i want to show you how to make money on
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craigslist
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welcome back folks to another edition of
the awesome studio kiwi show how are you
today i hope you're all doing fantastic
i'm doing marvelous if you ever ask me
if you are doing as great as i am go
grab a cup of coffee rt
or vodka unless roll into this
conversation i want to show you how to
sell on craigslist how to
successfully sell your stuff on
craigslist
and there are eight sections to this
show number one let's talk about the
account and ad setup
so you go to craigslist.com and this is
a website for those
those of you who don't know they provide
local classifieds and forums for jobs
housing for sale items services local
community and events
so you log into your account or you can
create a new account
and uh if you want you can also download
the craigslist app
this is a great this is a great app
because it has received
as of as of the date of this show 4.5
over 5 from 43k
users on google play and 4.8 over 5
from 75k users on the app store so this
is a pretty
solid app and how do you submit a free
craigslist post
you need to follow a few steps and we're
going to show this to you on the screen
right now
so first you need to go to the
craigslist homepage
and you need to make sure the location
name at the top of
the screen is where you want to post if
the location is not correct
visit the list of available sites and
choose the most
appropriate one then you need to click
post to classifiers in the top left
corner
select the category for your post
depending on the type of post you may be
asked to choose
additional categories in for sale you
can select a more specific
category such as bicycles by owner for
example
in some cities you may select a sub-area
for example manhattan
and neighborhood for example soho and
then you create your post
then you need to enter the text for your
post
and when you're finished writing a post
click continue at the bottom of the
screen
and in some categories you will have the
option to add images to your post
and when you're finished adding images
click done with images
and make sure your post looks right so
confirm that your email address and the
location of your posts are accurate
to make changes click edit text or edit
images
so if everything looks good click
publish
and you will now need to confirm your
post via email
and when the system says further action
is required check your email for a
message from
craigslist open the email from
craigslist and click the confirmation
link
and this is important because you want
to confirm to craigslist that this is a
legit post
and if you are unable to click on the
link try copying and pasting it
into your web browser and you may be
asked to review the terms of use or
confirm your phone number very important
so if all goes right
your post should appear on craigslist
about 15 minutes
after your confirmation
now second research and pricing very
important so after you actually
uh do you actually uh
create the account and think about the
ad setup
it's very important to think about
research and pricing actually this is a
step that should happen before
so before you post anything for sale you
need to do your homework right
starts here but don't worry it won't
take more than a few minutes and you can
ensure a
far higher price for your items just you
need to
choose the right platform you need to
choose the right craigslist market
and you need to make sure the price is
right very important
so not every second hand sells for the
best possible price on craigslist
the market may be better for your
particular item on ebay
facebook marketplace or amazon right so
for example
furniture and other large items tend to
sell best on craigslist
smaller pricier items like jewelry
valuables or rare collectibles often
sell better on
ebay amazon or etsy these platforms
serve a much
wider market including international
buyers and craigslist generally serves
local buyers only so you want to run a
quick search for similar items on
craigslist
and this other used marketplaces tools
to get us things because that's what you
want
you want to get a sense for pricing and
availability so
you you're really trying to see the
competition for your particular item out
there
and please choose the right craigslist
market so craigslist
operates on the local level with sub
domains for different cities and towns
so depending on the density of
population centers where you live
there may be many craigslist cities to
choose from so instead of posting only
in the one market where you live
consider posting multiple adorations of
your ad
in surrounding cities as well so if
you're close enough for easy pickup
and note that college towns and areas
with lots of young adults
make great markets to sell furniture and
other used goods on craigslist
and you know what what about the price
on craigslist
ask for too much money and you won't get
any legitimate responses
set the asking price too low and you'll
leave money on the table or worse
spook away buyers by making them wonder
what's wrong with the item so you really
need to be very very clear
