bluntmoney.com

Craigslist is a great way to quickly sell items to local buyers without paying fees. (You can also post items to give away for free there, which can save you hauling fees if you have a large item you’d like to dispose of.)

Here’s how to cleanup with craigslist:

Find your location and category. Craigslist offers classified ads in regions all over the world. Start by finding your location on the main site, and then browsing through the categories to determine which will be best for the item you plan to sell. Once you find the desired category, click on the “post” link to begin writing your ad.

Beware of scams. As soon as you click the post link, you’ll see a bold & highlighted notice warning you to “AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY — IGNORE DISTANT BUYERS (SCAMMERS)”. It’s there for a reason, and this is probably the only downside to craigslist. Try to sell pretty much anything and you’ll be contacted by a person asking if the item is still for sale. Reply with a yes, and you’ll get pleasant but convoluted email back that basically offers to overpay you for the item. Just mark those emails as spam and move on. I’ve started not replying to those emails at all in the first place so that they don’t even get my real email address. (If you want to learn more, there’s a whole page on craigslist detailing scams.)

Post your ad anyway. As long as you ignore the scammers, advertising on craigslist is a great way to sell things. Be sure to describe the item in detail. Include measurements, your general location (city), and any other pertinent details. You’ve got plenty of room here, so don’t be afraid to write a lot. Sum up with the price & your preferred method(s) of contact. I tend to price things about 10%-25% higher than what I really hope to get for them, because the people who respond usually want a bargain. That way we both feel good about the final price.

Add a picture. There’s no fee to include photos either, so you may as well take advantage of the opportunity. This will make it easier for potential buyers to decide if they’re interested, and save you from spending time answering questions that could have been easily answered by a glance at the photo.

Finalize your ad. Once you’ve filled everything in, click continue & you’ll be taken to a screen that asks you to verify your ad and input some letters. Click continue again and accept the terms of service if they’re ok with you. At this point you’ll need to check your email for a post from craigslist. Click on the link provided, and you’ll have a final option to publish, edit, or delete your ad. If everything looks ok, choose publish and your ad will appear shortly.

Use common sense. People who respond to craigslist ads will normally pick up the item from you in person. I tend to meet people at my work (which is a large office building) when possible. If I’m selling something bulky, I have them meet at our house, but handle all the transactions in the garage. (You can read some additional personal safety tips here.) I only accept cash, and now that I think of it, no one who’s come in person to buy something from me has ever even asked to pay with any other method.

Be persistent. It seems as though I get two typical responses to my ads. Either I sell the item in question immediately, within a day or so of the posting, or it takes several weeks. If an item hasn’t sold in the first week, I repost it. Ads get stale otherwise, and people tend to think that you just haven’t bothered to remove the ad. (If you do forget, your ad will automatically expire in 45 days.)

• Finding Collectibles Online Everybody has some kind of special item that has been in the family for as long as anyone can remember. It might be a vase,...
• Borders rewards and my impulse buy This is a free program that Borders offers. You earn 5% on most purchases from Borders, redeemable after a $10 minimum in rewards is reached,...
• Ebay Collectibles To make a living with ebay collectibles, you need to have a good way to find a stream of products to sell. Ebay can be...