Sick of Selling on Ebay! Anyone have Luck With Craigslist?

[romantico]

I've been selling on ebay for a couple years now but it seems lately no one is buying. When they do buy I've noticed that ebay and Paypal have been charging more for their fee's. I've listed items that do not sell and then been hit with monthly listing fee's. I was curious if anyone has ever tried selling items on Craigslist. I mostly have antiques and am not sure how popular Craigslist is for this sort of thing. My only other alternative is a local antique store or auction house. Really miss the extra income.Any suggestions? Thanks!

[triguy46]

1. If you like having most of your responses or questions be from people...

asking "Do you need special help with that?" or "I think I have just what you need." Also, the direct personal contact thing is very scary, been assaults, murders, thefts, etc. I have sold on CL and on Ebay, and find CL much less pleasant.

[pitohui]

2. craigslist is much more profitable and it's for cash, no fees

i can't sell on ebay any more, between their fees and the cost of shipping, because my items are heavy, i'm squeezed out of making any profit, and i simply can't afford to do all the work of selling and have others take all the profit

craigslist works fine, esp. for heavy items, cars, etc.

use some common sense, i review my emails coming from craigslist carefully -- i do not bother with people who don't have local phone numbers and i usu. don't bother if the email seems to be illiterate or otherwise "off," since they don't have my real email address if i just ignore them i never have to deal with them beyond one email

if your stuff is really valuable then i think you have to go the local auction house route, another thing i WON'T do is consignment because you never get paid or at least i never get paid, there's always a "story" about why your stuff is gone (they sold it but somehow it just vanished and you sign a paper you don't get paid if the items are stolen) so consignment just don't work...that's why for valuable items i guess you have to get an auction house to handle the matter and give up that percentage

but for the items i have, craigslist v. frequently works just fine

put your location (not your street but your section of town) in the ad and make it clear that people coming from YOUR part of town get first choice for being contacted, esp. if it's a cheap item -- some people are flea market/junk dealers who answer all the ads for freebies and cheap stuff but they don't show up, they just want the option to show up -- if a person does not live near you, then their email should tell you why you should believe they'll show up (i have sold several times to car dealers, even if it isn't a car, they'll tell you, oh i'm gonna be there on wed. to see about a car, blah de blah, you'll see, you'll be able to tell by "feel" if they're really gonna show up -- hint, they'll be specific and they'll give you a phone number)

do not take checks, it's cash only, and be clear if the price is FIRM, i'm not gonna waste my time in haggling with people, there's nobody's $ i need that bad...

one guy, a couple of times, somewhere up in rhode island or someplace somewhere, robbed and killed some hookers working on craigslist, that doesn't mean YOU will be robbed and killed, you won't, probably not even if you are a hooker -- it made the news because it WAS news, it happened exactly one time and that dude has already suicided himself from the guilt...

some guys with a truck looking to pick up some bargain furniture are not the kind of guys who are looking to kill people, those guys get their furniture at the store or the rental place, they don't buy used furniture

of course i sold on the classifieds for years before either ebay or craiglist ever existed, so the fears about craigslist, OMG you may have to actually MEET an actual living breathing human being seem pretty silly to me...

[applegrove]

3. My brother put an old washer and dryer on Craig's list and offered them to anyone willing to

pick them up for free. He wrote his address down. By the time he got home from work both were gone.

[pitohui]

yeah i do a similar thing when i need something hauled and don't want to pay for it

i don't put my address in public, i describe the item and let people send me emails telling why i should pick them

i've done this as recently as two weeks ago, it works great -- a guy down on his luck trying to make some money buying and selling stuff i'm too lazy to haul around gets some free "stuff" and i get some free hauling

i followed the same ideas i do when i'm selling, i look at their locations (to make sure they're close to me and will actually show up) and i read their emails to see if they have a good "story" that makes me believe they're really gonna show up...

you get some real idiots anytime you put "free" in an ad but the great thing about craigslist is i never have to respond to an email from an idiot, they don't know MY email or MY phone number until i tell them -- really weird, i actually got a couple emails this time saying "choose me, pick me!" but forgetting to put any phone number or way to "choose me, pick me" ...

[Capn Sunshine]

4. The grinders all prefer CL

psychos and pervs aside, you will find that you get guys with shops coming to view your antique listed for , say, 150. They'll say stuff like " I have my truck here, I can take it away for $25." Which they want YOU to pay. To THEM for Hauling.
It's like the people who come around at 6am to your garage sale. No offense meant out there if you're one of them, but they have a tendency to be low ballers of a major nature.

Although cars is another matter,very successful selling cars via Craigslist.
And CL is THE source for employment here in the LA market.

