How to make money on craigslist

In today’s world, making money on craigslist is still possible if you know what you’re doing. There are a few things to keep in mind when trying to make money on Craigslist. First, always be honest in your postings. Second, don’t try to rip people off. Third, be patient.

If you can follow those three simple rules, then you can make a decent amount of money on Craigslist.

What is Craigslist?

Craigslist is an online advertisement platform, where any person can find jobs, services, products, or anything one could think of. These options are available from the advertisements posted by individuals or even certain businesses. It would not be wrong to categorize Craigslist as an internet-based newspaper service, which provides people with all they may need, at the same place.

The website was originally launched by Craig Newmark, in the year 1995, with the intention to build a small community where people could buy and sell commodities online. The same website eventually went on to be developed as an establishment of a large community, where people were not only able to buy or sell goods or services but a whole lot of other ideas were also shared and exchanged.

The main aim of Craigslist is to provide users with a rather easier and noncommercial way to connect with other people in their communities, or around the globe. Not only is posting for most classified categories on craigslist free, but browsing, responding to ads as well as interacting with other individuals also does not cost a dime.
Craigslist played a great role in undercutting competitive newspapers, through the classified ads section.

Specifically for people who had to sell products or even rent properties, a whole lot of expenses are cut down when they post an ad on Craigslist, rather than applying to publish an ad or notice in a local newspaper, which would have a much higher fee. The website does not have any animation or graphics, as all of its value comes from the utilitarian design, as well as the contributions of the users.

Craigslist is a Non-profit organization, and although, most of its financial information has not been disclosed, however, it is assumed by several business experts that the website is worth over $10 million US dollars (USD).

What sells fast on craigslist

Vintage appliances (such as microwaves, blenders, juicers, dishwashers, dryers, etc.), vintage furniture, baby clothes, and baby items such as cribs, high chairs, car seats, and maternity clothes are items that you can sell very easily and quickly, whereas products like cars and other expensive products might take a little longer.

Products such as automobiles, bikes, and vintage furniture which are frequently being sold and bought on craigslist are mostly on the expensive side. However, there are also products that you can sell for or under $100. These products could include a year-old mobile phone, laptop, or a good quality watch which the buyer will be willing to pay $100 for, or even more if the product is in good shape. You can also sell home and kitchen appliances or furniture or you can make bundles of your old books and sell them for or under $100. The possibilities are endless.

HOW TO SELL ON CRAIGSLIST

Go to craiglist.org and choose the state/city you live in, or you can directly go to your city by entering yourcityname.craigslist.org. Craigslist gives you two options: either sell as a ‘dealer’ if you are not the owner of the product and are dealing as a middleman or you can sell as the ‘owner’ of the product. You will have to choose the correct category while posting your ad.

After this, you must click the ‘for sale’ button which will bring you to another page where you will select the category of the product you are selling. You will then be required to enter the relevant information, such as the title, model, or type, of the product. You can also add other useful information.

After this, you will have to submit the pictures of the product. You must review the listing for accuracy and edit if necessary. Make sure there are no errors and that the information you are providing is accurate. Lastly, click ‘continue’ and your ad will be published on craigslist.

Taking these steps is not enough, and you will need to do some research on the market and find out the most appropriate ways you should price your product so that it is appealing to the buyer. Look at your competitors and make your posting unique. The suggestions on pricing and posting below will help you in doing so.

Pricing: You must ask for the right price, asking for too much money won’t get any legitimate responses. Similarly setting the price too low, will not attract potential buyers as they would assume that there must be something wrong with the product.

Do your research on the market prices, of the similar products you are selling, on craigslist and other marketplaces. You must mention the right condition of your product and whether it has any minor or major defects and then put the price accordingly.

You have two options while putting a price on your product: you can either put a fixed price or you can give the buyers the option to choose the price and allow them a bargain. However, you should mention the minimum amount you will go down to. This is a great way to attract more buyers,

Posting: Keep in mind that while posting you need to be specific and mention only the most important information related to the product do not add unnecessary words in your advertisement as this would look unauthentic or fake.

For example, don’t write ‘bike for sale’, instead write the full model number of the bicycle that is for sale. This would engender trust and attract potential buyers who are interested in buying that model which has been mentioned.

