Earlier this week, I posted a bunch of tips to help you BUY successfully on Craigslist… so if you’re looking to find a great deal, head on over there!
However today, I’ll be talking about how to SELL successfully on Craigslist.
Over the past 3 years, I have made thousands of dollars by selling unused items on Craigslist. It’s a good way to clear the clutter from our house, it’s a fun hobby for me, and it’s a great way to make a few extra bucks in the process.
If you’ve never sold anything on Craigslist, or tried and failed to make any money, here are a few of my favorite tips.
NOTE: I’ll be going into more detail over the next several weeks, so if you have specific questions, feel free to leave them in the comments and I’ll try to address them in upcoming posts.
1. Post Good Photos:
This is listed first for a reason — because honestly, if you aren’t willing to take at least ONE GOOD photo, then don’t waste your time trying to sell something. Most people will not even contact you if you don’t post a photo. Or they will contact you asking for a photo!
It’s OK to post pictures from retail websites, but buyers want to see the actual item too…so you should post at least one picture of the actual item in your home. The photos don’t need to be top quality, just make sure they aren’t blurry, fuzzy, or too dark; this makes it look like you are trying to hide something.
2. Set a Reasonable Price:
Even though you may have paid top dollar for your items, it doesn’t mean you will be able to get your money back. Remember your items are USED…not new, so set your prices accordingly. Consider what you might pay for a similar item at a garage sale and use that price as your starting point. You might also search to see what other similar items are selling for.
I always follow my price with, “or best offer”. This shows buyers that I’m ready to negotiate!
Finally, please do NOT set your price at $1 just so you show up in more search categories. It is SO annoying to click on an ad that is $1 and then find out they are really asking $25 or $100. This totally turns buyers away.
3. Create a Detailed Descriptions:
Disclose as much information as you can about the items you are trying to sell. Include all measurements, materials, pieces, and other items that are (or are not) included. {This is where multiple pictures come in handy.}
The more honest you are, the easier it will be to find the right buyer…which will ultimately save you a bunch of time later on.
I’ll be talking A LOT more about how to write a good post…but for now, just be as detailed as you can be.
4. List Your Location:
If you live in a small town, it is probably OK to just list the town. However, if you live in a large city, it’s helpful to include SW, NE, or a specific land mark. For example, I used to live near a large mall so I would say, “Grandville, near Rivertown Mall”. Now, I live very close to a highway exit so I say, “Hudonville, off 196 exit”.
I personally have no issues with people coming to my house to buy an item, but I do NOT include our home address in my posts — except when I sold our home {but that post is coming in a few weeks!}
If you are nervous about meeting at your home, you should still list your city/town. But then when people contact you, simply request to meet at a neutral location like a restaurant, gas station, bank, etc.
5. Provide Appropriate Contact Info:
There are lots of stories about Craigslist scams, but I promise, they are not as common as you may think. Be smart, but don’t be afraid to include your contact information on each post.
Personally, I don’t include my phone number, but if you are not someone who regularly checks your e-mail, it might be necessary to include the best number to contact you at.
Also, if you don’t want them to email you {like for a garage sale posting} then click the button to “hide” your email address.
6. Link Between your Posts:
I often post 20 or 30 items at a time and have found that it is extremely helpful to provide a link between all my posts so potential buyers can see everything I’m selling.
I’ll talk more about this later, but to create a “link” between my posts, I simply say, “Search ‘adekker’ to see all my posts”. Now, every single one of my posts has the word “adekker” so if someone searches for “adekker” {like they would search for “lamp” or “minivan”, all my items will show up in a nice, organized list!
It’s VERY simple and it has increased my sales tremendously.
7. Create a Post Template:
If you are going to post multiple items all in one day {which is what I do}, then you’ll save a TON of time by creating a post template in Word or another similar program.
This is what my basic post template looks like:
We have a _______ for sale from a smoke-free, pet-free, very clean home in Hudsonville — near the 196 exit.
Then I list specifics about the product including dimensions.
Height:
Depth:
Width:
Size: {for clothing}
Materials:
Where/When we purchased the item:
We are asking _____ or best offer, and will only accept cash. Please contact us with any questions or to come look at the product. We will not hold an item, but we WILL remove this post once it is sold.
We have a bunch of items for sale. Search “adekker” to see them all.
Thanks for looking!
Short, concise, with only the information a buyer would need to make their decision. Plus, by saving this “template” as a Word document on my desktop, I can simply copy and paste… and then fill in the blanks. I save LOTS of time 
8. Be Available:
This might sound obvious, but if you plan to post several items on Craigslist, you’ll want to be available for the next 24-48 hours to answer e-mails and schedule pick up times.
I’ve already sold items in less than 15 minutes – so be ready!
9. Don’t “Hold” an Item:
If your item is in high demand, you will often get several emails in the first hour or two. Many of them might ask you to “hold” the item until they can get to your house. I’ve agreed to this a few times and unfortunately, I was burned nearly every time.
Now I simply sell my items on a first-come-first-serve basis. Whoever shows up with money first, wins! This works well and I don’t get screwed over by no-shows or other irresponsible buyers.
10. Save Your Emails:
Even if I have an interested buyer who seems promising, I always save the e-mails of others who want to buy the same item. Then, if the first buyer no-shows (which happens a lot), I have several other e-mails to fall back on.
I also have a “Craigslist” label, in gmail where I dump all my Craigslist emails so they don’t clutter up my Inbox but I can still reference them if I need to.
11. Follow the Rules::
You’re technically not supposed to re-post an item for 30 days, but in my opinion, if your item doesn’t sell, go ahead and re-post it but then DELETE your previous post.
And if you just delete the email that says you posted the item, that does NOT delete it from your Craigslist account. You actually have to log into your Craigslist dashboard, click “manage” for that specific item, and then click “delete”. {see image below}
If you post something twice with no response, lower your price…or just donate it. It is very annoying to buyers to see the exact same post and price over and over again.
OK, so these are my best tips and tricks for successfully selling on Cragislist. I’ve been “perfecting” my sales techniques over the past 3 years and have a pretty good system {if you ask me – LOL!}
Did I miss anything?
What are your no-fail tips to using Craigslist?
What do you want me to talk more about, or go into more detail?
What are your biggest problems with Craigslist?
Previous Posts in the Craigslist 101 Series: