Any Experience with Using Craig's List to Sell Items?

Well I guess you know by now that craig's list is a good place to sell things and not have to ship them somewhere, we have bought and sold on Craig's list and it is easy, I would recommend adding a photos, because people like to get a look at what they are interested in, and photos don't cost anything either. Good luck on selling.
J.

G., I've never sold anything on CL, but I have advertised my Daycare with success. It doesn't cost anything. The biggest problem I think you might have is people saying they'll come to get something and not showing up. Be firm about a time and if you have to just say "first one to get here gets it".

Good Luck, M.

I've sold a few pieces of furniture on Craiglist and the problem was many e-mails wanting someone to pick up the items and a check sent to me or brought by them and it was an immediate danger signal to me and the e-mail sounded like someone with little English wrote it so I don't know where they were or who they were. I just chose not to respond to them at all and blocked them.

craigslist is free and we have had great luck selling items on it. Don't put your phone number in the listing or you will have calls forever when the items are sold. Just have them contact you through email and then give them a phone number or address if they are truly interested after asking their questions. Do not accept anything but cash as there are scammers out there. Don't allow them to come and see your stuff when you are home alone. Craigslist is great because you can set your own hours and people will come when you are available and don't have to sit and wait all day at a garage sale. Make sure you show pics on your listings as those items usually sell the best. If no pictures then most people won't bother to ask about it. We have sold several items within a few hours of listing. After the item is sold make sure you put that on your listing or you will continue to get tons of emails. It's a great way to sell your items.

Good Morning G.!

I use craigslist all the time. I have people come over when my husband is home to be safe or I have met them in parking lots as well. Craigslist is free to use as well. The only downfall is that people will say they are coming and then don't show up. When posting please put a picture with that item and say first come first serve.

We have purchased items off Craigs List and have an item for sale on there now. It seems to work pretty good, and yes it is FREE!!!!!

I have used Craigslist and found it very useful. There are no fees to use it and you can set your own limits. I would suggest that you put these type of words in your ad(s):

1. Pickup only (that way you are not responsible for getting it to them)
2. Needing X amount of people to carry
3. Are you willing to trade for something else (if so, list items you are willing to trade for)
4. I would ask for CASH only!

G.,
I sold my car in 6 hours using Craigslist. However, I would be very careful about strangers coming to your home to see the items. When I sold my car I made my husband come with me and we met the people at a mall.Good Luck.
N.

No cost to list. Very simple and effective. We have sold a fair amount on there and never had a problem. Waaaaay easier than garage sale, ebay etc. Good luck!

Craigslist doesn't cost anything to post. They make their money from Help Wanted/Job Postings.

It's basically just like a free, online classified ad but you also get to add pictures.

If you want to sell your stuff, put pictures and explain it well (you're the salesperson).

You're going to have to allow the people into your house to look at the stuff, so I'd be careful. I've bought and sold lost of stuff, but there are crazy people out there. If you can, make sure that another adult is home with you when you meet the potential buyer. If it's something smaller, I usually try to meet in a busy parking lot where lots of people can see me.

Take care of yourself. It would be better to donate the stuff and stay safe than to try to sell it and not protect yourself.

You can also post on eBay, but you'll still have to allow the buyer to come to your house. Also, some people may want to come and look at it before they buy on eBay. Also, eBay charges a fee when you list an item (even if it doesn't sell).

I have sold a hand full of of items on Craig's list with much luck. I listed a lawn mower one afternoon, and the guy picked it up with cash that evening! It is a free easy way to get cash for your extra stuff. I liked it so much that my husband even joked with me that I was going to sell him on Craig's List. There are a few things to be aware of. I would only expect cash in person. I got A LOT of fishy emails from individuals who were out of state. BIG RED FLAG! Most of the time they wanted to have their "shipping company" pick up the item and said they would send me a bank or cashiers check. NEVER ACCEPT THESE CHECKS! I kindly told them that I would only accept cash in person. This is important because there are a lot of scammers who use Craig's List. My parents had a individual tell them the bank had mistakenly written the check for $1,000 instead of $100. He wanted them to cash it and give them back the extra money! My dad said that we would return the check and then wait for a corrected check. He never heard back from them. So long story short. Only accept cash in person. I also always made sure that my husband was home, or asked my dad to come over when they were picking up the item, just in case.
GOOD LUCK!

My experience was basically the same. Sold it for quick and cash. I have other items to list.

I use craigslist all the time to buy and sell. I have only been ripped off once. It can be kind of awkward to have strangers at your house but if you have the stuff in your garage then they don't even have to come in. I always have people come when my husband is home too.

I've had great luck with Craigslist, but as mentioned previously, I would be very cautious about meeting people at your home. I know this may be inevitable since you are selling a couch, stove, etc. I have only sold/bought small items and had them picked up at my husband's dental office. Having really good photos may help this situation for you, or I have also had a link to a personal web site with lots more photos since you can only put 4 pics on the ad.

We have both bought and sold many things on craigslist. very easy and free to post. Include a well lit picture of your item - you can have up to 4 pictures. I like to have a couple different angles of my item and I take close-up pics of any flaws and disclose it in my description.

hi, i actually just sold a futon on craigslist. it doesn't cost anything to post an item & the process is pretty simple. i've also purchased items posted on craigslist & had no complaints. it's a good way to get rid of stuff w/o going through the effort of setting up a garage sale. good luck :)

Yes I will try to help you. You go to www.craiglist.com where you will have to set up an account. You will need an email address and you will have to create a password.
If you have pictures to download that is great, that way people will be able to see what your items look like.

When people are interested they will be able to respond to the number on the site that craig's list will give you. That response will go to your craig's list account that you will be able to check daily.

There is no charge for using craig's list. Hopes this help some. When you visit the site you will become more familiar with it. I just start using it about 2 weeks ago!

Hi, I have successfully used it a bunch of times. Ads are totally free. Here is my advice: Don't give out any personal info. Let the interested person contact you through the e-mail service for you to pre-screen. If the person tells you his/her whole life story, don't respond. If he/she sounds "normal" then you can write back more detail on e-mail and ask for him/her to send you his/her phone or if you are comfortable giving out your's. Talk on the phone first and arrange a time to come see the item. I try to do this when my husband will be home also. Also, in the ad set the price a little higher than you want so you leave room to come down. GOOD LUCK

I buy and sell on Craigslist frequently. The only downside are no-shows. Just have a couple back-up buyers just in case. I only allow people to come to my house if my husband is home. Also, only accept cash. Good luck to you!

I love craigslist! It's free to post your items. People that I've bought or received free things from say that they have problems with a lot of no shows once someone says they are coming to pick up the item. You can list your items individually, which I think is best. And I prefer when the people put their phone number in the ad, cause it takes too long for me to respond to their ad, then wait for them to respond to my email, and back and forth. So a phone number is a must.

Have fun and enjoy! C.