You can add keywords in the title, for example using the words bike or bicycle as per the above example so that your ad appears in the search results when a buyer searches for it. The title and description of your post must be short and accurate. Do not add unnecessary information.

Each city and/or town has its separate section on the website, while posting your ad on Craigslist, you can also post your ad in the neighboring cities and towns. This would increase the visibility of your ad and would also help in selling your products much faster. You will have to keep in mind that the transportation costs would incur. This will expand the response rate on your advertisement and will get you in touch with the perfect buyer.

How much does it cost to sell on craigslist?

While most of Craigslist’s service is free, the website will charge you $25 if you want to give your ad increased visibility on the platform. In countries where craigslist is still in its developing stages, it is free to post ads, this is mainly for promotion and to build a community on the website in that particular state, you just need to follow the steps mentioned above and sell your product without paying any advertising costs, whereas in US and Canada a fee is charged between $10 and $75 per advert (these are mostly job postings). Paid ads on Craigslist last for 30 days, however, you do have an option to pay and renew the ad for a further time period.

How to sell furniture on craigslist?

One of the most frequently selling items on craigslist is used or vintage furniture. Furniture and other large items tend to sell best on Craigslist, whereas smaller and pricier items such as expensive electronics and jewelry etc. sell better on Amazon or eBay.

You must take some good quality pictures from all angles, in good lighting, and then use the best ones to add as the cover photo of the ad you are posting. Do not underestimate the importance of good quality images that you are providing.

It is the visuals that will attract the buyer’s attention and sell your product, so take your time to take these images. Then write a really good description in the description box. Mention some history of the product, talk about when it was bought, why are you selling it and use descriptions of the materials and give all the measurements, etc. Talking about defects will also engender trust and would help convince the buyer to purchase your product as they would believe that you are being honest about the quality of your product.

Now is your chance to also add some keywords, such as the brand names and the specific style and design of the furniture. This would help with search optimization. You can also mention what kind of space the piece of furniture is coming from (such as an animal-free or smoke-free home). Being honest is the key at this stage and would help the potential buyers make the correct decision.

While pricing your piece of furniture, you can do some research and look at other similar advertisements on craigslist or other similar marketplaces and find what the sellers are charging.

You can offer a 20 to 30% discounted price and if you are willing to go further below the price mentioned this would be a great way to attract a buyer. You should definitely mention what will be the minimum price and how far below you are willing to go.

Taking these steps would help you sell your product in a short time and in a good price.

According to some research, posting ads on Fridays and on weekends is a better idea as people are off work and maybe spending their free time online shopping or deciding to move or redo their apartment. This would be of great use for people selling furniture.

How to sell on craigslist safely?

On the safe side, you must post your listing anonymously on Craigslist to avoid being scammed by buyers by providing your private information on the internet. Craigslist allows sellers to post information anonymously.

Some sellers find this feature enticing and they are more willing to sell their products on craigslist anonymously rather than on some other website where you are required to provide your private information.

Once you find a potential buyer you can contact them via email and discuss further negotiations. Only when you are satisfied that the buyer is serious and has the intention to make the purchase then you can contact them on the phone and meet them in an open public place so that they could pick up the product and make the payment. If possible, take someone along (a friend or colleague) or share your location with friends and family to be safe.

You will want to take several steps to ensure your safety at this point and it is highly recommended that you make this transaction in cash rather than in cheque, so that there is no chance of you getting scammed and not getting your payment later.

You must strictly avoid holding this meeting at your private residence or giving your home or office address to any buyer. Do not forget to take your phone with you to contact someone in case of any emergency. All these measures must be taken for your own safety because you cannot blindly trust a stranger online and meet them in real life. Be cautious.

How to make money on craigslist without selling anything?

You can be the middle person between the seller and the buyer. You can earn a good commission on each sale of the seller’s products by posting his/her ads for them on the website. This is called Affiliate marketing and it is another great option to make money on craigslist without selling anything.

You can promote other people’s work and earn a commission.

Provide services online such as making content, helping people in research, and organization for their businesses. There are always companies and even individuals looking out for talented and expert freelancers who could provide them with technical issues and research work for half the price and effort. You might think that providing services still comes under ‘selling’ your services to the buyers.

