I’m getting sick and tired of Ebay. Not a sale goes by without some undeserved bad feedback and late payments and the fee’s are getting just crazy.
So I thought I might want to try Craig’s List first and then if my stuff doesn’t sell I’ll go to Ebay. But I don’t know anything about the site and how selling/buying works exactly.
Is it free? Do I have to ship the items? do I have to invite people to my home in roder to pick up items (I hope not!). What have been your experiences, and what suggestions would you have for me? Perhaps describe your last sale from start to finish, I would really appreciate that kind of info.
BTW I’m selling lots of used (but in good working condition) computer parts, some LCD monitors, gaming video cards, motherboards, Power supplies, etc. In case that info might be pertinent to your advice.
I’ve had very little luck with Craig’s. Problem is, you are pretty much listing locally, from what I’ve experienced. Not the same kind of exposure you get with the bay.
I’m with you though. Ebay is getting to be a pain in the prostate.
It’s completely free, but yeah, if you’re selling locally (and most people are– occasionally you’ll get someone willing to ship, say, a videogame), people will likely want to come over and check out the goods first.
**Do I have to ship the items? **
No - it’s entirely local. That’s why there is so many…the whole point is to buy and sell locally.
**do I have to invite people to my home in roder to pick up items (I hope not!). **
Not necessarily. If you sell something portable, just arrange a neutral meeting place. Parking lot, coffee shop, etc. I didn’t mind having people come to my apartment but I usually had someone with me just in case.
**What have been your experiences, and what suggestions would you have for me? **
I’ve bought and sold many things with CL. Bought a treadmill, sold it. Rehomed my finches when I got a cat. Sold my computer desk and a TV.
You can set up an account, or just post as a guest. Create a listing: describe what your selling, if there’s anything wrong, put your location and a price. You can post up to 4 photos (make them good ones!)
CL will anonymize your email address; however when you reply to people, they’ll get to see it. You usually get a bunch of offers all at once, since your listing is at the very top of the page. Open a dialogue with whoever’s interested and go from there.
Your posting stays up for 45 days. You can repost sooner if you want, but realize that if you don’t get many inquiries, reposting won’t generate more. Change the price, put better pics up, something…
When I sold my TV, a lot of people wanted it. I try to give preference to whoever responded first. I email the others to say a sale is pending, if it falls through I’ll let them know, thanks for the interest.
If they don’t reply, or seem flaky, or want to haggle, I move to the next person. CL is pretty stress-free. I’ve never had a bad experience - everyone I met were nice, normal people. I bought a cage from someone and we still stay in touch.
Another thing - keep a listing up until you sell. I had my treadmill up for sale for a good two months before I found a buyer. It’s free!
It is the ugliest website I have seen since 1995. I won’t hold that against it because it works for many people but the popularity blows me away based on that fact alone.
Craig’s List is ‘open ended’. It’s a list of stuff. The rest is up to the seller and buyer to figure out.
That’s the difference to me. Anything goes. Early on Craig’s List was about free stuff and ‘curb alerts’, so it kind of maintained that local charm. But if you shop for a boat, some people are willing to deliver, and nothing stops you from hiring someone.
Some people will ship the collectibles, etc. It’s just that these decisions take place during the sale.
It’s much less formal. The ad is nothing more than a basic ad. All agreements as to price, shipping, pick up, etc take place on the phone or via an e-mail convo.
It’s easier to mass sell items on e-bay, you get more exposure. Craigs list you have to set up how you want to do each transaction with your buyer. I have used it quite a bit, but I think it is good for things that are easier to do locally, like buying big items you want to pick up rather than ship, finding services, etc.
In the past month, we have bought a door, and a bike from Craigs list. I have also used it to find garage sales and daycare. When I wanted cell phone accessories, I went to ebay. As a buyer, I will go through the trouble of setting up a meeting time, driving across town, etc. if it saves me tons on shipping or gets me an item I couldn’t get otherwise (like the door or the bike). If I am going to buy something small, like electronics, it’s easier just to go with ebay. Click a button on a good seller, have it shipped to my door. I am not going to make an appointment to meet with someone over a $10 item that is easy to ship.
I find it to be like a massive local classified ads but totally free. I’ve sold/gotten rid of 4 things within hours of posting.
-Sold my car using it. Posted with multiple pictures, price, milage and left my phone number. Got 4 calls within 8 hours of posting. First guy met me at my work to look at it. He left and got cash and bought it from me by the end of the day.
-I had an 11 year-old 32" TV and entertainment center that I was going to trash but had no way to dispose of them and wasn’t looking forward to lifting them out of my house. I put them on Craigslist for $50/each and got a couple calls that night. A guy came by with his friend and a pickup truck, gave me cash, and hauled them out of my house.
-Had an 5’x9’ chain link dog kennel I had to get rid of. I had no way to haul it anywhere. I put it up on craigslist as “free to haul” and a lady picked it up the next day.
I’ve listed a few things, but have had no luck selling them.
Photos are key. I’ve also found people are dumb…I currently have an above ground pool for sale, and despite putting the dimensions and height right in the ad…I have people e-mailing me “how big is it?”
It’s not what you’re looking for. Craigslist is better suited to getting rid of a thing or two, or advertising for a shop you work out of. I’ve bought a lot of stuff I’ve found on there, but making a business out of it doesn’t seem like it’d work. FWIW, I’ve always paid at least 10% less than the posted asking price, and sometimes up to 50%.
I’m not really looking to make a business out of it. I get surplus stuff from a friend and my own upgrades maybe once a year. I sell it (usually 5 to 10 items in the $100 to $400 range) and repeat in 6 to 12 months. So it’s a csual, and the number of items aren’t big, which is why I thought craigs list might work. I think I’ll give it a go, and whatever I don’t sell I guess I’ll have to post up on Ebay. I hate Ebay… are there any other alternatives to Ebay?
I have to agree. The design leaves a bit to be desired, but it’s pretty clean, fast, and functional. Craigslist (sorry, English always capitalizes the first word of a sentence, save perhaps in exceptional cases like technical articles on programming) is a far cry from what I would consider ugly (pretty much, any MySpace page).