as in terms of the the price that you
want to
uh charge right don't fix it
on what you paid for the item sure the
blu-ray player was a high-end gadget
when you got it as a graduation present
years ago right but since then
you spilled your drink on it or stuff
happened has
become obsolete and many people nowadays
stream their movies so no one is going
to pay you 300 500
for that blu-ray today so you got to be
very realistic here
and you need to decide whether you want
you want to run your ad
at a firm price or as an or best offer
or be your price
a firm price sometimes turns off would
be buyers willing to pay less
while ovo ads attract more offers and
more aggressive
price negotiation
let's now talk about catchy headlines
this is very important on craigslist and
on other
uh online marketplaces for that matter
you need to
learn to write catchy headlines to
attract the right crowd the right buyer
for your craigslist ad so you need to
use
use numbers to give concrete takeaways
use emotional objectives to describe
what the buyer will get
very important you want to use unique
rationale to demonstrate what the buyer
will get out of the item
right so the experts will will
advise you to use words like what
why how and when and to
actually attract as many buyers as
possible on craigslist
make an audacious promise very important
so how do you actually write catchy
headlines on craigslist
so first i was giving you how to write
catchy headlines in general
now let's talk about how to how do you
do this in credit on craigslist
specifically the first rule of writing
headlines for craigslist is
to be specific folks don't try to be
vague don't try to
wait too much in convoluted
content be specific for example don't
write
sofa for sale you want to write ikea
vanilla sectional five-seat corner sofa
with chase gonna red medium
gray chase or shades or more simply you
can write ikea
vanilla five seat corner sofa for sale
you have to be very specific you need to
list the brand and model
number if known this not only states
clearly what you are selling
but it triggers trust and trust is very
important
you want to use keywords that buyers
might search for so your ad
pops up in search results notice how the
example that i just gave you earlier
use both the words sofa and
for sale so this is very important
you need to keep the headline under 30
characters if possible so mobile devices
display the full title
and never phrase headlines ask questions
like want a great couch
it feels scammy to buyers really if you
think about it
likewise you want to avoid symbols such
as
the you know the ad or the dollar sign
do not list the price in the headline
it's clearly visible elsewhere
so those are little uh tips that you
need to
be mindful of as you are writing your um
craigslist post i'll be right back right
after this don't go anywhere
welcome back folks to another section of
the awesome sweaty kiwi show let's now
talk about the ad itself
so on craigslist you need to post an ad
and you need to actually make sure the
ads is visible
and attracts the right kind of crowd
right so there is both an
art and science to writing effective
craigslist ads
so you just keep the following rules in
mind as you write your ad descriptions
first you want to disclose the the right
amount of detail
you want to disclose damage and
imperfections fully
include your name in the listing include
your phone number
set a deadline include all
accessories and consider batching or
selling in lots very important so you
want to reveal the right amount
of detail because you want to make sure
that you don't have
a 5000 word essay but you also don't
want to have a 100
word paragraph here people need to have
a right balance of information right
always include the item's color
agent condition include dimensions when
selling furniture
because buyers need that information so
whenever possible link to the
manufacturer's specs for the products
the prospective buyer can then read they
can rate as much
or as little detail as they like without
your ad overwhelming them
make your payment policy extremely clear
ideally
cash only and finally remember to use
keywords that different buyers might use
so if you're selling a cash that folds
out of the oh the falls out to a bed
use terms like pull out couch sleeper
sofa
fold out sofa and so forth through the
the description
okay and if there are damages if there
are imperfections please
be forthcoming and you want to take
close-up photos of the imperfections
and so you can actually be again be
honest with uh
the uh the buyers not only this this
will build trust and encourage buyers to
contact you
but it also reduces the risk of wasted
time when buyers show up to inspect and
buy your item
okay and uh if you you want to put your
name out there folks
i said this before including your name
in the craigslist ad helps
establish trust so you're just not john
doe or jane though
you are someone with a real name
if you don't feel comfortable stating
your full name at least include your
first name
no one wants to buy anything from an
anonymous stranger
by stating your name you make yourself
that much more human
accessible and trustworthy very
important include your phone number
