Be as descriptive as possible and use a lot of relevant keywords to help shoppers find your item when they are searching. by. A few red flags: Now that you know how to sell furniture on Craigslist, it’s time to start perusing some interior decorating apps and begin shopping for that next amazing couch…. Instantly connect with local buyers and sellers on OfferUp! Typically, the buyer is responsible for this cost. All of these devices are capable of taking decent pictures and some of them like the iPhone 6 or Samsung Galaxy S6 take great pictures. If you aren’t a marketing genius or a sales pro you may need some help writing up a good ad and negotiating a fair price. Now the hard part is over, or so you thought. Prior to … Perhapsthe best thing about Craigslist is that everything is sold face to face. Take photos in natural daylight, as this tends to show the item’s true color and condition. Prepping for Long-Term Travel: How to Sell a Household of Furniture on Craigslist in One Week. Craigslist's furniture category should just be called "Secondhand Ikea." It’s best to be honest to avoid any confusion and awkward moments when you meet face to face with the buyer. craigslist provides local classifieds and forums for jobs, housing, for sale, services, local community, and events Downsizing? You’re not looking forward to an inbox full of inquiries, but one of the best ways to sell furniture on Craigslist is to be ruthless in filtering out those who are serious about buying and those who aren’t. Unlikeother online sites, where you have to ship things and risk working withunscrupulous buyers, on Craigslist this risk is much lower. Right now I am a huge fan of OfferUp because of the simplicity and the security features they have. Luckily,  buyers and seller can now use GoShare to get a pickup truck or a cargo van with a driver to help deliver the furniture on demand. Craigslist is a great way to list and sell furniture locally, as the site’s focus tends to be on people looking for classifieds within their area. Get the buyer's full name and cell phone number prior to meeting. Either way it’s time to get rid of some of that big bulky furniture that’s lying around your house or apartment. If you don’t get any offers after a day or two, it may be time to lower the price. A few red flags: The sender sounds desperate and says they need to pick up the item immediately. Generally speaking, a used mattress will command a resale price that is roughly equivalent to 20% to 30% of the original product price. His operation follows the basic adage of “buy low, sell high,” but does so in a systematic and repeatable way. Good Title: Mid Century Modern Dining Room Table In Excellent Condition 14. BTW Craigslist has many cities listed and if you’re not afraid of a little driving, it might be worth your time to check out the free listing section from other nearby cities. You also can’t go wrong with LetGo, eBay and Trove Marketplace. Craigslist is a popular marketplace to sell furniture with buyers all across the globe. Post on other sites. The trick is to price them just right. Sure, there are really cute things there now. Many times you can find things in very poor shape. The sender offers to send you a money order. Link your Craigslist sales pages to each other. In that case you can consider using these offers as leverage to ask the buyer for more money. Write A Great Title:  For Craigslist, the title of your ad has to be captivating and descriptive without being too long. If you are selling furniture or other large items, the buyer will probably come to your home. If you have any good tips that you want us to add, leave a comment and we will add the best suggestions to an updated post in the future. 4. When shopping on Offerup users are scrolling through images looking for the next addition to their home. Most of you reading this article probably have access to an iPhone, Android phone, or tablet of some kind. Make yours stand out by: Potential buyers want to know just a few facts about your furniture: Chances are pretty good that your antique writer’s desk isn’t the only one on the market. If you’re unwilling to bargain with your buyers, note that you’re firm on your asking price and be sure it’s on par with other similar items. Include photos of any damage or issues with your item to prevent having buyers haggle with you on-site once they find out about that big scratch. I was initially dreading selling my furniture on Craigslist. Source: Our Community Now (CO) Because Craigslist is still the world largest virtual bulletin board, the most common scams are fairly well-known. Craigslist is one of the most visited online classified sites, so it’s one of the best places to sell anything – including used furniture. Your future furniture sales on … In the old days the buyer would need to rent a truck, or