[pitohui]

7. be sure to put "price is FIRM" somewhere in yr ad

when i first started at craigslist i had a couple folks like that, putting upfront in my ad that i will NOT haggle or bargain put a stop to it -- and i like the thing about, "oh i don't have enough cash," well, no problem honey, there's about 20 atms within about a few hundred square feet of this neighborhood...you think that EVER works? but you get better at reading their contact info and figuring out who is for real

i know my prices are fair, not gonna waste my time with somebody who wants to haggle, this ain't a souk in morocco, life is too short...

[jobycom]

5. I've sold random items on CL. Never commercial like you're talking about.

As someone who buys stuff, too, I can say that usually I go there knowing what I want, I skip over anything that looks commercial, and I usually buy off the first page or two, so it has to have been listed in the last day or two for me to see it. Whether there are people who browse Craigslist for antiques and things, I don't really know. I also only buy from locals, and that's what CL suggests, so you might not get exposure elsewhere.

I don't really know your market, of course, so I don't know how much you rely on people who specialize in antiques, or even certain types of antiques, as opposed to casual browsers wandering through. If your customers are specialists, they probably have sites they are already used to browsing, so maybe you can find those sites and see how to advertise. If you rely more on pass-through traffic, or people buying an antique table after searching for "wood table" or something, then you'd want a site with heavier traffic, even if the traffic wasn't specialized. I say that because there are other auction sites and listing sites besides Ebay that might work for you.

I haven't shopped or sold anything on EBay in years, because every time I search it now I find mostly products listed by professional EBayers who don't really know anything about the product, who bought something at an estate sale, for instance. The last thing I bought arrived prebroken for my entertainment, and the guy who sold it had no idea because he didn't even know what he was selling. It used to be that when I bought something it was either from the original owner or from a small shop that specialized in that product, but now every time I shop there, the dealers don't know what they are selling, and they are often trying run the same double-the-price-through-shipping-and-handling scam that plagues other sites. So it's not worth shopping there for me. Maybe others are feeling that way, so maybe that's part of why your sales are down.

When I look for something now, the first thing I do is google, and often I'll find the product listed on a site I'd never have thought of. Amazon sells everything, and they do it through local businesses, so maybe you could see how that is set up. Other times I find small web sites set up just for a small online business. SOmetimes those sites themselves are tied in to Amazon, or other sites (Abe's Books, for instance).

Point I'm making is maybe you can think outside of just CL or EBay, because people are shopping differently now. They know how to google, say, "antique tables french mahogany" (or whatever). You can set up your own site (There is software, even hosting services to make it easy), find a service to let your customers pay, and see if you can get hooked up through a larger site like Amazon or Abes or whatever else is out there, and figure out how to get Google and Bling to sort you to the top. Assuming you are talking about more than one or two items at a time. If that's all, it might not be worth the trouble, and you might do better just finding another auction site.

Sorry if all that's too obvious. I was kind of brainstorming and got carried away. :) Liberal arts major--what do we know about business? :)

[Ghost in the Machine]

6. I have bought and sold on craigslist, and have never had a problem...

I would advise you to use caution though, depending on your area. I have met others out in public places to purchase an item, as well as been to their homes.. but I'm 6'3 and 265lbs and look like a mean biker lol. Everything I have sold, people have come to my home to pick up. It's been a pleasant experience so far.

[romantico]

8. Thanks

Thanks for the very helpful responses. I do not even have a Craigslist account,so I'll have to discover how it is different from Ebay. Two problems I've had with ebay are,One: People will watch an item in hopes I will relist at a lower price. I have no problem with people looking for a bargain or wanting my best price. However, when an item ends and I have about a dozen people watching,I get a ton of offers after the auction. I accept and am open to fair offers. Instead I get insults. I had a very old snuff box estimated at $379. I listed it at $279 and was willing to take about $240 for it.I got offers of $50, $38, $25,etc.

Second problem was people bargaining with the price after the auction had ended and then threatening negative feedback if I do not bargain.One item I asked $12 for shipping and after the auction because a few other items I listed with free shipping,they decided they would not pay for the shipping.Another buyer bought an item for $175 and decided he wanted to pay me only $125. The time I had to take with filing a dispute and the hassles and headaches. Luckily, I've never received bad feedback and my score is at 2538. It just seems that Seller's have no rights or say and are taken in with high fee's from Paypal and Ebay.

Can I ask for buyers on Craigslist to pay with Paypal? WHat are my other options? Paypal does take a fee but at least ebay won't come in for a take,which is a plus. Many thanks again for the very helpful responses!