Therefore, we have great advice for you to sell these services without doing the actual work. This can be done by hiring freelancers from Fiver, Upwork, or even from Craigslist’s gig section and letting them do the work. You can make a profit by dividing the amount that you are charging the client between you and the freelancer.

Renting is also a great option. You can rent a shared space or any private property you have and make money. You can also showcase your talent as an actor or model and get photoshoots or dramas/plays, again without selling a specific product you can make good money on Craigslist.

Arbitrage is one of the most common ways to make money on Craigslist without selling anything.

You can buy and sell different products in different markets and places and earn a profit from it. For example, if a product sells at a very low rate in one country or state, you can buy that specific product at that low rate and sell it in a country/state where its value is high. In this way, you can make a profit from the difference in the value of the product in two markets places.

Making money from home

Selling products and/or services on Craigslist is a great way to earn money from home. As mentioned above, you can provide different kinds of services (content writing, research, website development, graphic designing, and a lot more) from anywhere in the world to anyone around the world.

Another option to make money on Craigslist is to resell ‘free stuff’ you can find on the website by going to the ‘For sale’ button and then clicking on the ‘Free stuff’, or you can buy used products such as furniture, bicycles, etc. at extremely low rates from different market places, you can then refurbish them and fix whatever issues they have and sell them at a higher price.

Most likely you will always very easily find good quality products which the owner no longer needs and is just trying to get rid of them, so you do not need to worry about the quality. This is generally referred to as ‘flipping’ where you buy items at a lower rate and resell them when its market value increases while making a profit.

Flipping on Craigslist is a proven business and there are people who are running it as a full-time business and earning a living by it whereas others use it as a side hustle to earn some extra bucks.

There are always people who are getting rid of stuff and people who are looking for the exact same things at a reasonable price. This is where you should come in and buy and resell the product and make a profit for yourself. Craigslist is a great marketplace for a flipping business.

Automobiles, bikes, vintage furniture, home appliances, construction supplies, and even mobile phones are great items that make you huge profits. The list of the items you can flip on Craigslist is endless.

The new technology is changing the products we are using in our daily life, for example, every person in the world will go on and buy the newest version of smartphone available in the market and would want to sell or discard the older ones.

You can buy these older phones at a very low rate and resell them on Craigslist making a profit.

Whether or not your flipping business is successful on craigslist will depend on your strategy, what you are selling, how you are selling it, and your communication with the buyers. You must try and follow the successful businesses that are doing similar businesses.

Taking high-quality photos is the key. You will be surprised to find out the impact that the good and high-quality pictures will have on your sales as this is the first impression you are putting on the buyers. Effective communication with the buyers is very important. Flipping is a fast pace business and you need to sell your product as quickly as possible, therefore you need to reply to the buyers as soon as possible.

No work or business generates income without putting any effort. Do your research and find the products that are high in demand and are frequently being bought on Craigslist and only sell those products. It is always best to set a negotiable price and allow the buyer some bargain.

You should start posting on Craigslist consistently, be honest and precise in your description and provide good quality images of the product. Once you follow all these steps, your listing would appear authentic and trustworthy and it would easily attract potential buyers.

Is craigslist a good way to make money?

If you have some extra stuff lying around that you no longer need and things for which you no longer have space, you can make money by selling them on craigslist as there is always someone who would need them. Craigslist provides a great opportunity to make some extra cash and get rid of stuff you no longer need.

Once you have taken all the steps mentioned above towards creating your seller account. You must start posting ads consistently. Posting and reposting your ad, providing good descriptions and high-quality pictures, there is no way that you will not be able to sell your products and/or services in a matter of time.

Craigslist is a great platform to sell used products and for flipping (reselling goods that you have bought for a lower price or sometimes even for free). You can build your business by earning the profit from the previous sales and reinvesting them to buy more used products and sell them again for a profit. People are making good money in the flipping business on craigslist.

Under the gigs section on craigslist, you can earn through providing freelance services such as content creation and web development. There will always be someone out there who is in need of the services and talent that you acquire and will pay you for that.

Selling products and/or services on Craigslist is a great way to make money as it is online, convenient, and requires less staff, and expenses. You do not need an office space or travel to an office location to start working as you can start your own business from the comfort of your home and make good money.