The Art of Craig’s List

I confess. One of my guilty pleasures is shopping on Craig’s List. While I love shopping in malls, boutiques, etc. there is nothing like perfecting my art of bargain hunting.

So, in the spirit of sharing my expertise with others, here is some advice for sellers and buyers.

 SELLERS

• Prove it to me. This is especially true for the phrases “Almost new” and “bought a few months ago”. In your ad tell me that you have the receipt as proof. Those ads get a call back first because there is proof to back up the statement.
• ALWAYS  post a picture, a real picture. Please do not Photoshop!
•  Use descriptive words. Tell me the style of the item, any special features, why you’re selling. Help me connect to the product before I see the picture.
•  List your location in the ad. Let me know where you are located. Are you in a certain community, on a certain side of town, off a major highway, etc? This will limit the number of people contacting you that are not willing to travel for pick up.
•  Avoid cutesy names. Use the name that most people will put in a search. And if there are two names (i.e. sofa and couch) use both in your post.
•  Unless you are selling something EXTREMELY cheap, I mean almost free, clean up the area before taking a picture. It’s hard for me to see the dresser if you have clothes and clutter on top of it!

SHOPPERS

•  If you are looking for home items, look the last two weeks of the month. This is when most people are moving and you get the best deals.
•  Test any electronics before money is exchanged. Get all warranty paperwork if available, even if it is expired. There is other information on there that you can use for repairs if needed later.
•  When picking up an item, try to meet at a neutral location. If that is not possible, here’s a safety tip. Call a friend and have them on the phone during the transaction. With a headset this is not intrusive, but if anything goes wrong they can quickly call 911.
•  Craigslist is a great place for baby/children items. And if you need more than one thing, inquire from the person selling. Normally they are selling items because their children have outgrown them. This means they usually have more than one thing to sell.