My Craigslist Experience - General Selling Tips

If you don't already know, Craigslist.org is a great site; it's a huge virtual bulletin board where you post your for-sale ads. You can sell just about anything people are willing to buy. I myself have sold a whole lotta stuff for hundreds of dollars without spending a cent (like you used to do in the olden days by posting ads in the classifieds). I've been using Craigslist to sell for about 6 months and my experience with has been very positive.

If you are still leery about Craigslist, either buying or selling, here are some tips to help you get started.

General Selling - Posting your Ad

1. 1. Be as detailed as you can! Think about what you'd want to know if YOU were buying this object:
   -what is the condition? how does it run? any damage?
   -how big is it? (include as many measurements as you can)


2. If possible, include at least one picture of what you are selling. You can add up to 4 pictures; I usually take a bunch of pictures then crop them down so buyers see just the object (and not the other junk in my garage)


3. Don't forget to add contact info. You have the option when people view your ad for them to see an anonymous email address as your contact info-- that is, they will not be able to see your personal email account until and if you reply to them. This is what I do- it just makes me feel a little safer!


4. PRICE: take a minute and look around Craigslist for the same thing you are selling to get an idea of the general price range. Think about the condition of yours and adjust accordingly, up or down.

That's it! Sometimes it takes a little while to get any hits on what you are selling and some items go like hotcakes! Most of the messages I get from potential buyers are exactly this message: "Is this still available?" It's annoying but I answer every one (that isn't spam) because they could be the one to hand me cash for the stuff I don't want!