The Savvy Life

Using Craigslist is simple. Decide what you want to sell, then pick the state and city that is closest to you for listing. The item will need to be categorized.  For example, a bassinet would go under "baby+kids." Once you choose a category you will be asked to give the item a title, price, location and description. I recommend taking a picture of the item and uploading it, but I have seen many ads do fine without a picture. In general you want to include the item's condition and measurements. You can get as detailed as you like.

Making the Exchange
Once the info is entered you can decide whether or not to have people call or email you with offers. It is important to play it safe. Some people like to meet at public places to exchange purchases while others will meet someone outside of there house or with another person present. When dealing with strangers, it is best to only accept cash and to count it well. I also recommend only dealing with people locally rather than mailing an item only to find out the person paid with a stolen PayPal account or credit card.

Pricing
A very common concern is how to price an item accurately. I usually will start by looking the item up through eBay or Amazon to see what it is selling for. Then it is important to figure out the local market. There is nothing to lose if you list something a little higher originally and then lower the price in a week if it doesn’t sell. It is also helpful to look through the other Craigslist listings to see what the prices are like in your area. People love it when a price says OBO (Or Best Offer).  Usually, I will list it a tiny bit higher then I expect to make and let people bargain with me.

Time is a factor in all our lives. Depending on how long the description is it can take anywhere from two to 20 minutes to list an item. The first time it takes a little while but, once you have the process down it goes very quickly.  In my experience, it is much quicker to list on Craigslist than it is on eBay.

Barter instead of Cash
A beloved feature of Craigslist is the fact that people will barter.  Sometimes trades are more popular than cash.  I traded a bed for a carpet shampooer. We were both very happy to get what we wanted and get rid of something we no longer needed. Another plus is that bartering is great for the environment. Every time we reuse an item it prevents it from going to a landfill and more resources being used to make new items.

Initially most people sell items that they no longer need. Baby and kids' gear sells well, along with furniture. But once you clean out the garage where do you find stuff? I go to estate auctions listed on Craigslist and also to storage unit auctions. Another good place to find inventory is yard sales. I have sold college text books for my family and tamales for my friends. The possibilities are endless. If you are creative and make candles or sew, you can sell your products.  Even Avon and Mary Kay representatives do well on Craigslist.

Not Just Items for Sale
Listing services is another excellent way to make money on Craigslist. There are ads for childcare, yard service, house cleaning, elderly care and pet sitting. You name it, people need it. The coolest service ad I have seen so far was a lady who paints murals on walls for nurseries and children’s bedrooms. If you have a talent, use it!

The only limit as to what can be sold is defined by your imagination.  I hope to see your ads!