Pertaining to selling- what are pros/cons, personal experiences with each?? I have sold with Ebay before and have found it to be rather time consuming and shipping costs are getting higher. Thinking of giving Craig's list a shot. I have alot of stuff I want to get rid of- mainly baby items since I just had my 4th and last! Tips or suggestions?
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Ebay or Craig's List???
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Depends. If you are selling an antique or collectible -then ebay. Ebay has different tactics to get more money.
if you want to sell a 10 year old TV, then Craigslist just to get rid of it.
Used everyday things are good for Craiglsist but new items sell better on Ebay.
A lot of scams on Craigslist so that has to be local cash ONLY- be advised.
You can find good things & also find junk at both.
There are a couple of good threads on this here & a lot of experience when you do a search.
hope that helps a little
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Ebay would probably be tough to sell the items you are talking about. If you have larger items, like a crib, craigslist is good.
And as Bandit suggested, only do a local cash deal, don't get into shipping or anything like that with craigslist.
It took me less than a week to offload some furniture and a TV on craigslists. Also, for most categories, craigslist is FREE.
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I've used Craigslist to sell TONS of stuff. It's better to deal locally, than pay E-bays fees and/or shipping.
Here's some good tips from my experience:
1. CASH or BANK CHECK/MONEY ORDER ONLY. Do NOT accept personal checks.
2. Be careful who you invite to your home. There's some creepy people out there (and I've met a few of them).
3. If someone is coming to your house to inspect or pick up anything - have a friend/relative/co-worker there as well.
4. Talk on the phone first before inviting them to your home. Be sure that you know who they are.
5. Take LOTS of CLEAR digital photos (from different angles) of what you're selling. Nobody wants to buy an old fax machine from your description alone.
6. Use Craiglist's e-mail service so you don't get spam.
7. DO NOT put personal information such as your name, address, or phone number in the ad.
On the plus side: I have sold TONS of old stuff on Craigslist for a higher price than I would have gotten had I sold it in a garage sale. It works - and there's NO FEES.
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I have afew items on ebay right now but have been Craigslisting also. love CL, just be careful about what you divulge on CL. I have had good success with it. Sold the lighting from my old business and also a Home Depot Vanity. Brought in 150 bucks easy in a s ingle day for things just collecting dust. Excersise caution."You once asked me for advice. You want some now? Never pass up a good thing." Lieutenant Jean Rasczak, Starship Troopers
Join the Mobile Infantry and save the world. Service guarantees citizenship.
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Craigslist is more like a garage sale, ebay is an auction.
Craigslist is for big stuff that wouldn't lend itself to shipping - a used refrigerator, used furniture, exercise equip, etc..
Ebay is for things people might bid on and run up to a higher price competing to get it:
collectibles, gold coins, out of print books and magazines, etc.
Ebay reaches a WHOLE LOT more people, but charges you a fairly large amount to sell there.
Craigslist reaches a lot less people but is free.
If you are selling something big see if you can put it outside or in the garage - you don't want just any weirdo coming into your home. That's one nice thing about shipping stuff, you don't have to let people in your home to see it. But sometimes it's unavoidable if you have a big furniture item or something.<<I am NOT an attorney, my comments are anecdotal only. Contact an attorney for advice>>
FINALLY DISCHARGED 92 DAYS AFTER THE 341! A NEW START!!!
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I don't care for craigslist, I get nonstop spam since I posted there and have had several people contact me to "buy the item" which is bull. They sound like foreign idiots and you can tell fairly quickly that it's a load of crap. That's why I hate craigslist. Then I've had several people not show, 3 in one day. It's too big and too open in my opinion. The only good thing, it's free. Ebay is too expensive.
My advice: find your own local ads and post there. I'm in Shiawassee county, MI and we have a classifieds page (http://classifieds.michonline.net/) that people post on from as far away as 20 or 30 miles but it's much more trustworthy. Local people, easy pick up, easy contact.Sarah H Owosso, MI
WE DID IT!! PRO SE
Filed 7/30/07 341 meeting 9/20/07 60 DAY CLUB 11/19/07!!! :yahoo::yahoo:
DISCHARGED!!! 11-26-07:yahoo::yahoo::yahoo: CLOSED 12-06-07 :yahoo::yahoo:
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Having sold on ebay since 1997 and after watching my distributors undercut me on ebay during the decline in sales that began in mid-2000 I can honestly say that ebay has become simply a cash churner, little if any profit. My Attorney said that he had many clients (2003) churning upwards of a half mil a year on ebay but filing BK. From 97 until mid 2001 I did about one thousand ebay transactions. When it was all PBM I was clearing an extra 400.00 per week above costs. The website never came close to that, though I had excellent rankings and such. The cost of the shopping cart, merchant services, equipment rentals and advertising brought it down. I could have stayed in business had the downturn not made it dog eat dog. Most of my distributors are gone now, casualties of war so to speak. Packing, boxing and shipping were a huge dent. My kids once asked Dad why don't we just vaccuum up the peanuts, I showed them that I was really picking up pennies. even with my packing distributor (A&M Tape and Packaging, Sunrise FL) it was a hefty expense.
