Craigslist has become one of the most popular websites for people looking to buy, sell or trade items.
Providing everything from wanted ads to job postings, Craigslist postings are specific to the area where the seller is located.
This makes it easy to deliver your goods and reduces the competition for items, making it a less intimidating place to buy and sell than eBay.
For the rookie auction hunter, selling items on Craigslist is a great way to get your toes in the water and see if you’d be interested in a larger resale business.
Craigslist itself is very easy to use. Anyone can post an ad online, and you don’t need to sign up in advance or pay for a membership.
Depending on where you live, there may be a small fee associated with posting an ad. Larger cities tend to have bigger fees to help keep the boards from getting inundated. You can usually post for free to nearby suburbs if you want to avoid the fee, however.
Here are a few tips for getting the best result from your Craigslist ad:
- Take a photograph of your items. Ads without pictures don’t get nearly as much attention. For best results, use a decent camera (not a cell phone) and stage the photo in a clean, uncluttered area. Natural light, such as sunlight, makes for the best photos as indoor lighting can cause colors of the item to look strange.
- Write a concise description. Make sure to use good spelling and grammar, since typos can turn off buyers. Explain what the item is, what condition it’s in, and how much you’re looking to get it for. Keep it simple, but include all of the necessary information.
- Provide a link in your ad to a place where the item can be bought new. If you do decide to link to Amazon or some other store, be sure that you’re selling your item more cheaply than the retailer is.
- Choose the option to keep your email address private. This allows people to email you about the ad and prevents you from getting targeted by spammers.
- Keep your phone number off the advertisement. Unless, of course, you’re willing to handle a lot of phone calls. You also never know where your number might end up. Instead, direct buyers to email you, and provide phone numbers only after people contact you.
- Don’t post too many ads. If you do, you might get flagged and have your ads removed. People who are routinely flagged may even get blocked from posting ads in the future. If you have multiple items to sell, consider making a single post and provide details for all of your items. Otherwise, just be sure to space out your ads over a period of a few days or weeks.
- Some items sell better on Craigslist than others. If you’re selling things that are constantly in high demand, like electronics or appliances, you should be able to find lots of interested buyers on the site. Other things, like antiques, may not sell as well.
Selling items on Craigslist you may not always sell everything right away, but you can sometimes find a buyer quickly and have cash money in your hand that same day.
Even better, Craigslist allows you to connect with local buyers and collectors who may be interested in your items later. Be sure nurture these relationships so you can turn your later finds into steady profits.
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