How to Sell Your Stuff on Craigslist

When I decided to quit my job and leave Cambridge for a 2 month trip, I chose to get rid of virtually everything I owned. Over the past 2 years I have been exploring my own attachment to material possessions and I knew that for this experiment I didn't have the luxury of storing my belongings. I didn't have a place to store them and I knew I don't want to return to the New England area to live right now and therefore I didn't want to be responsible for items I no longer need.

Compared to the average city-dweller I didn't have a lot of stuff to begin with - some furniture, art, kitchen supplies, and some other household and personal items - but I still had almost a full house. With only a week remaining in my apartment, I had to move fast to get rid of all that "stuff".

I had 3 main goals in my quest to do this:

1. To sell as much as possible so I could raise much needed funds for my era of unemployed travel
2. To give away anything I couldn't sell and limit the stuff I had to throw in the garbage
3. To end up with only one bag of belongings - the one bag containing everything I would bring on my voyage

In hindsight, I am happy with my results. I raised much needed money and I sold what I could sell and gave away the rest. The "craigslist" part of the process was a success. I ended up with 3 bags and a suit instead of one bag because I underestimated the paring down process and essentially ran out of time. It took longer than I had expected and I overestimated the volume of clothes that could fit in the pack.

So without further ado, here is my guide on How to Sell Your Stuff on Craiglslist!

How To Sell Your Stuff On Craigslist

Part 1 - Important Tips to Know Before Beginning

read these before proceeding with your sale!

• Start Early - if you are selling a lot of stuff and have a time limit, start early. This process will take longer than you would like, especially if you want to only sell your items and not give things away for free. Some things inexplicably sell quicker than others and some take a while to sell.

• Be Prompt - the quicker you answer inquiries, the more likely you are to sell the item to that person. There are a lot of offers on Craigslist and often times you are not the only one selling it. By answering quickly you do 3 things:

• You look and feel professional - Americans (and those living in America) expect and appreciate promptness. By responding quickly you appear more professional and therefore less of a risk to the customer.
• You force the customer to decide quickly, which usually results in getting a higher price. Craigslist is normally "first-come, first served" and the customer knows this. By responding quickly they immediately feel the pressure to buy before someone else does and as a result they take less time to weigh their options. 
• You beat the competition - there are a lost of listings and if you answer first, you will most likely be the first to make the sale.

• Prioritize - what is worth more to you - getting an extra $5 for that old fan or selling it at a discount in order to get something for it and to not have to give/throw it away? This is a choice you will have to make at some point, often times quickly, so the more you know your limits going into negotiations, the better prepared you will be.

• Be Firm - if you know what your priorities are, and you can afford to do so, be firm in your asking price. Most times, people will email or call offering less than what you offered - it is a rare craigslister who doesn't do this. When they offer a lower price than listed, and you know you want or need a specific price, be polite yet firm and state that the price is as listed. My experience is that if they inquire about an item, they are likely prepared to pay the listed price. If they are not, they will again counteroffer your listed price and at this point you will again have to decide what is more valuable - the extra $5 or the possibility of no payment at all. Knowing your position in advance will help you in negotiations by relieving stress and allowing you to make more-informed snap decisions.

• Be Safe - 
• Do not give out any unnecessary personal information. Share your address, full name, telephone number, etc only when necessary. 
• Use the anonymous email option in your Craigslist post because you may receive a lot of spam email.
• Set up a separate email account for your Craigslist dealings. This will allow you to keep your personal email unknown from strangers, free from Craigslist spam and the high quantity of email negotiations won't clutter up your personal inbox.
• If possible, meet potential customers at a mutual location. If you prefer they come to your residence, make sure a friend or relative is there with you when the customers arrive, and don't let them in if you don't need to. It is highly unlikely anyone will come with malicious intent but you just don't know who you are dealing with.

COMING TOMORROW PART 2 - The Step By Step Guide to Posting a Listing, Fielding Responses, and Making the Sale!