borrow a truck from a friend. Updated on January 11, 2020 . In Los Angeles, it’s much more difficult, and I ended up having to give away an expensive leather couch set. The two most important things to remember are lighting and clutter. Your listing should have a clear, descriptive title, a short description, dimensions, how old the item is, what you paid for it originally, and what price you are … I wish I had more crap just so I could sell it.. Post a new ad for the same item. Buy a motorcycle for $2500, sell for $3500, and you’ve just made a tidy profit of one grand. Write good ad copy: If you have seen the show Mad Men or work in marketing, you may already know how to write good ad copy. Below are step-by-step instructions showing you how to make a Craigslist ad. Craigslist and Offerup are two really good options to help you sell your furniture online for no cost. The Craigslist arbitrage game seems very attainable; no technical skills required and not a lot of startup capital necessary (Ryan started with just $200 in the bank). Flipping gets easier the more resources you have to devote to it. You never know what you might find and the best part is, there are new things being listed every day. In Craigslist many shoppers will filter ads to only view the ads with images. Make multiple listings of the furniture you want to sell, plus the accessories that go with them. I’ve made literally hundreds of dollars by fixing up trashed furniture or low price items and reselling them days later. Prepare to negotiate: Most people who are shopping on Offerup or Craigslist are looking for a bargain, so make sure they think they are getting one. It’s no secret that I love selling my excess crap. How to submit a free craigslist post. Sell Valuables Elsewhere. 6 Tips For Buying Furniture On Craigslist To Keep You Safe & Cat Hair Free. It’s important to include relevant keywords in the title because many people will use the search feature in Craigslist to narrow down all of the items that they aren’t interested in. Everything about moving: costs, packing, planning & more, Guide to Downsizing to a Smaller Apartment. This article will show you the best way to position your formerly priceless possessions to sell on Craigslist. Most people will look to negotiate so be prepared to get a few low ball offers. The pricing is competitive with traditional truck rental facilities but with GoShare you get the driver to help and they come to you instead of you going to them. Therefore in this article, I want to discuss eight things to sell on Craigslist for profit. Bad Title: used table for sale!!!!!!! Looking to sell some items? Do not list your real email address, phone number, or home address. How Do I Choose Interstate Movers Near Me? Find out how to sell your items using Craigslist here. One neat trick is to price your stuff approx. How to Buy and Sell Safely on Craigslist Tips for a profitable and safe experience. Think end tables, throw blankets, cushions, etc. If you’re willing to take the best offer or bargain, list the item a little high so you have some cushion. If you are trying to sell valuables, try somewhere else. Text them an hour in advance to confirm they are coming. Selling your furniture on Craigslist is a sustainable way to find a second life for a piece of furniture you no longer want or need (another one we like – Facebook Marketplace). Take Great Pictures: We have all heard the expression, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” This is especially true when it comes to selling furniture online. If you need the item sold by a certain date, you should include that as well. So once you’ve decided what you plan to sell, take each item through this checklist and watch the buyers roll in. How to flip free stuff from Craigslist is a great way to make extra money. On Craigslist you will be competing with thousands of others in your area also trying to grab attention and sell their items. Send me a $20 promo code towards my move! Familiarize Yourself with the Most Common Signs of Craigslist Scams . Turning your trash into another man’s treasure is one of the easiest ways you can help the environment, as it helps to cut back on waste and the negative effects that can ensue when it’s disposed of improperly. Use this section to describe the item in detail. Writer. If you want to post using a craigslist account, go to your account homepage. You’re not looking forward to an inbox full of inquiries, but one of the best ways to sell furniture on Craigslist is to be ruthless in filtering out those who are serious about buying and those who aren’t. Whether you’re in the market for a new car or are trying to sell your couch, here’s what you need to know to stay safe and scam-free on Craigslist: 1. to go with a couch or chair. Do a little research to see what other desks are listed