Craigslist Selling and Buying

It’s free!  Yes, it is.  It looks very complicated but the way it’s set up it makes it very easy.  You set up your free account and then Post! 

I’ve interviewed sellers and buyers.  Almost every one of them were very satisfied.  A couple of buyers were not so satisfied with their purchase after going to buy what they saw listed, but it wasn’t worth complaining about. 

It’s a bit scary either way because no one really knows who they are going to meet up with and everyone seems to be very friendly on the phone or in their email correspondence.  But, if you have a bad feeling–sometimes it’s best not to go buy it or sell it.  Use your judgment.

One individual sold cement chunks from their back yard to a guy.  They even pointed out which ones to take and made it clear.  Even wrote up a note for the buyer who had already paid and was going back to the house to pick them up in trips because they were so heavy and couldn’t fit in the vehicle.  This guy seemed trustworthy and to understand which ones to take.  So, the seller left him alone after the first trip so he can come an go.  When the buyer was done he knocked on the seller’s door, said he was all done and they said their goodbyes…

The seller went out to see what it was like now that all the cement chunks were gone and was shocked when they found that the buyer helped himself to a few extra chunks that were out of the area that was discussed and surrounding the seller’s grapevine.  The seller wanted to call him but didn’t have the phone number to do that and there was no email correspondence.  So–he’s gone and ripped off the buyer.  Make that a reminder–keep an eye on your buyers and try to get a contact number/email.  Just in case.

This was the only experience that seemed to be intentional on the buyer’s part to escape with some extra goods.   This seller claims that they never had anything odd like that happen before, but, they did keep an eye out.  This happened to be the one time that the seller let the buyer come and go because the seller was a bit busy to be out there “supervising”. 

Most buyers seem to get a good deal for the prices listed and some like to talk down even the lowest prices if they can.  One buyer for flagstone was so generous he paid quite a bit more for the materials than the seller wanted–seeing that the seller wasn’t as experienced as he in that type of material and kindly didn’t want to take advantage of the deal.  And, he left a spare wheel barrel for the seller!  This was a great day for the seller.  It’s always welcomed, the warm, hospitable feeling when someone is polite, friendly, and generous as that buyer.  

If you have items you want to get rid of and have a few minutes to spare, list them and see how you do.  You would be surprised what your neighbors are looking for.  The seller that sold building materials also sold numerous other items from Barbie Dolls to a small barn.  They weren’t planning on doing that but it became a habit after awhile.   It’s especially beneficial if you try having a tag sale and not much sells.  All those items can be listed individually or grouped up.  Just make sure you check your ads daily to make sure you re-list them when they expire.  Or, to see if someone flagged any which means they felt something was wrong about your listing.  Then, just copy and paste your listing again after reviewing it.  Sometimes they are flagged in error. 

Well take a peek at your local Craigslist ads and enjoy.  Oh, if you like real estate and land deals, check out out of town, state listings.  You never know what you might find.  Have fun!

That’s all for now.

Thanks for reading the article.

Ziza Nio