Selling on Craigslist {Day Four}
by confidentmom on January 4, 2013
Become a Frugali$ta in 30 Days
This extremely popular blog series will soon be for sale as an ebook, chock-full of all the practical money-saving secrets! Busy Family Managers will be able to keep to their budget and earn extra money while saving on everything from entertainment and dining out to household expenses and groceries.
Learn to live well by spending less!
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Tagged as:
decluttering,
free money,
frugal living,
selling household items
Susan Heid is the mom behind The Confident Mom where she loves inspiring Christian moms to make small changes managing their home and family life giving them more time, less stress and stronger family relationships! She enthusiastically wears the hat of mom, step-mom and foster mom to 4 awesome kids – ages 20, 16, 12 and 3; is married to her very own prince charming, loves coffee, cloudy days, and does think the bluest skies you’ve ever seen are in Seattle.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I think I’m one of the few who loves and trusts Craigslist for many things. You just have to be VERY smart about how you handle exchanges, trading during daylight, cautious with who you invite to your home (even if it’s just for a porch pick-up), etc. This past New Year’s Eve, I decluttered 35 pairs of socks from my closet, or about half of my sock “collection”. Yes, about 15 people REALLY wanted my clean, hole-free, used socks! Most of the time I find myself either buying from Craigslist (a dresser and a futon mattress come to mind in the last few months) or listing freebies, but I’ve occasionally sold items on there and made a good profit. I also seek out books at thrift stores (thrift “scores!”) and repost them online for sale or through PaperBackSwap (search and it’ll come up) and use those credits for books I do want.
Great ideas, thanks!
Carrie B would love for you to read….Creating a Vision: 2013
Love your ideas and sharing your experience!
I’ve had very good luck with craigslist. From toys, to clothing, to a car. The car was our record sell. We had 10 calls withing 15 minutes, and it was driven out of our driveway with cash in our hand in 30. A good idea for those items you plan on just donating to get rid of them.
I would like to add that in my town, several people have Facebook group pages to list things that they are selling or giving away. There are a couple of FB pages that you can list anything, and I know of one where you can list anything but clothes. The facebook pages have names like “Smithtown Garage Sale” or Smithtown Anything But Clothes, etc.
If you see something you like, you post that you want it, ask questions, and make arrangements to meet in a public place such as a Target parking lot, etc. If you are interested in something that someone has spoken up for already, then you just list and say that you are second, and if the deal falls thru for some reason, then you are next in line.
Usually the seller will have a few people picking up things at the same time and place. It is as safe as you want to make it. I like not paying the postage from Ebay.
You can also post things that you are in search of like baby clothes or a crib or whatever. When people have had fires, or special needs, a bunch of us will gather groceries, clothes, whatever the family might need. We post about the family and their crisis, and a lot of people generously donate to help.
Thanks for your great blog!
Ultimate way to get rid of things that you don’t need anymore (or never used) but you know it could still be useful to someone:
http://www.freecycle.org/
Totally, will be talking about this later on – you beat me to it!
Great!! Thanks for sharing
Thank you. I have sold a few things on Craigslist but your tips will help me get more interest in my items.
I mostly have baby/kid stuff tomget rid of and stumbled upon Just Between Friends Sales. It is a consignment event that happens in multiple cities. You tag your own items, drop them off at the sale location, pick up any unsold items if you want to (they will donate items you don’t want at the end of the sale). then get a check in the mail a few weeks later. I have made quite a bit of extra money over the last year doing these sales. I was also able to get most of my kiddos Christmas presents at a good price by shopping at these sales.
Check it out: http://www.jbfsale.com
Thanks for the great ideas you share in your blog!!
Great article. Cash is always the best way to go with Craigslist. If someone offers to pay with a check or money order, just tell them no and wait for a buyer that has cash in hand.