at, then decide what you’re willing to accept. Craigslistis by far the largest online classified ads website in the United States. Craigslist is awesome for selling everyday items, because it’s where people come looking to make a deal. Then set the price a few dollars higher than that bottom line number. If possible, use a high-quality digital camera. The picture should be focused on the item you are selling. Hopefully, these tips will help make you a pro at selling furniture online. You can post to Craigslist with or without an account. Clean the items well and tidy up the area around them that will be seen in the photos. If you get multiple offers in the first two days, you may have priced it too low. If it is used, describe any issues or defects on the item. Try not to be offended by these. If you want to spice up your pictures a little bit you can use Instagram to make your pictures more interesting. Everything else should be removed from the view. Here are two examples of a good and a bad title. Transporting the furniture: If you’ve made it this far it means that you have found a buyer for your furniture and have accepted a mutually agreeable offer, congratulations! The truth is, your item is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. First, figure out your bottom line or the lowest price you are willing to accept for your new or used furniture. Furniture sells pretty easily as well. Use these Craigslist precautions to make the transaction more comfortable. Pro tip: avoid using all caps and over-punctuating (!!!!!!!!!!!! Furniture sold by dealers in the U.S. and Vancouver; Gigs in the U.S. and some areas in Canada ; Services in the U.S. and Canada; So if you’re an individual and selling tangible items (i.e., not services), your ads are free. But we all know that the stuff chips faster than the rarest of Victorian dolls. You’ve perused Craigslist plenty of times. you find what you’re looking for on Craigslist while keeping things safe and simple.. sell good items on. After a decent cleaning, the item will look much better and can command a higher price once listed. It's everywhere. Scrolling through Craigslist any day of the week, you’ll see plenty of poor-quality photos and vague listings that are an immediate turn-off. Short and sweet is best. “But if I sell a pair of side tables or a set of four chairs, those will sell more easily.” 2. Buy and sell everything from cars and trucks, electronics, furniture, and more. You should mention if the item is new or used. Hopefully, these tips will help you put a few extra bucks in your pockets with little to no hassle. Your buyer may need help delivering the furniture from your house to theirs. Andy O'Donnell. 18. In a Craigslist ad, this is known as the “posting body”. When I lived in Providence, RI (a college town with Brown University), it was amazingly easy to sell cheap furniture, including a cheap Ikea couch. In this video, you’ll learn more about selling items on Craigslist. Keep a track of potential buyer inquiries and flick scammy sounding emails to the trash. You should also use this space to talk about the best way to contact you (email, phone, text, snapchat). This way if a buyer makes a ridiculously low offer, you will still have room to manoeuvre. The way you treat your home is, people assume, the way you have treated your furniture. But I do love that markets like Craigslist, eBay, and Amazon allow me to recoup some money and re-purpose some of my crap. If you have a couch for sale and 500 other people in your area also have one for sale, yours has to stand out and look enticing. I sold this used Ikea couch in about a day on Craigslist in Providence, RI, a college town . If you’re selling, Whether the buyer will need to pick up the item or you’re willing to deliver, A timeframe for pickup (ex: “Available for pickup between 12-5 on Saturday.”), Payment options you are willing to accept (cash only, Venmo), The sender sounds desperate and says they need to pick up the item. These folks often use all caps. For starters I am going to share the ones that I have had the most luck with. First of all, no one *really* wants Ikea furniture. You can list your items for free, and the process will only take minutes. To do this, add hyperlinks to all the other sales you’re running at … You’re dealing faceto face with a real perso… “I find that if I list a single chair or side table, it won’t sell,” Sirianni said. However, if you do have a unique piece of furniture, then I would recommend checking out Etsy. The sender asks questions about the item which are clearly answered in the listing, responds with only one sentence, or fails to refer directly to the item being sold but asks generalized questions. It might be time to level up. Usually it's a compromise or the panicked buy at the last minute. 