I’ve never sold anything on Craigslist before (nor anywhere else) – I’m moving and don’t want to lug a TV and mini-fridge.
I was planning on a short description, model number, and a picture. Pricing wise, I was thinking of putting, for example, “$200, or best offer,” with an email address.
Any tips from expert salsespeople? Is there anything I should avoid doing or make people wary of buying from me?
I’m in Cleveland, if it matters.
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I wouldn’t include an email address unless it’s one you’ll use only for that sort of thing. The reason for this is that you’ll immediately get requests for product information that won’t quite seem to hit the mark for what you are selling. When you reply to the query, the person asking will then have your email address and you likely won’t hear from them again except in the form of phishing emails and spam.
I give a phone number only, I don’t allow people to come after dark, and for small things I meet in a public place with the item for the transaction.
It is also good to post a link to the Amazon, etc. posting for the item to show what one would pay new (and it often answers some of the TV connections and resolution questions). The easier you can make it for people, the better for you.
Also look what the price for the other TVs and fridges that are posted right now, you have to be competitively priced compared to them (or somehow differentiable).
Lastly (and most optionally), state when the possible times that people could pick up the item (i.e. available evenings after 5.pm). You want to nail down a pick up time before giving your address.
I sell cars on Craig’s List. The response is overwhelming.
My last car was sold in 40" with cash in hand ( Craig’s List Detroit)
Don’t give the price plus the words or best offer. You can always lower the price with an edit. Nobody wants to pay your price if you indicate or best offer. Removing the ad after the deal is important.
So if I wanted to get $100 for the TV, I should put “$100,” rather than, say, “$200, or best offer”?
If I put a strict price, are people usually going to call if they’ll purchase for a little less? I’d rather sell the thing for $80 than not sell it all, for example.
(and now all of you people in Cleveland who might need a TV know just how much to offer 
. Doper Discount!)
Craigslist automatically gives you an anonymous email address. I personally would never put my phone number in the ad. You can give them your phone number after they send you an email expressing interest.
Whatever you do, don’t accept money orders or cashier’s checks for an amount over what you’re asking, where you’ll then send the excess money back to the buyer.
I’m assuming if you don’t want to lug the TV that it’s probably a CRT. You’re unlikely to get $100 for a CRT TV except MAYBE if it’s a high-quality one like a Sony Wega AND it’s big, like over 30 inches. People are getting rid of CRTs left and right, so they go very cheap. (At least where I live.) I tried selling a decent 27" Symphonic, asking $50 for a week and then only $20 for another week, but nobody bought it so I just gave it away for free.
Some people will haggle regardless of whether you put “obo” in the ad.
Always have pics.
The bigger a hurry you’re in, the lower the price. If you try to get a ‘fair price’, you’ll get lots of flakes.
Like I said change the listing if it doesn’t sell at what you want for it. The listing isn’t permanent.
Yeah, it is a CRT. Browsing around, prices for those really are quite low. Does have VCR/DVD player built in, though.
Thanks for all the tips, everyone.
The anonymous address gives you no protection whatsoever, unless they have changed the way things are done there. Once someone responds to that address and you answer them, they have your home email. Ebay will keep you anonymous unless you give permission to show your actual email address.
Yeah but you can just not reply to the posts that are obviously scammers. Or put “Please include phone number” if you really want to avoid all email contact.
YMMV but as a buyer, if I’m looking for a common item like, say, a CRT TV, then I don’t bother with anyone who makes it complicated. I tend to browse at night, after midnight, and so email is much less complicated for me. I’m not going to bookmark a page to call the guy in the morning, I’ll just email someone else.
I don’t think anyone has said this, but please put some helpful information about where you’re located (i.e., what neighborhood in Cleveland?)
Each CL site covers a large geographic area and many buyers will buy an item if it’s convenient but don’t want to bother if it means driving 45 minutes.
Here are the sort of typical scam responses I would get when I posted an email address (keep in mind that all of the following were easily ascertained by both the ad text and the photos): Is the item in working order? What is the color? Are there any defects?
Questions like that don’t alert you to the person phishing. The only way I found out was because almost immediately after responding, I would start getting inundated with spam messages.
If dialing a phone is too complicated for you, then perhaps you’re just not really interested in the first place. There is no lack of people who have no problem with using a phone, for me to bother concerning myself with someone for whom it’s just too complicated to bookmark a page. :rolleyes:
Well in about half an hour I’m going to buy some old chairs for $30, as arranged via email at 2 in the morning. So apparently the guy getting $30 thought it was worth his time to deal with me. The OP may feel similarly, I’m just trying to give him advice on selling items that, honestly, are not really going to be in high demand at the end of the college school year.
Got a couple of these. What clued me in was the “phone 12-345-6789” at the bottom of both … I guess you’re supposed to email back saying that it’s not a valid phone number and then they know your email address?
On a different note: Would it be terribly unethical for me to delete and re-post the ad each day so that it’s always near the top of the list?
Boat anchor. Don’t be greedy with it. CRT/DVD combo televisions are extremely common.
I started a pit thread about CL in my area, where people are asking $200 for common CRT televisions that the thrift store won’t ever take, $300 for G4 iBooks, and one seller is asking $450 for a used laptop they “payed” the same amount for when it was new, where it sells for $100 less on Newegg.
Don’t be one of those Craigslist sellers we pit because you haven’t heard of depreciation.
As a frequent Craigslist buyer, here are things that turn me off:
So avoid those kind of things, and you’ll have a better chance of getting a good response.
If you’re worried about getting spammed, set up a Yahoo or Gmail email address that you use just for craigslist-type stuff.