How to beat ebay

[Michigan Badger]

Here's the latest in selling larger more desirable objects (not garage sale junk).

I never liked Craigslist but recently I've changed my mind some about it.

A time back I tried something different. I posted a garden tractor on Craigslist that was almost impossible to sell locally. I also posted it on YouTube. I put the address to the YouTube video in my Craigslist writeup. It worked perfect! I ended up getting about twice what I could locally and avoided all the ebay crap.

Rules:

1. Take good pictures and one short and well-made YouTube video.

2. Post to Craigslist (FREE) and place the video address in your Craisglist ad.

3. Insist on cash only at time of pickup

4. let people know that they can't go into your home for security reasons (the honest people understand)

5. have others there with you at time of pickup if possible or meet in a public parking lot

5. personally I accept offers to ship small items. Always make sure their check or money order clears before shipping.

6. avoid Paypal if possible

The advantages are as follows:

1. No ebay charges
2. no records of income

 

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[thrillathahunt]

I am really starting to hate ebay!

 

[bigscoop]

As a seller I won't use ebay, it's just gotten too costly and far too demanding.

 

[TheRandyMan]

You might be on to something there...the main problem I have with Craigslist is people flagging my posts as spam or prohibited when they should not be. It almost seems as if there is a sub culture of people who live to just sit all day long and flag posts for removal that they don't like for any reason or no reason at all...

But, I do like your idea and I will give it a shot!

 

[gyrogear]

Michigan Badger,
Those are great tips for using craigslist. Video links really do increase sales and are easy to host using youtube. I quit ebay last year after they raised my store listing fees 700%. I traded there for 11 years and now use cl a lot. Great way to meet locals that might be interested in other things I have. I always try to get an email address from new customers and ask if they have a "wish list" of things they are looking for. That way if I see something at an auction, flea market, or garage sale I can contact them to see if they are interested.
Here is a site where you can search all of craigslist nationwide.
http://www.searchallcraigs.com/
Enjoy!

 

[Michigan Badger]

Good posts everyone.

Ebay was good in it's early years but it's gone now. I doubt it will ever be what it once was again. An too, I know for a fact the government is monitoring ebay sales so even if they get pressured into changing their ways one will still have BIG BRO breathing down ones neck.

All selling methods have their pros and cons. Selling has always been a somewhat risky business. People have been robbed, etc., in store parking lots in daylight. That's just the way things are today. But one can greatly reduce risks by using common sense.

I've decided not to be paranoid about having people come to our location to purchase something. Heck, we already have garage sales!

I think too if one remains consistent in ones presentations via CL and YouTube, one could gain a following of buyers. In other words, repeat buyers. If you're selling small items like Flea Market stuff, after a time people will expect to find that stuff when they check your sales on Craigslist or YouTube. The great thing about using both is if someone deletes your CL listing people can still find you on YouTube.

As soon as I finish this post I'm going to YouTube to setup a new selling name account. That is, I want an account that says I'm a seller.

Best to you guys and hopefully all of us will have a good experience doing this.

Badger

 

[boogeyman]

You might be on to something there...the main problem I have with Craigslist is people flagging my posts as spam or prohibited when they should not be. It almost seems as if there is a sub culture of people who live to just sit all day long and flag posts for removal that they don't like for any reason or no reason at all...

But, I do like your idea and I will give it a shot!

I look at the flaggers in a different way, every time they flag you, you repost your ad & it gets back up to the top. How many times have you run an ad & a day later it's buried three pages down?

I conduct my business on my driveway. I have two of my security cameras looking at it, one has a mic. After the deal is done, I save the vid / sound file. Any conflict is documented along with their face and vehicle info, can hand the cops pics and video on the spot. Haven't had any problems yet, but it's all documented. Even in a public place, you're still at risk.

A lot of the time, you can get a gut feeling from a phone conversation, common sense is your best friend.