How to Sell on Craigslist
Recently I divulged tips and tricks for buying on Craigslist and if you didn’t check it out, it is worth a read! Today I plan to give pointers for selling furniture and other items on Craigslist.
1. Ask 20-30% more than expected sale price
Pricing is always the difficult part for people trying to sell on Craigslist. Finding a good sale price is as easy as researching what an item goes for on Ebay or what others on Craigslist are listing similar items for. But by asking 20-30% more you have the built-in expectation people will offer you less (they always do) and you still get your desired price. Nobody likes dealing with sellers who write FIRM on their ads and aren’t willing to compromise. By listing slightly higher and accepting less, your buyer will feel like they got a deal and you will get exactly what you want.
2. Always post a picture
Like I explained in my buying tips, ads without pictures are doomed on Craigslist. If you want your item to sell, post a quality picture. Pick a day when it is cloudy, snap a pic outside if possible, make sure there is nothing distracting in the frame, and be sure you’re capturing the correct color of the item.
Believe it or not, this was a cloudy day and taken on my 5 megapixel camera phone. Don’t those baskets look appealing?
3. First come, first serve
The best thing you can do to ensure an item sells is to utilize a first come first serve rule. Don’t delete your ad because someone is coming to look at it a week from now. Don’t hold your item for someone because they “really, really want it.” People on Craigslist are unreliable and flake out on deals often. You’re selling yourself short by accommodating people who have not put forth any investment for the item. Now, if they give you half or all of your asking price upfront in person but can’t pick it up immediately, be a good person and hold it for them.
4. Post in more than one category
If you’re selling an item you think would appeal to a general audience, but is not something someone would go looking on Craigslist for, consider posting under more than one category. For instance, if you have a shovel for sale, they would typically be listed under Tools. Consider also listing them under General because someone perusing Craigslist might like a new shovel, but didn’t realize it until they saw your ad while looking for a bird cage. You need to change a few words throughout the ad; Craigslist will not let you post the same exact ad twice.
5. Give explicit details
Put yourself in the buyer’s shoes and answer any questions one would likely want to know in the initial ad. Post dimensions, whether or not the item is from a pet free or smoke free household, if delivery is available, and the reason you’re selling. You will save yourself a lot of time answering emails to people who are not interested after an answer to one or two of those questions.
6. Offer delivery
A huge setback for most buyers is that they have a difficult time hauling furniture or other bulky items. Many Craigslist users are college students or strapped for money so they don’t have an expensive large vehicle to haul what they want to buy. If you have the ability to offer delivery, put that perk on your ad. You can also take this into consideration when pricing, or offer delivery for an extra $5 or something.
Not much fits in our little Prius7. Stick to your guns
If you have a rock-bottom price on an item, don’t get defeated and sell it for less. If you offer a buyer a discount if they pick up today, but they decide they can’t get it until tomorrow, rescind the discount. You need to determine how desperate you are to sell an item and act accordingly. If you need to get rid of the item by tomorrow, you can give more accommodations and price cuts.
8. Beware of time-wasters and scams
Often times people email you and seem interested in your item for sale but then just disintegrate, fade away like fog, and you never hear from them more than once or twice. I don’t know why people don’t have the common courtesy to inform a seller they are no longer interested, but there’s a lot of them out there. Don’t spend too much time dealing with these people; they are usually ones that misspell numerous words in an email or call but never leave a message. Avoid scammers by disregarding anyone who offers to pay for your item in advance, wants to incorporate an unrelated third party, asks you to ship your item to them, or offers you a lot more than your asking price.
I had 13 people flake out on this couch before someone finally bought it.
9. Sell add-ons
When someone comes to look at an item you have for sale, show them what else you have listed. You never know if that person would be interested! I often sell a home decor item to someone looking for furniture. They wouldn’t think to look on Craigslist for home decor, but if they come buy furniture from a house they think looks nice and get the impression you are an upstanding person, they would probably consider buying your other stuff.
10. Stay anonymous
Craigslist allows you to relay your email for the first interaction with a stranger. When you respond the second time, your email address will show. Keep this in mind and consider using a junky email address. Don’t reveal your age, marital status, gender, or address until you know the person is a real person who is actually interested in your item for sale. Sometimes people discriminate by offering you less money if they think they can push you around (a young woman like me). On the flip side, they might be willing to deliver if they think you’re “helpless” (a young woman like me). It is just common sense to only divulge information when you have to. The only thing you need to put on your ad is an email, although I usually list my phone number as well to be more accessible.
I really love Craigslist, but the site is only as good as the items people put on it. I hope this post encourages more of you to sell on Craigslist so the online marketplace can continue to flourish! If you have any questions about Craigslist or would like to hire me to sell something for you, contact me!
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