Alyice on March 30th, 2009

Thanks For Craigslist.com

I’ve known about Craigslist.com, a free online site for placing classified ads, for many years. I was first introduced to the site as a way to find freelance writing jobs. At first, it paid off. But eventually, the job area proved to be nothing more than a haven for spammers and scammers and so I left the site—only to return when I had something to sell; which, of course, is what brought me back this year.

When I decided to do some much needed de-cluttering this winter, it left me with two choices: donate or sell. I often donate small items to local charities, but I really didn’t want to donate big ticket items and I wasn’t in the mood to host a garage sale; especially not in the dead of winter—who’d come anyway?

So I did what any thrifty American would do, I posted my stuff on Craigslist.com. And guess what, it worked!

The trick to selling your junk, err family heirlooms, on Craigslist.com is to stick to your geographic area, be honest and direct, provide as much detail as possible, include several photos, and re-list your item if it has not sold within four days.

I use Craigslist’s hidden email service because it puts a stop to spammers. I never include my physical address, telephone number, or name in the listing. I provide this information when—and if—the email correspondence pans out, starting with a phone number and then a physical address upon confirmation that the party is truly interested in buying the piece. Oh, and I always have a third party with me at time of pick-up, and I inform an outside party of the transaction that’s about to take place—you can never be too careful these days.

I often start my posts with a title that tells the browser exactly what I’m listing, the city in which I am located, and the price I want for the product. Then I follow it up with short, descriptive details about the product, what I paid for the item or what the current retail price is if different than what I paid, what I am asking for, if I’ll accept cash or credit card, and if I’ll ship the item or if the buyer must pick up the item. Then I include four images: a full shot, a close-up of details, and a close-up of any defect.

In the descriptive area, I give as many detailed facts as possible. When I sold my dresser, I explained that the dresser was made of solid pine and that two of the drawers did not have bottoms. Then I included a close-up showing one drawer with the bottom in place and another drawer without the bottom so that the would-be-buyer could get an idea of what it would take to replace the bottom.

For instance, when listing my daughter’s bike, the text looked like this:

Boys Racing Bike; Not an adult bike
32 in bike
Falcon MLG-271
Super 24 Racing Technology, SAS Equipped
Yellow in color
7 speed/gear
3 sprockets
Both breaks work
Good tires, still has tread
Seat has small tear from where daughter fell on the cement
Bought it 2 Christmases ago and only used during summer months around town
Paid $125
Asking $50 cash, firm
You pick up

And here’s a listing I put together for some lawn furniture:

Lawn Set
2 Metal chairs with water fountain .
Set is green in color.
Chairs are not matching in design but in color, material, and texture.
Chairs are able to rock back and forth but do not glide like traditional rockers.
Water fountain has a little girl holding an umbrella with 3 frogs that spit water.
Water fountain is stored in garage during winter months but does show signs of use.
Set could use a fresh coat of rust-free paint but fine as is.
Paid $275
Asking $50 cash for the set
You pick up

I have to tell you, Craigslist sure beats putting up flyers at the local grocery store, placing classified ads in the local paper, and haggling with garage sale veterans!

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AlyiceEdrich.com
I'm a freelance writer, mixed media artist, SMVA, and the owner of The Dabbling Mum.

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