selling things on Craigslist...

Wilds

CHANGEinWAVES wrote:

I changed the item to 'cash only'
Now I think trying to find a male to be there with me might be harder then selling the item! Haha.

Invite a gaggle of woman. Strength in numbers.

CHANGEinWAVES

Wilds wrote:

Invite a gaggle of woman. Strength in numbers.

I can't seem to get any together for a girls night out...so I'm sure it'll be tough convincing them to be here while a stranger looks @ or picks up the furniture. (Besides I live about 30mins from all friends!)

Trailer

I would definitely try to have someone there with you. I posted a free couch and mini bar on craigslist a few years ago. I contacted the first reply and they came over that night. It was a group of 20 something gangster looking guys who took the couch and bar... and then started shadily commenting on how nice my TV looked.:eek:

My roommates were home, so they didn't try to steal it... but I definitely got the impression that they might have if they thought they could get away with it. Nothing ever happened after that.. but just remember that you are going to be letting in strangers into your home. Like people said.. be safe.. have some people over.

CHANGEinWAVES

Trailer wrote:

I would definitely try to have someone there with you. I posted a free couch and mini bar on craigslist a few years ago. I contacted the first reply and they came over that night. It was a group of 20 something gangster looking guys who took the couch and bar... and then started shadily commenting on how nice my TV looked.:eek:

My roommates were home, so they didn't try to steal it... but I definitely got the impression that they might have if they thought they could get away with it. Nothing ever happened after that.. but just remember that you are going to be letting in strangers into your home. Like people said.. be safe.. have some people over.

This kinda makes me nervous...especially since I live alone.

Who Princess

CHANGEinWAVES wrote:

This kinda makes me nervous...especially since I live alone.

You don't have to let anybody KNOW that you live alone though. There's no reason for people to learn a lot of details about you. And I didn't give people my address and directions to my house until it was clear they were a serious buyer and wanted to set an appointment to come look.

Is there someone you work with who might do you a favor and be at your house while you're trying to sell it? Or maybe a neighbor?

CHANGEinWAVES

whoprincess wrote:

You don't have to let anybody KNOW that you live alone though. There's no reason for people to learn a lot of details about you. And I didn't give people my address and directions to my house until it was clear they were a serious buyer and wanted to set an appointment to come look.

Is there someone you work with who might do you a favor and be at your house while you're trying to sell it? Or maybe a neighbor?

maybe I could borrow a friends husband...
neighbor are under the "couldn't be bothered" category (can't wait to move!!)

PatrickBateman

watch out for assholes that offer you 10 times your asking price if they send you a moneygram and you ship first.
I have sold many things with no real aggravation once you contact them via phone.

Oh, and I always meet at a public place....althoug furnture s difficult

BrinkofForever

I posted for a roommate on Craigslist... got an assortment of freaks that I had to meet and entertain life stories of while deciding on whom I would trust in my personal space and whom I wouldn't.
The guy I finally settled on turned out to be pretty cool though... a sound technician who has toured with the likes of the Buzzcocks (06) and hung out with Eddie Vedder in the back of the Cocks tour bus for four hours..getting baked and talking about politics and conspiracy theories. Added bonus..the guy works on a cruise ship four to six months at a time and still pays rent!

GraySaturday

Brandi.. I sell things on craigslist very often. I've made hundreds of dollars on items.

I make it a rule that I only accept cash, in person, and the buyer must pick up the item. Of course I still get the emails about people wanting to scam and stuff, but I stick true to the NO check rules. My husband actually sold our Audi TT on craigslist and that was of course trickier, but we had banks involved and signed legal documents and such to protect ourselves.. but it is possible to handle transactions work 20k on craigslist if you are smart about it.

Rule of thumb, have a friend come over, and never let anyone come look at the item or pick it up or whatever when its just you alone.. protect yourself!

PM me if you have any questions.. I have a lot of experience with it.

Who Princess

CHANGEinWAVES wrote:

maybe I could borrow a friends husband...
neighbor are under the "couldn't be bothered" category (can't wait to move!!)

I understand. There are neighbors and then there are neighbors, some helpful and some not so much. Borrowing somebody's husband is a good idea since everyone should understand about you wanting to play it safe.

I should also stress that even though we are all emphasizing that you watch out for your personal and financial safety, it's also been my experience that people are usually going to be very ordinary and just looking to make a decent purchase for themselves. If you've taken precautions you should have a good selling experience.

Get_Right

cash only and dont be alone when people come over to view or buy the item

there is a huge scam going on where people ask you to take the item down and they pay by certified checks that are completely BOGUS

Who Princess

GraySaturday wrote:

Brandi.. I sell things on craigslist very often. I've made hundreds of dollars on items.

I make it a rule that I only accept cash, in person, and the buyer must pick up the item. Of course I still get the emails about people wanting to scam and stuff, but I stick true to the NO check rules. My husband actually sold our Audi TT on craigslist and that was of course trickier, but we had banks involved and signed legal documents and such to protect ourselves.. but it is possible to handle transactions work 20k on craigslist if you are smart about it.

As I said earlier I sold 2 vehicles in the past year on craigslist that would have been very difficult to sell otherwise and things went great. My dad died suddenly and left my mom with 3 vehicles, which she obviously didn't need and didn't need to spend insurance on. One of them was a 1986 Isuzu pickup with a manual transmission that she couldn't even drive. We thought nobody would want that one but it was in immaculate condition because my dad was the original owner and he loved it. We put it on craigslist and got over 30 serious inquiries. We sold it for more than we would have guessed to a woman who gave it to her brother for his 18th birthday. Everybody was happy.

The other car was tougher to sell. It was a beautiful 1994 Cadillac with very low miles but it required premium gas (when gas was $4/gallon) and had a slow oil leak that was going to cost about $1000 to repair. :eek: We finally sold it to a woman whose car had been recently totaled and needed a new one that didn't cost too much. She wanted something roomy because she was raising her 3 grandkids. We sold her the car with the understanding that it needed repairs. We talked to her a week later when we went to change the title and she had gotten it fixed by then. She thanked us for being such honest people! Once again, everybody went away happy.

Obviously I think it's important to take all the precautions to protect yourself. But I think it's a great idea to take the step of selling items you don't need.