Anyone ever try selling something on Craigs List?

<p>I sold a lot of items for an estate I was the personal rep for a couple of years ago. Mostly local sales, but I did get buyers from across the country for two different items that were worth several hundred dollars (one was over $1,000). The sellers both paid via Paypal, and agreed to add the cost of shipping to the transaction price. I told them I would not ship until the payment showed up on Paypal, and they agreed. I think they figured that since I had just listed it on my local Craigslist and was clearly looking for in-town/in person buyers, I was honest. It worked out fine, and I think I got more $$ than I would have with a local buyer.</p>

<p>Ebay is more of a hassle, more rules & they take a fee even if your item doesn’t sell. Also, there are fees for various features on your listing.</p>

<p>I have two old wood strip kayaks I have been planning to put in the free section of Craigslist, any interest? :)</p>

<p>mousegrey</p>

<p>$8 was my profit. The neti pot was just a funny thing that I thought no one would want. </p>

<p>Time spent…it really doesn’t take that much time to list an item. Shipping is easy if you use an online service like Endicia to print out your labels. We drop our packages off at the back of the post office (no need to wait in line).</p>

<p>Craigslist…most people accept cash only. With ebay, I think you need to set up a Paypal account.</p>

<p>Yeah, ebay is becoming kind of a hassle with all the new rules and fee structure. But still, I can sell things on ebay that I can’t sell any other way (i.e. I’ve sold 7 harps on ebay) so I still use 'em.</p>

<p>7 harps??? You mean those giant musical instruments? Wow, that’s impressive. How on earth did you ship them?</p>

<p>mousegrey</p>

<p>lol. I sell lap harps. I usually ship USPS or Fed Ex Ground (which ever is cheaper). </p>

<p>But the point is, you can sell almost anything on ebay…just know your market and your costs. Ebay has a weird thing going on right now where the first five listings are free but they charge a higher Final Value Fee. If you think your item will sell for $25 or more, don’t use the free listing (it is cheaper to pay for the listing fee and get the lower Final Value Fee rate).</p>

<p>I am getting ready for a house renovation and want to sell some on ebay. How do you know how to pack and what to charge on shipping? Can anyone recommend some easy ways to estimate shipping and handling and how it can be done painlessly?</p>

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<p>Any tips on how to research this? Just browse a lot?</p>

<p>On one occasion I sold a bunch of CD’s to a collector and it was good. But I also had a bad experience when I listed a moving sale and got absolutely no response at all</p>

<p>Re: ebay–I think you can do the 'local pick-up only" option if you don’t want to mail (to me it’s a pain to go to the P.O.).</p>

<p>Then again–w/those print out labels–can you just leave your stuff for the mailman?</p>

<p>I went to a seminar by a business professor that used to have his own eBay business. He thought it was usually better to sell things on eBay because the price comparison guarantees you get a fair price as a seller, and he also thought it was easier to take advantage of having a positive reputation. Of course if you’re new to selling that doesn’t really apply.</p>

<p>Personally, I think it would be better to sell things like old clothes on craigslist because you could post the ad multiple times without ever paying anything, and you are still likely to sell it eventually.</p>