[realisticphish]

13. you can ask CL buyers to pay in Guatemalan quetzal if you want

:shrug:

[distantearlywarning]

9. I've never encountered anything using CL that wasn't a huge PITA

Sorry to say it, but it's true. Ads on CL in my areas seem to attract an endless parade of people who don't show up when they say they will, who don't show up at all, who don't show up and then send you 10 nasty emails for no apparent reason, people who show up with no money and then make you wait while they go to the ATM (you couldn't figure out that you might need money if you were going to see something for sale???), people who write nearly unintelligible responses to your ad and expect you to psychically figure out what they are trying to say, people who want to haggle over pennies, etc etc etc. The list of craziness and irresponsibility on CL is nearly endless. I would never use CL over Ebay unless I was desperate or something. Something about CL brings the whack-jobs out of the woodwork.

[eShirl]

10. maybe check out Amazon, I know they let people sell new and used stuff

not sure how the terms are

[lutefisk]

19. One problem with Amazon, is that buyers expect Amazon-like return policies

I wouldn't want to sell something new and get an email 3 weeks later asking to take it back for a full refund. No matter what you might list as terms, many people see it as an "Amazon purchase". Otherwise, Amazon is good!

[grasswire]

11. wahhhh -- I want our old eBay back

I adored selling on eBay. It was like a money tree. I would wake up in the morning and go to see how much money I made while I was asleep (!) I loved mailing things all over the world to great customers. I loved the bidding wars that collectors waged so that every time I refreshed the page there was more $$$.

Thanks a lot, Meg Whitman. You ruined it.

[romantico]

12. Yes

Back in the day a seller use to be able to leave negative feedback towards a buyer. Now, we simply do not matter. I can give numerous examples where I have had a buyer basically use my perfect feedback as blackmail against me. I've added so many to my do not block list I have lost count. My favorite was a guy who bought a solid bronze statue from me. It was a heavy piece of bronze and I wrapped it in bubble wrap, stuffed it in a box with foam peanuts and insured the item.He claimed the item was damaged and wanted a full refund. I asked questions like,'what kind of damage?" "Can you send me some photos?""I'll pay for you to send item back so I can resell."Nope, he demanded a full refund within 24 hours or else. I told them I'd have to fill out a claim and get back to him. No, he wanted me to pay him back ASAP PLUS he wanted to keep the item.This went on and on until I notified ebay.They took care of it where he could not leave feedback but it was hell. I wasted SO MUCH time on this and it was a very stressful ordeal.Ebay suck nowadays.

[cbdo2007]

17. I've always said - to the entrepreneurs (sp?) out there - make a new site like the old Ebay

and it'll be a gold mine.

[laundry_queen]

23. What you said. nt

[Schema Thing]

14. I would think Ebay is still going to be much better for your type of item

You're probably just feeling the effects of the recession, for the most part.


Craigslist is great for commodity type stuff that everyone wants (cars, lawnmowers, etc), or oddball stuff - that you are willing to practically GIVE away.


OTOH, it's free, so you may as well use it too. Just ignore the obvious scammers and low-ballers.


In a way, it's kind of like a reverse auction at times; I recently sold something that I had to relist 4 times, lowering the price everytime before I started getting bites. When the price was low enough, it sold almost instantly.

[realisticphish]

15. I'm looking to list a 55 gallon fish tank on CL

there just aren't other options for something like this, at least that I've found, and it's a time-sensitive thing so I can't dick around.

I'm insisting that they pick it up, though. And cash-only.

[cbdo2007]

16. Craigslist is GREAT if you need to get rid of junk for free.

You know just old junk you have in your yard or in your basement you don't know what to do with and don't want to throw out or pay to have it removed.

Just list it for free on Craigslist and it'll be gone by the end of the day. Someone will just come pick it up.

One time I put a basketball goal on there for free because it was at a house I bought, so I dug it up and set it in the driveway and posted it on Craigslist. Within an hour someone came and got the hoop and backboard but left the 10 foot tall rusty black pole with 100 pound concrete base attached. So I put that back on Craigslist and within an hour someone else came and picked that up too.

[Phentex]

20. That's funny!

I know someone who has placed furniture outside and then listed it on craigslist.

I gave away a swing set and was shocked at the number of people who were interested in the first 15 minutes of posting!

[mnhtnbb]

18. I have bought, sold and given away for free on Craigslist.

Never had a problem.

[eShirl]

21. a regional option for northern New England is Uncle Henry's

http://www.unclehenrys.com/

just an FYI to anyone in the region reading this thread

[Swede]

22. Ever try Kijiji?

I like it.