Clearing Out with Craigslist

I love Craigslist.  Over the past two years my husband and I have sold hundreds of dollars worth of our stuff on Craiglist.  It is a great way to get rid of things and make a little cash in return. 

Why I love Craigslist:

1.  It’s easy to use.
2.  It’s free to use.
3.  It’s a quick way to get cash for your stuff.

However, there are definitely some good guidelines to follow that will help you be more successful.  Here is what we have learned:

1.  Include good pictures in your post.  Take good pictures and take them from all angles.  You can only post 4 pictures, but I would include all 4 if you can. 
2.  Include the measurements.  It never fails, if I leave out  measurements I get a ton of emails asking me how big the item is.  
3.  Do not give your address out to early.  I only give out our address when I know it’s a serious buyer and we have decided on a specific date and time.  You can also agree to meet someone somewhere, but I’ve been left waiting before.  So we usually have them come to the house and we’ve had no issues so far.
4.  Safety in numbers.  Just to be safe I usually make sure I schedule a time when my husband is home when they are going to come to the house.  I would not schedule a time for a man to come by when it is just my daughter and I at home.  We’ve had some really nice people so far, but you never know.
5.  Try to honor commitments.  If someone says they will be at your house at a certain time, be sure and save the product for them.  If they do not show up, then sell it to the next person that was interested.  I am not suggesting you hold it for anyone for more than a day or two, but if someone has said they will be at your house at a certain time make sure you give them a chance to get there.  If you sell it beforehand and they’ve driven an hour to get to your house, they will not be happy and they now know where you live. 
6.  Only take cash.  We only take cash.  Also, beware of those that come to your house and say “well I only have x amount of money”.  My response to that is…”you knew how much I was asking when you agreed to come by”.  I do not fall for that.  I tell them there is an ATM machine up the street.  Now, if you are willing to sell a particular item for cheaper then that is up to you.  I have had people try this when I already have others interested at the specified price.  In those cases, I do not take less. 

That’s pretty much it.  Those are the basic rules we follow and we’ve had a lot of luck with Craigslist.  I do give a lot of items away to Goodwill, but we hang onto anything we think we can make a little cash on and we post it on Craigslist.  If you haven’t tried it yet, you might want to give it a try.

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