Can You Really Make Money On Craigslist?

Can You Really Make Money On Craigslist?

You not only can, but you will. I have sold items large and small and have made a good profit on every item I have listed. I bought an electric motor scooter for about $350.00 I made a few upgrades, used it for a year and sold it for more than I paid.

I did the same thing with a kayak. I bought it for a good price, on sale and added a paddle, life jacket and car carrying kit. After using it one fun filled season, I listed it on CL and sold it for $25.00 above my original purchase price.

Here are some tips.

When you post an ad, it stays alive for 45 days. But everyday that your ad appears, it drops down lower on the page, being replaced by newer material.

In some categories, a single vendor will post a number of ads. This is not a problem unless they are for the same business, product, or service.

Marking them as spam will eliminate them from the llist. If you sell jewelry items, you can post separate ads for several different items. With a handful of ads, you can dominate the selling page for that day.

As I mentioned, as your listings age, they will drop further and further down the list, resulting in a similar dropoff in views. The answer to this problem is simple. Just relist your ads after two or three days and once again you will be in the prime spots.

One picture does indeed tell the story of a thousand words. So add photos to your ads. Take a picture of your items and place it in the ad. Picture quality, while important, is not critical. A home-made pic will sell an item much more quickly than one from a book or a website.

For my motor scooter ad, I included the picture shown above.  It shows the handy carrying basket with a shopping bag in it. This photo helped me sell the scooter quickly and at a profit.  

When I listed my Razor Ecosmart 350 motor scooter. I explained that I had used the scooter for a full Winter and Spring season. It had a few miles on it, and rather than seeing that as a negative, it was perceived as a good thing; showing that the Razor was dependable and of high quality.

Try to write the best ad you can. Make sure you cover all the pertinent information. Use the Five Ws. and a P. Who, what, when, where and why. The "P" stands for price! Always include the price. It saves time and trouble.

(Who). I am selling my Razor Ecosmart 350 motor scooter (what) located in South Dennis on Cape Cod (where) because I have purchased an electric bike (why). The scooter is available for immediate pickup (when) at my home near the Patriot Square Shopping Center at exit 9A off Route six. (Where). The price is $400.00 firm. I have made a few upgrades and also am including an extra set of batteries that will DOUBLE your riding range.

A simple ad on Craigslist, giving the details as I have outlined above, will bring you many, many responses.

If you decide to do an Autumn cellar, attic, or garage sweep, you can make enough money to fund Christmas and have plenty left over for a nice dinner at your favorite restaurant.

Good luck.