigsList.  It's odd. 

Don't try to post in more than one category because duplicate ads get flagged and deleted.  You can however, post in one category and if the item doesn't sell or go for a price you want, then create a new listing for it in another category.

People search CraigsList for specific words so know that whatever words you use in your ad can be searched.  You might do some keyword research using Google's tools for that to use everyday words that are most popular to describe what you're selling.  The more detailed your description is with words people use, the more your ad will show up.

Many buyers will skip ads that don't have a photo.  More photos are better.

Beware of your safety!  Put whatever you're selling in the garage or better yet, your driveway and have someone else there when strangers come to pick up the item.

I've sold a lot of things on CraigsList and done that for things my kids want to sell too.  You get more on CraigsList for video games than you do at places like GameStop.

It's good to talk to a prospective buyer on the phone if you've started off with an email exchange so you can judge their character.  If you get a sense something's wrong, it probably is so don't give out your address. 

CraigsList has good info on their site about how to avoid a scam and there are a lot of them that crazy people try.  Don't deal with someone who lives outside the country. 

I meet buyers during the day at somewhere I feel safe, usually the Safeway parking lot where there are a lot of other people around.  Someone told me they meet CraigsList buyers at the police parking lot. 

It's a hassle to ship something and then the person claiming it was broken when they got it.  Now I just try to sell to people who will pick something up and I'll only agree to ship something if it isn't breakable like a video game or a book.

Small business owner using Craigslist shared this:  "I find Craigslist to be the best place for drawing in new prospects. It's perfect because people searching on Craigslist are already primed for buying. All you have to do is get their attention and give them a reason to choose you.  I got my first 5 major clients from advertising on there alone. Depending on what your product or service is, you can advertise local or nationwide. Try out different copy and make sure to use catchy headlines and great images. Be methodical about when and how you post and most importantly, keep at it long enough to see what works. If no one bites within two weeks switch things up. Do a quick search on how to write great copy for some ideas."

"I have found Craigslist to be a great place to advertise. Some of my best clients have come through those ads. The biggest problem I have had is not knowing how many ads I can place on a single account with them, and how frequently I can run those ads before they want to delete them!  I wrote up about forty ads to put on Craigslist, and kept rotating through them. The ones that caught people's attention the best were humorous. If you can get a chuckle out of a prospective client, he will be inclined to want to find out more about you and the service you offer."

We're starting the conversation about how to sell on CraigsList

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