all right and you want to state your
cell phone number beside your name but
right
you just want to write out the last
digits as a word that prevents scripting
software from finding it and adding you
to a telemarketer list
in theory anyway and if you prefer
request the buyers text you
instead of calling you
let's now talk about powerful photos if
you're trying to sell on craigslist and
you want to make
money on craigslist photos are very
important they are quintessential
and we live in a digital world right now
in the digital era
photos and videos and all electronic
assets are very important
to actually not only draw the right kind
of buyer to your product
and also close the deal so if you want
to increase conversion rates on
craigslist you want to have powerful
photos
entire books have been written on
marketing photography
you don't need to shoot like a
professional
photographer to sell your used furniture
on craigslist of course
but there are a few things you need to
do to generate the uh
a high amount of interest from buyers
first and foremost
clean your items to its best possible
condition
you don't need to break out the wire
brush and script everything of rust off
your bike
but clean the mud and cup webs off and
throw a little oil on the chain if you
have it handy
very important so that's number one
number two you want to set the item
against a background that makes it stand
out instead of blending in
so if you're selling let's say a white
bike don't standing
next to a white wall right you want to
photograph your items in strong light
so that could mean outdoors and sunlight
if appropriate such as bikes
or indoors with as much light on them as
possible such as
indoor furniture you want to use bright
white light whenever possible
instead of yellowish warm light this is
very important and
one thing i also want to say here is
when it comes to photography here is
that
if your item is particularly large or
small
take a picture of it next to a
universally known object
like a coin or a baseball so potential
buyers can get a fail for the scale it's
very important
especially for electronics and tech
gadgets give your audience a good idea
of your item's size in the case of
electronics
photograph them in the own state in
addition to powered off
so you show off the fact that your items
work
again this all goes into the whole
process of building
trust okay and as i've said earlier you
want to include
shots of extras and accessories included
with the sale
and for your main photographs aim from
the you want to make sure the item
you want to fill the frame of the shop
okay take
close-up photos of any unique features
or defects
and last but not the least caption all
photos accurately so
prospective buyers know what they're
looking into what they're looking at and
why it matters
and this is kind of cool also for the uh
the craigslist algorithm
in terms of search results
what about safety and security so
whenever you're doing
business with a stranger from the
internet you got to take safety and
security into consideration right it's
important whether you're
selling on craigslist or you're selling
on amazon or walmart
you name it you got to take safety and
security very very seriously
so the cool thing here is that
craigslist has a safety procedure in
place you can read it on their website
and you want to plan your pickups you
want to think about payments
and you want to use a secondary email
and anonymize it
and this is kind of cool for privacy so
plan your pickups
if you can meet the buyer at a
convenient public space all the better
with large objects such as furniture
that doesn't normally work and the buyer
must come to your home
you want to schedule all pickups during
the day ideally when someone else can
join you
before prospective buyers arrive at your
home put away anything small
valuable and easily stolen for example
if you sell in bedroom furniture
don't leave your jewelry box sitting
open or sticky fingers can reach in
this sounds like common sense right and
it is and yet people don't do it
so i just wanna i just wanna repeat it
here
in terms of payments only accept cash
not bank checks or cashier checks or
money orders yes they're all like cash
right don't get me wrong but
if they're not real they're not cash
good forgeries look real
and you're probably not an expert at
spotting them if you must
you can consider accepting electronic
payments like paypal
or venmo but they can sometimes be
reversed
after the fact by determining players so
some payers are very scammy you don't
want that and also
try to use a secondary email address and
please make sure make sure the email
address is
as anonymous as possible
and many of us have at least one
secondary anonymous email address we use
for any transaction we think
might spam or scam us right so use this
as your contact email address on
craigslist
and use their anonymized feature so it
doesn't get publicly displayed
of course that means you have to
actually check this address
and frequently while you're selling on
craigslist so you want to temporarily
set up
auto forwarding to your primary email
address for the duration of your selling
and one thing i also want to say here is
