Lessons learned from selling stuff on Craigslist
I have been selling loads of stuff that I do not need on Craigslist. I love getting rid of stuff. Actually I love when people pay me to get rid of my stuff.
But it can really be a pain in the arse to deal with Craigslist.
People that are buying on Craigslist want something for nothing, for the most part that is. And it’s not just something for nothing that they want – they want something really freaking nice for nothing.
Always put “CASH ONLY” in your ads or you will have some jackass show up and want to write you a personal check for something that you are selling for hundreds of dollars.
Be prepared for people to respond to your ad with “call me at xxx-xxxx” and not even give you a name and sometimes not even what item that they want. Just a phone number.
People will be no-shows. I suggest getting phone numbers from the people that are coming to look at your stuff and to schedule them in increments. That way if person #1 does not show and you have person #2 coming 45 minutes later you do not have to worry about getting stuck with something that you can’t sell because you ran out of time! And people will be mad if they are scheduled to come look at your stuff and you call to tell them that it is gone. But won’t you be mad if you get stuck with it because people are no-shows?
Don’t hold stuff for anyone without a “good faith deposit.” Otherwise you could get stuck with something that otherwise might have sold.
Keep tools handy. People will show up to get stuff that won’t fit in their car. They will expect you to have the screwdrivers available to dismantle the stuff. They will also ask for a baggie to put the screws in.
If you have a pet-free, kid-free or smoke-free home then be sure to put that in your ad. It does matter to a lot of people.
Be prepared for people to want to trade for your stuff instead of pay for it. If you are willing to make a trade you should put that in your listing. If not, put “NO TRADES” in your listing to avoid these emails that you will inevitably get. And trust me, they will be strange requests!
Include photos. If you can take photos from different angles then do! You may even get emails requesting more photos.
January 28th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
It’s not so bad in my rural area, folks use a list called Freecycle for the free things. But yes, lots of folks want to trade or give you way less than you post for. I can give stuff to goodwill and at least get a charitable tax donation write off. And yes, cash is the way to go.