Maybe you haven't tried selling items on craigslist (or your local "trading post") before. You should try it, I've always had a positive outcome. For people who haven't always gotten their stuff sold, I think their making a couple of mistakes. So here's a few tips you should follow, and mistakes to avoid!
- Don't overprice your things. The whole point of selling your stuff, is to get it sold and out of the house. Who wants to buy a used couch off craigslist that's almost the same price brand new at a furniture store? NO ONE, so be reasonable when you price your items.
- Take pictures. People tend to only look at ads with pictures. We want to see what your item looks like, if you don't have a picture people tend to think that you're trying to sell us garbage!
- Be descriptive. I hate it when someone is vague or points out the obvious (i.e. selling a highchair). You should list what condition it's in, how long you've had it, why you're selling it, if there are any recalls, where you orginally purchased the item, it's nice to include a link to the store that has the real description, how much it costs, and how to contact you.
- Spell check. There is no bigger turn off then the seller not knowing how to spell what he's selling. Makes us seem like you're trying to scam us.
- Be honest. We'll find out if you're lying. For example, if you're selling clothes and some of them have a few small stains or holes, list it when you're describing each article of clothing. Let the buyer know up front.
- Sell in bulk. Clothing is hard to sell. Who wants to buy just 1 shirt. If you have a bunch of clothing that's all the same size, sell it altogether. That's what I do with Emma's clothing. Sell all the 2T together, then all the 3T, etc. I plan on doing this with mine and Nathan's clothing as well. Sell all same sized shirts together, all same sized pants together, etc. This goes for toys too. If you have an abundance of baby toys, sell them all together. No one wants to make a trip for 1 barbie.
- Don't let people waste your time. The longest part of selling your things, is waiting for people to pick them up. Don't let the first person to email you wait until pay day to pick it up. You want it out of the house now! I usually try to be fair and let whoever emails me first, the first chance to pick it up withthin a time frame that I choose. I've also tried a first come first serve chance too. Just let all people interested know that whoever gets to your house first, will be the one to buy it. Make sure you give them a phone number so they can call to see if your item is still available (we don't want to waste other people's time either).
- Watch out for scams. Unfortunately, when you put your email address out there, you're going to receive junk mail. Lots of emails that claim they're interested in your ad but "not sure if this is your's or not...could you click on the link to see if this is your ad" Don't do it. Never click on links from people you don't know. You'll be able to tell if it's a true person or not. You could always set up a new email address specifically for selling on the internet.
- Always recieve payment in cash. Don't risk it with checks. The whole point is to make money, not have to pay the bank fees when it bounces.
If you use these tips and avoid the mistakes, you'll have a positive experience selling on craigslist!
***What to do with things that don't sell or you only have mismatched clothes, or random toys...DONATE! Emma and I donated 5 paper bag fulls, 2 walmart bags, and an umbrella stroller to our local Salvation Army. It feels good to help out and I got to teach Emma what giving really means***
No comments:
Post a Comment