Or would I just be wasting my time?
January 19, 2011 9:59 PM Subscribe
Is this a good plan for selling on Craigslist?
I've never really dealt with Craigslist before, but I've got some miscellaneous clutter of various toys, books, collectibles, sports memorabilia, etc. and would like to get rid of them, but also maybe make a little cash on the side. I've already brought a lot of stuff to Goodwill and have been stressing a bit about what's worth the time to try to sell, and this just seems like the quickest and easiest outlet for selling the stuff.
My plan is to batch the like items together and sell them for something like $20 Or Best Offer per batch. For example, one of the batches would be of a bunch of different Star Wars stuff; individually I've seen a lot this stuff selling for a few bucks on eBay, but not worth my time to research and post all of it individually. Another batch would be of 10-15 fairly recent non-fiction books in good shape. I'm counting on the "OBO" tag and my stating a willingness to part with the stuff for less to be enticing.
I'd rather not take the time to research the value of and sell all of this stuff individually, but I know a lot of it to be at least worth a few bucks apiece. At the same time I'd also worry about the time-cost of posting these batches to Craigslist, having exchanges with potential buyers, then taking the time to meet them for the transactions.
So is this plan worth my time, or would I just be better off individually selling the select few items I know to be most valuable(on eBay or whatever) and bringing the rest to Goodwill?
I've never really dealt with Craigslist before, but I've got some miscellaneous clutter of various toys, books, collectibles, sports memorabilia, etc. and would like to get rid of them, but also maybe make a little cash on the side. I've already brought a lot of stuff to Goodwill and have been stressing a bit about what's worth the time to try to sell, and this just seems like the quickest and easiest outlet for selling the stuff.
My plan is to batch the like items together and sell them for something like $20 Or Best Offer per batch. For example, one of the batches would be of a bunch of different Star Wars stuff; individually I've seen a lot this stuff selling for a few bucks on eBay, but not worth my time to research and post all of it individually. Another batch would be of 10-15 fairly recent non-fiction books in good shape. I'm counting on the "OBO" tag and my stating a willingness to part with the stuff for less to be enticing.
I'd rather not take the time to research the value of and sell all of this stuff individually, but I know a lot of it to be at least worth a few bucks apiece. At the same time I'd also worry about the time-cost of posting these batches to Craigslist, having exchanges with potential buyers, then taking the time to meet them for the transactions.
So is this plan worth my time, or would I just be better off individually selling the select few items I know to be most valuable(on eBay or whatever) and bringing the rest to Goodwill?
I don't know about Star Wars stuff but I don't think anyone is going to come to your house for books. A quick check shows mostly textbooks. You can try it and if they don't sell within 3 days, donate them, sell them on Amazon or sell them to a local used bookstore. You can specify on Craigslist when you're going to sell everything, not quite a garage sale announcement but a "please come by on Thursday between 3 and 6 if interested." Also, try to put everything you're selling in one room so that people aren't traipsing through your home and have a friend be there with you, i.e. be careful.
posted by shoesietart at 10:39 PM on January 19, 2011
posted by shoesietart at 10:39 PM on January 19, 2011
Best answer: Every time I list something on craigslist, the total process takes about 3 hours. From taking pictures to sifting through spam emails and talking to buyers to waiting for someone to show up.
If the cost of the item is like ten bucks, I would not sell it. You would be making less then 4 dollars an hour.
I love craigslist, I love my free scuba fins and free hang glider. I do not love making $4 an hour.
posted by Felex at 11:10 PM on January 19, 2011
If the cost of the item is like ten bucks, I would not sell it. You would be making less then 4 dollars an hour.
I love craigslist, I love my free scuba fins and free hang glider. I do not love making $4 an hour.
posted by Felex at 11:10 PM on January 19, 2011
There was something I saw recently where the guy just created a blog. One post per item with a picture. Then posted a link to the blog on Craigslist et al, highlighting the choice items, but basically bringing people to the blog so they can browse other stuff and hopefully decide they have an absolute need for those items as well.
posted by hungrysquirrels at 1:41 AM on January 20, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by hungrysquirrels at 1:41 AM on January 20, 2011 [2 favorites]
What's your goal here, to make money, or to get rid of all the crap and clutter in your house? If it's to make money, then do the research and figure out the best place to sell it. If it's to get rid of the clutter, take it to the thrift store and get a receipt to write these things off on your taxes.
posted by TheBones at 6:23 AM on January 20, 2011
posted by TheBones at 6:23 AM on January 20, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
If there are many small items people might not be so willing to travel for just one; and I'm not sure people would go for the bundles.
posted by mostly-sp3 at 10:17 PM on January 19, 2011