Craig’s List is a free local listings of classifieds and forums throughout one’s community. For many, it is a blessing.
Two and a half years ago, I decided to try Craig’s List to sell used children’s toys. I wasn’t enjoying Ebay, and didn’t have the money to post classifieds in my local newspaper. A former neighbor had told me all about the site and how it can help people out from jobs, to buying or selling items such as clothes, cars, and even homes! So, I decided to try it out.
My first items that I ever sold off of Craig’s List was my children’s diaper genie and a few old VHS movies. After posting pictures and descriptions of the items I had for sale, I was able to communicate with people who were interested, and rather than taking everything and packaging them in a box to ship through the post office, the buyers come pick up their goods themselves.
A little over time, we had bought other things such as a few Cd’s, a kitten, as well as other miscellaneous things. When we decided to move into a bigger house, I did put our old home up on the website, it’s asking price, as well as pictures. Though I didn’t sell my house through Craig’s List, my former neighbor had better luck and did.
I am a stay at home mother, and jumped at the opportunity on finding a temporary, part time job. Since I started using Craig’s List of Denver, and I have had three different temp jobs, all within my area, or at home! I still continue to use Craig’s list, and had successfully sold kids toys and clothes, sports jerseys, my old washer and dryer, and helped my neighbor’s selling his mother’s Buick, that was sold within the first week. During the winter season, I had sold some decent snow tires, and the response I had received, was unbelievable! Not even a full hour passed after I had posted them did I receive nearly 100 e-mails requesting the tires. You do have an option to keep yourself anonymous, so the people reading your posting responds to a Craig’s list e-mail, which is then forwarded to your e-mail. At times, it can be a bit time consuming, but it is definitely a site that I’d recommend anyone as the last resort to the trip to the Salvation Army, or th Goodwill.
Yet, are there any pros and cons when using Craig’s list? Unfortunately, there are people who use this that do not have common sense, which could end up ugly in the end. For example, recently a man in Golden, Colorado found a nanny to watch his child while he was out at work. Sadly, his innocent child was hurt while under the care of his supposed loving nanny, was hospitalized with severe bruising of the brain from either trauma of falling, (or dropped), or from being shaken. With this area, as well as the dating options, you must take special precautions to avoid any harm coming to your child or self.
Another downfall, is that there are people who will respond telling you how interested they are in your item that you are selling, set up a time to meet, and never show. This can be very frustrating as well as annoying, so be prepared. Of course, be safe and make sure that you are not alone when strangers come by your home. Keep all your e-mails in your records, just in case.
So how to price what you want to sell: check the website first to see if anyone else is trying to sell the same or similar thing. Figure out which price feels best for you, and then post! Don’t be surprised at the people who are asking you to go lower, everyone on the site is just looking for the best deal, and when you see something you like and want, respond FAST! You’d be surprised how rapid others sell their items.
I’m glad that I found Craig’s list and not always relying on Ebay or Amazon. Many people who have never really heard about the website wonder what it is, and how it started. This particular website has been mentioned in the media, and its popularity has developed nearly as big, or maybe even bigger than, ‘My Space’.
In 1995, an employee working at Schwab in San Francisco by the name Craig Newmark, began an e-mail list for co-workers and friends about events that were going on in the area. Four years later, Newmark had retired from his IT job to working full time for his site that he thought of while at home. As the founder and customer service representative, Craig Newmark takes great pride of the expansion of his website, one that assists people from around the world with their essential daily desires, such as finding a new job, apartment, car, date, or even household appliances in a local transaction.
For more information, log onto: www.denver.craigslist.org and see what’s in store there for you for yourself!