Craiglist has been a godsend for household items. eBay is a high dollar garage sale now. They nickel and dime you to death. Paypal was great until those nickel and dimers bought it. The one advantage is that all the things we wanted on ebay in the 90's are now standard. Turbolister is so integrated into everything that it is simply HTML, click, everything hunky dory.
I still rememeber my HTML 4 and use it frequently. Most of you know that I have several running websites and still deal in Domain names and own 23 that I keep as a hobby... illness... obsession... everytime time i think I can wean myself away I am back trying to locate a new niche... still love the 'net. I still own Addweb, guess i could upgrade it. I do notice that afew of my sights come up first in Google when searching certain keywords. I am uncertain how spidering and such is done today, it seems odd that I no longer pay but am getting some visits.
How would I say it? Pardon my poor German spelling but, "ich bin ein Craiglister". Ebay deserves a little competition. ahoo was a poor competitor, late in the game, no new niche and typically in those days not user friendly. You should have tried to rank with them , it was a horrible experience and time consuming.Last edited by robivi3; 03-07-2008, 02:28 PM."You once asked me for advice. You want some now? Never pass up a good thing." Lieutenant Jean Rasczak, Starship Troopers
Join the Mobile Infantry and save the world. Service guarantees citizenship.
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Thank you everyone for your help. I definitely think Craig's List is the way to go for me right now. I am not interested in making a killing- but a few bucks here and there. I do have alot of bigger items, i.e. changing table, etc... I also have a very large husband who will serve as a good bodyguard/delivery boy if needed. I will always meet someone in a public place with him in tow. Thanks again for the usual stellar advice!Filed: 3/12/08
341 Meeting: 4/11/08
Last day to oppose: 6/10/08
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Originally posted by my4devils View PostThank you everyone for your help. I definitely think Craig's List is the way to go for me right now. I am not interested in making a killing- but a few bucks here and there. I do have alot of bigger items, i.e. changing table, etc... I also have a very large husband who will serve as a good bodyguard/delivery boy if needed. I will always meet someone in a public place with him in tow. Thanks again for the usual stellar advice!
I would never go meet someone in public nor would I carry the item to their 'place' without condition, if that is what you mean. Thru Ebay I would but not thru Craigslist.
I have only sold a few things but there are people who try to get you to drive it to them, before they have ever seen the item or given any money. If someone is serious about what you have for sale, they will come see you, see the item & pay first.
If you have a bigger priced item...There are really BIG scam artists on craigslist- so don't go meet but make them come to you. If they wont come to you & insist on you delivering, then you know there might be a problem. If they come to you & pay you first, then maybe offer a delivery.
The best advice I can give anyone for this is beware of the person who never wants to show his face or send you on a wild goose chase delivery &/or wants to offer you something different than cash. No Western Union either.
And do not give out your address by email until after you have made an absolute GOOD contact by phone. Make them give you their phone number first by email & make sure they answer the phone instead of them calling you the first time you talk.
I have also given my address to someone who talked real serious but then never showed up, never called & never answered the phone again & that makes me wonder as well.
If you use a phone number on the ad be prepared to talk to a scammer along the way! Trust your gutt feeling & listen close to the kinds of questions & conditions.
If you are afraid of people coming inside your house, then you could have it ready on the porch, garage, gated area, or a room that does not display everything in your house without them coming in.
iF you have something of value then hide it from view if they have to come inside for a bigger item. Have your bodyguard answer the door. Better safe than sorry
Read thru the FAQ at Craigslist & how to avoid being ripped off, that will help a lot. I saw one guy make an ad demanding cash & the person who buys his car will go to the bank with him to make sure the bills are real before transfering the title. I also met someone who thought I was coming to steal his jeep because someone tried giving him a bad check, while someone else (buyer) ended up with a fake car title & a stolen car.
and... I had someone tried getting me to deliver a washing machine 2 hours away!! without ever seeing it...yah I have stupid written on my face.
You can make a little bit of money in an easy & honest way but you can also get ripped off very easy. Glad you have a bodyguard
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I love craigslist and hate ebay. I will only buy locally...need to see what I'm buying up close and personal. I bought my living room furniture off of craigslist for $250. I got screwed on ebay once a long time ago and won't even look at the site anymore.Filed Chapter 7 Pro-Se May 29, 2008
341 July 1, 2008
Discharged September 4, 2008
Closed November 10, 2008 :-)
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I'd been an ebayer since about 1998 as well. Over the years, I saw how they nickle and dime us to death with rate hikes and then FORCING us to accept credit card payments through paypal which nickle and dimed us even more.
