Selling
This book is about buying and selling on Craigslist classifieds. Though Craigslist has many sections, such as jobs, gigs, personals, etc.. there is only one section that we will be concentrating on in this book, and that is the “for sale” section. There very well could be a way to make money with the other sections, but I however have vast experience with the “for sale” section, so that is what we'll be covering.
This chapter in particular is about selling. It will cover every last piece of information I have gathered on the art of selling on Craigslist classifieds. I say “art” because there really are ways to make your selling more profitable, and if you master them, you'll be an “artist” of selling on Craigslist.
Hopefully by using this data you can build some capital and be prepared to then do some buying, which is another art in itself. Buying will be covered fully in the next chapter.
This is the Craigslist “For Sale” section, shown below. This is where we will be living.
Craiglist has a very, very plain layout in regards to sales ads. You cannot change the font , background, etc... without using a web editor or knowing HTML code, so this kind of levels the playing field and makes the seller have to really rely on the content of his ad to make the sale. With no flash, all you have left is the text. So we're going to cover how to best utilize what Craigslist gives you to use for your postings.
I'm also going to assume you have sold something on Craigslist before and know how to post items for sale. If you do need help, Craigslist provides a helpful tutorial page you can access here:
www.craigslist.org/about/help/how
Now that you know how to post an item, we'll go over the most profitable ways to do it. Selling on Craigslist can be done in a rather poor way and you can still make some money, or can be done with skill, using working techniques, and you will make great deal more than you have ever expected. I'll show you how.
What Do You Sell?
This is completely up to you, but I'd start with anything you own of value that you simply don't want anymore. Notice I say “of value”. It takes some work to put up a posting on Craigslist classifieds or Ebay, and I don't like to waste my time posting small worthless items I'm only going to make a buck or two on. It could add up to quite a bit in the end, but it is too much work. I want the big profits (for the least amount of work), so I only put up items of value, that I know will be worth my time. If you want to sell things just for a hobby, then knock yourself out, sell Christmas decorations for a buck apiece, or some other dollar store venture.
If you already have an inventory of items you are trying to sell for a profit, that's great. Use these to get started.
The thing I personally like to do is buy things on Craigslist that I will sell on Craigslist later for a profit. I'm going to use the next chapter “Buying” to discuss the buying end of that. This chapter is going to assume you already have something to sell.
When selling on Craigslist I break the process down into these steps:
1.Choose the correct category
2.Write a killer, attention grabbing title
3.Price the item correctly
4.Write an enticing description
5.Attach ample photos
6.Post at the correct time of day
Each of these steps if done correctly can help boost your sales in their own right. I'll go over each one and tell you what I do for each. Let's start with no. 1.
1.Choose the Correct Category
This is a short section because it is quite simple. One of the keys to getting more money for your items is to increase your visibility. You do this by getting more visitors clicking on your post. So when posting an item for sale: choose the correct category! This is obvious, but crucial. You are cutting out most of your market if you post your item in the wrong category. Make sure to choose the proper category or your item will never be found. If you don't know what category to post in, choose whatever you think would be closest.
Ex: If you are selling:
golf clubs ---------> sporting
earrings -----------> jewelry
laptop computer --> computer
screwdriver set ----> tools
I know, it is obvious, but I would be in neglect if I didn't include this in the chapter because I guarantee some people are screwing this up.
Now, If you think think your item fits into two categories, go ahead and post in in both, but you'll need to change the wording in the post because Craigslist is able to recognize a duplicate listing and will not allow it. Also, don't abuse this rule by posting an unrelated item in all the categories. What makes Craigslist classifieds good is that it is not too overrun with spam, so do your part to keep it that way.
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