2. Make sure to take the picture in a well lit area and avoid shadows. 20-30% above your lowest price. Pro tip: make your buyers life easier by telling them to download the GoShare iPhone or Android app, enter the pickup and drop off address, take a picture of the item, and GoShare will send a driver with a truck or van to help load and transport the cargo. Check the prices of the items which are similar to yours and made available to sell on Craigslist. If you are selling a couch for example, you can use other words such as sofa, sectional, or love seat in the body to describe your item in greater detail. The selling of the stuff might be the most symbolic part of the process of moving out and moving on from your old life in the name of long-term travel. How to Protect Fragile Furniture While Moving, 7 Things to Know Before Moving to Another City. Andy O'Donnell. Craigslist will ask for your email address, enabling potential customers to reach out to you — however, they disguise your email address, so you can maintain privacy. Take photos from different angles including close-up and a more staged “scene”. A small truck starts at only $0.99 per minute from the pickup point to the drop off point with a $39.99 minimum. Upload the listing on Craigslist adding your killer portfolio of images and a clear detailed description. Okay, that’s a lie. Asking price, including whether you’re holding firm or are willing to take the best offer (“OBO” indicates this option in your listing), A concise but clear description of the item including materials and any significant flaws, Measurements so the buyer knows if they can fit the furniture in their vehicle. You don’t want to end up paying to put your furniture in storage, right? ), instead capitalize the first letter of every word. I’ve learned that certain items sell better in one market better than others.Furniture, for example, is 100% best on Craigslist. If you aren’t a marketing genius or a sales pro you may need some help writing up a good ad and negotiating a fair price. Pro tip: avoid using stock photos whenever possible. Best items to flip and sell on Craigslist. My hard and fast rule is that I do not hold an item…but since I read your post about Venmo, that’s worth considering. The title is the first thing that people see as they scroll through hundreds of other ads looking for that great piece of furniture that they are missing. If not, do your best with your phone! Maybe you’ve scored some great furniture, found a new apartment, or even sold some of your stuff, or even donated some furniture to charity — but you certainly don’t consider yourself a pro. Andy O'Donnell, MA, is a former freelance contributor to Lifewire and a senior security engineer who is active in internet and network security. Jillian Sirianni, host of the Frugal Friends Podcast, refinishes furniture and sells it on Craigslist. However, even with the plethora of location-based marketplaces that exist today, Craigslist continues to be the leader in the space. Spring cleaning? 09/19/2012 by Kristin 29 Comments. Follow the steps below to submit a free post to craigslist without using an account. There are a few key components of successfully selling furniture on Craigslist that can reduce the amount of time and hassle, and get you a better price for your goods. I sell on FB almost daily. Be careful not to raise the price too much so as not to scare the buyers away. 1. If possible, move furniture to a garage or even outside. How to Post on Craigslist. Craigslist and Offerup are two really good options to help you sell your furniture online for no cost. Bring your furniture up-to-spec by giving it a dust and polish before you take photographs. Apps. our editorial process. Moving? Craigslist’s interface looks 30 years old and has a bad reputation for low ball buyers. You should also remove any and all clutter. Hopefully, these tips will help you put a few extra bucks in your pockets with little to no hassle. When I’m remodeling houses, things I’ve scrapped out of houses (old doors, etc), I sell specifically on home remodel sale sites. You could try a garage sale but those aren’t cool anymore, and if you live in the city then it’s completely out of the question. Craigslist is an excellent way to sell off a dumpster-find or even turn a profit on an item you bought there. Ifyou have something you want to sell in your neighbourhood, Craigslist is one ofthe best ways to do it. Select a city from t he dropdown at far right, click "go," and follow the steps below starting with step 3. 3. If you want to know how to sell on Craigslist this is the right video to view. 5. Ve made literally hundreds of dollars by fixing up trashed furniture or low price items and them! Someone is willing to pay for it the process will only take minutes a account. 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