I feel ebay used to be great in the beginning when it was more for the "normal" person just trying to get rid of some stuff.
Now you got these companies who can sell something for $0.01 and charge you $10.00 shipping and make a huge profit.
As a shopper or a buyer, it gets tiresome looking through 100 of the same ad from an online store.
Bottom line, I hate ebay, it is my last resort.
My spin on CL is a little better. But you still have goofs that post junk/spam here, and there. CL is not terribly organized and your ad just becomes another bunch of letters in a title. Unless someone is looking for something specific, I find it difficult to sell on CL as well, especially if it's small stuff.
I've gotten screwed alot on ebay. By ebay itself through all their outrageous fees and from buyers and sellers as well.
At least with CL, you can inspect the item and if it's not what was advertised, you can walk away and not get a "negative feedback"....LOL.
Bottom line, all you can do is try and hope for the best!
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My4Devils, if you can make a little money off of your items that's great, but if you don't think they're worth much, try freecycle.org, which is where you give away your unneeded stuff and can get other people's give-aways in return. Sounds cheesy but I have heard of people really doing well by it, and it's a good way to give to people who will appreciate your stuff. I haven't described it well at all, sorry, but a quick look at their website should tell you pretty quickly if it's something you'd find useful. Good luck!!!Nolo Press book on filing Chapter 7, there are others too. (I have no affiliation with Nolo Press; just a happy customer.) Best wishes to you!
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While I agree on nickel and diming my experience has been quite the oppsite. In all my time of accepting checks in the early days not one ever bounced, some no pays, but few. As far as products comapanies like eforcity do charge a penny for the part and make it up on S&H. They still save me hundreds on cell phone items, I am a gadget person. I made alot of money buying cordless drills by the case and reselling them locally, especially during H/cane season. I use places like BHexpress, Grapevinehill, Gothamcity for clothing and shoes. The same pair of Clarks white bradenton sneakers from Grapevineill is 105.00 at Zappos and $45.00 shipped at Grapevine and they stll come in the Clarks box, wrapped in Clarks tissue paper. I have size 13 feet and a herniated disc and weigh 285 ( I am pretty tall) and cannot wear any cheap shoes. My oldest son wears size 14 and I have to buy Grapevinehill to get any decent shoe for him, Payless dies in a month or two. I have set stores on ebay and for me it is more of a shopping system and I use the websites now of many of those Companies. I guess I have around (looking at FB) 700 feedbacks as a buyer and I can't recall to many bad buys, there were afew, maybe 20 out of all that?
I still love ebay as a buyer.Last edited by robivi3; 03-08-2008, 01:52 AM."You once asked me for advice. You want some now? Never pass up a good thing." Lieutenant Jean Rasczak, Starship Troopers
Join the Mobile Infantry and save the world. Service guarantees citizenship.
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I too have been on eBay since 1997 but just to buy things now and then that you could not find locally. And if you found the item locally, it cost a fortune; on eBay is was less than 1/2 of what you could find it for in your area. Anyway, the only people on eBay now who make money and are not dealers are people who have a closet full or inherited vintage items or old collectible items. It is great for buyers; but to make any money on there it can't be a long time selling deal because there are many eBay Stores on there now selling the same items. It's gotten crazy. eBay is great for selling now and then if you have things that may interest people - your old Barbie Doll from the 50's, those collectible dolls/toys from that era, stamps, coins, etc., etc. Or if you have expensive designer clothing or shoes that you discovered in your closet that you have never worn and were forgotten. Those sell well.
When my children were younger and I had a ton of stuff to get rid of and had no expecting friends to pass it on to, I would check with the local firehouses and schools to see if they were holding their annual or semi-annual group flea market/garage sale where you may pay $10 for a table. I made a killing one year making several hundred dollars on all the baby items and clothing. Lots of pregnant woman were out shopping for a bargain. I would have never made that amount at a garage sale or attempting to sell them through the paper or online.
eBay fees and Paypal fees take a good chunk out of selling an item. Sometimes it is not worth the effort or the cost to sell the item. Selling on eBay is timeconsuming and sometimes not worth the effort unless it is your full time job. I have never tried Craigs List cause I have heard so many negative things about it. I live too rural to worry about someone coming to my house that I don't know and I would worry about people knowing I have something for sale at my house that is being advertised all over the place and wondering what else I have in my house. It's nuts out there and you have to be really careful cause you just don't know who is going to show up at your door or if they will check you out before they come there or after the fact._________________________________________
Filed 5 Year Chapter 13: April 2002
Early Buy-Out: April 2006
Discharge: August 2006
"A credit card is a snake in your pocket"
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