I’ve been using Craig’s List to sell items online since 2004. Before I used Craig’s List, I sold merchandise on websites like eBay, Washington City Paper Classifieds and DC Registry. To post an ad in the Washington City Paper for free, you need to an ad that contains 35 words or less. I sold some things in the Washington City Paper like a digital camera. However, some items don’t always sell in the paper or their online website. Craig’s List is different because it doesn’t have any word limit on classified ad you place. In addition, it cost nothing to place or re post an ad on Craig’s List. The big plus is that Craig’s List has a wider audience than DC Registry because it’s part of a bigger online community on the web.
The Stuff That Sells on Craig’s List:
Since I posted my 1st ad in the Washington, DC section of Craigslist, I found out that some items sell better than others. One of those items sell big on Craigslist is concert and events tickets. I sold my 1st concert ticket through Craig’s List in October 2004. It was an extra ticket to the DC101 Chili Cook-off. This concert normally takes place in spring, but it was a fall event in 2004. I posted on Craig’s List, and I sold on the day of the concert.
It wasn’t the last Concert ticket I would sell. I also extra tickets to Ozzfest 2005, a DC Untied Game and the 2006 All Good Music Festival in West Virginia. Concert Tickets don’t take that long to sell. It’s usually done in 1-3 days.
The Stuff That I Needed To Re-Post:
While the tickets I sold didn’t need any re-posting, I ran into some items that to be re-posted for them to sell. Items I need to re-post are CD Players, Digital Music Players, DVDs, and more. Many times, I re-posted items when people who were originally interested in buying it decided not to go through on the deal. Another problem I ran into was buyer who didn’t live in the DC area. Some buyer made request that raised red flags. I chose not do business with them because I prefer to meet my customer face to face because I was burned before by phony buyers on eBay. Despite that I was able to sell my CD player, Digital Music Player, Poster, Electronics and more.
Meeting Potential Buyers:
Safety is a big concern I sell items face to face. I prefer to meet in public places and avoid meeting folks at night. I meet buyers at coffee shops near metro station. I give the buyer a description of who am I, and what item I’m bringing. If necessary, you may need another person in case.
Final Words:
Craigslist is great place to sell stuff without fees or limitation on words. To be a successful Craigslist seller, you need to know what items sell and what items don’t. Many times, you will figure out how to be a successful Craigslist seller.
