How To Make A Full Time Paycheck Selling on Craigslist

Having sold on craigslist for a number of years making hundreds of transactions, I can assure you, anyone can make great money on the Internet just improving second hand items and reselling them on craigslist. The beauty of craigslist, kijiji and other online classifieds is that they are free and local.  I have been successful and met many people who made a full time income selling online.  When considering what to sell on craigslist, do keep in mind you want to offer something that is hard to find in most stores, or a product that is often overpriced in department stores that the majority of the public has to stretch their wallets for.  The beauty of online classifieds is that people can shop for the things they need from the comfort of their home.  They can find something unique and within their budget.  In addition, they can pick up that item the next day, or a week later based on the seller.  Selling items locally could be a profitable business idea, and a business that you could make a full time paycheck.    

What To Sell

1.  If you are considering buying and reselling on craigslist, think about what would be valuable enough to make it worth your time to sell. 

(The number one tip I can pass on from my experience is to focus on larger items that are worth more.  Too many times I see people spend tons of time picking up knick knacks that gain them only a few dollars compared to selling one item worth several hundred dollars. )

Advertising takes time, and time spent coordinating pick up appointments, that is worth your time to make all that worth while.  Forget the littles, and focus on the items that are worth more money. 

-Consider selling a product which you are able to find at a low price, and which can be turned over for a reasonable profit. 

- If you consider improving a product and reselling it, take into account the skills you may need to fix up items to make them attractive at a higher price. 

- Some items you may consider are Appliances, Antiques, Computers, Furniture, Jewelry, Software, Lawn equipment, or Vehicles

A Success Story:

A lady in Virginia who shopped at second hand stores looked only for high end designer purses and handbags with distinguishable designer labels.  She gathered name brand handbags and resold them on ebay making over 5K per month.   Finding name brand handbags wouldn't work in every city, although in locations such as LA, New York, and Washington DC, people  need professional clothing in professional districts, so name brand clothing and handbags would be found in those areas. 

Your Location:

Location is a prime consideration depending on what you intend to sell.   A person will find themselves frustrated looking for antiques in Colorado or Montana compared to Connecticut or Maryland.  Much of the french or colonial furniture will not be found in the middle of the country compared to locations on the coast.  Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina, and Vermont to name a few would have much more federal antiques that people are willing to give away at lower prices because they are so common. 

Success Story:

Another encouraging testimony is of a gentleman who looks for old washing machines and dryers and refurbishes them, to resell on craigslist.  As older machines break down, many people who live on month to month income wouldn't be able to afford a brand new set, that a used set would work to fix their short term problem.  The gentleman was a former appliance serviceman so his skills were easily transferable to his new business. 

Your Location:~Your Home:

- Space is another factor in considering what to sell on craigslist.  If you live in a 2 bedroom condo and try to sell furniture it will just frustrate you.  Bigger sized items will need more space to store.

- Another aspect of selling on craigslist, and making a full time income from home, is that people will come to your home on a daily basis to look at your inventory.  

Do you feel comfortable having people over to your home?  If you are selling furniture or other home merchandise, do not get offended when people ask you to sell your personable valuables as they walk through your home, so you may consider setting up your shop in your garage. 

- Consider your neighbours.  Will your neighbours mind if endless people drive into your neighbourhood to buy from you?  Most often people work during the day, but they will notice the increased traffic to your home.   Homeowners associations often will not allow home businesses to function from the home, so do factor that into your plans

Listings:

1.  When you post your item on Craigslist, try to sell your item right away without deeply discounting it.  Some people suggest a person should wait for all potential responses and compare offers and email the winning bid.  This is the last advice I would ever suggest to anyone. 

Ideally you want to price your item pretty competitive, but not overly cheap.  If you have your item priced too low, you will have a number of offers immediately.  Often times if I have 2 or three people interested in an item, I have priced it high, but reasonable enough that people will open their wallets for. 

Try to email back the people right away and get them over to your home within two days.  Why be in a rush?...........  People change their minds, and back out of deals.  Most often after three to four days, people change their minds.  They get too lazy, and the excitement to have the item goes out the window.  

Price your product right, attractive, and ready to move, and (depending on the item), offering transportation for an extra fee. 

Ideally you want to get the customer to make a firm appointment at a specific time to pick up your item within a day, two or three at most. 

Having an item listed for endless weeks on craigslist gives people the assumption that no body else wants that item.  The customer then starts finding reasons why others have not purchased it.   Sell your items fast and as close to your price as possible and move on to the next piece.

2.  Beautiful Pictures make a world of difference: 

- " Recently sold a treadmill on craigslist for close to full retail price because although there was tons of competition our pictures were the best and they showed the treadmill’s condition in detail" 

Craigslist is notorious for small pictures that people often have to squint to get a good look at.  Consider using photobucket and copying the html into the craigslist post for a larger picture.  If you are going to make any headway with Craigslist you must stand out. 

Sell On Craigslist Make Money From Home

3. Appointments

People do flake out on appointments, and it can be very discouraging. Through the years selling on craigslist, I didn't get a lot of people who did not show up for their appointment all together, but I did get some.   People do change their minds, but most people let you know. 

So how can you prevent people from changing their minds?

A: Try to make an appointment right away while they are still excited about your piece of furniture.

B: People do not come out for small inexpensive items. In fact most non-shows happen with free items because they aren't necessarily something a customer was planning on, but an impulse second thought.  If you do plan on giving something away for free, or are selling something inexpensive, factor in more cancellations when customers face battling the traffic to purchase something worth 5 dollars.  

 Anyone wanting to offer you money orders is a scam unless they give it to you in person. Be very hesitant with people who want the item shipped.

There are features on google where you can look at the entire craigslist simply by typing:

white dresser:site:craigslist.org

Many people who are looking for something very rare will try to pay you in advance and figure out shipping. This is a very very very uncommon occurrence.

4. Price the item slightly above what price you are willing to accept.  It is a general principle that the buyer will ask for a discount.  

5. Do NOT Put Best Offer (OBO) in the description, unless you want people to offer you really low offers. Best Offer gives people the right to offer you half of what you are asking.  This may work great with people who want to get the items out of the house quickly, but as a business, set your prices pretty firm with some flexibility. 

Best of Craigslist ~Advice Before Posting ~ How To Sell on Craigslist

Best Of Craigslist ~ Tips on Selling Your Furniture