that please watch out for blend replies
that look like they could be
mass responses sent out to thousands of
sellers this include
responses like it is it still available
instead of the more specific is the is
the
couch still available or responses that
clearly
regurgitate the heading of your ad in
full with no
other distinguishing features so these
responses may come from
fishers or other craigslist scammers the
bottom line here is that when you
receive
any kind of communication from
craigslist ask yourself
was this written by a human or a machine
and if it's the latter just ignore it i
want to talk to you now about the ad
management on craigslist
this is another important element here
so you've posted your ad now what
you need to refresh your ad regularly so
you don't need to repost your ad
repeatedly
creating a series of cloned ads because
craigslist allows you to refresh free
ads every 48 hours
for paid ads you must pay another fee to
move your ad back to the top
so every couple of days you want to log
into craigslist to refresh your ad to
keep it towards the top of the listings
and you need you you can actually remove
your post after selling and
we actually recommend you do don't take
down your ad until you have cash in hand
and the item is out of your house no
exceptions here no exceptions
prospective buyers may beg and plead and
ask you to hold items for them
you are not operating a library here for
you this is not a non-profit this is a
business
so the first person who actually shows
up with cash and hauls away your item is
the buyer
everything everything else is just talk
all right
so please just uh you know talk is cheap
but you want to focus on money here and
uh
let's talk about the chef life of a
craigslist ad how long do postings
last on craigslist even if posting is
typically free
writing an ad on craigslist can still be
a worthless endeavor if you're not aware
of all the factors involved
so exactly how long the craigslist ad
remains
active depends upon the category
geographical location
and whether you are selling you are
willing actually to pay additional fees
so knowing how long ads remain active
will help you determine
when to make your initial posting and
give you time to plan any subsequent ads
to make up for the first potential
failure so for most cities
aside from a select few metropolitan
areas craigslist
maintains standard time limits for ads
posted in most cities
all for sale housing personals
services community resumes and gigs
all those ads expire after 45 days any
events ads remain
active until the event state range
expires
you may also elect to delete your post
at any time from your craigslist account
page really depends on you
and one thing we say is that uh it's
then this is part of the uh
i would say the constant ad management
on craigslist to make sure that the ads
is not only relevant but also is uh
in the um is in sync with what you
wanted to do originally when you posted
it so for example
if you or if you have a resume on the on
the platform
once you get a job or once you have a
job offer you might want to take down
your resume for example
speaking about ad management for the
chef life of
craigslist ad in many cities in major
cities
one thing we have seen in our research
is that craigslist
imposes stricter time limits on ads
posted in large
metropolitan cities and other highly
populated areas
so the 19 restricted regions are atlanta
austin boston chicago dallas denver
houston los angeles new york orange
county
philadelphia phoenix portland sacra
sacramento and
san diego seattle the san francisco bay
area
south florida and washington dc for sale
housing personnel services and community
ads posted in this cities
expires after seven days only seven days
while ads for resumes and gigs last 30
days
events ads still remain active until the
event date range expires what about paid
job postings
all free job postings expire after 45
days however
if you pay to post a job offer remember
that the listing will expire up to 30
days
30 days no more no less and while this
may seem counterintuitive
craigslist only charges for posting jobs
in certain areas of the country
known for having competitive job markets
so due to high the
high domains the paid job listing in
this areas only lasts
30 days the san francisco bay area for
example
stands out as the most expensive job
market requiring a 75 to 100
fee per job and per category think about
that
75 to 100 feet per job and per category
some of the 28 cities and regions
requiring a 25 to 50 posted include
the posting fee include actually uh
atlanta
we have a boston we have chicago we have
las vegas we have new york
we have san diego and we have washington
d.c
all right and there are other
considerations you have to think about
here
two other exceptions based on our
research
we found that two other exceptions exist
to the craigslist standard post lifespan
so once again due to high demand paid
apartment listings in new york city
expire after 30 days meanwhile
all paid therapeutic postings in the
united states cost
10 to 25 and they expire after seven
days
as opposed to the expected 30 days for
most services at
so it's all about the category it's all
about the geography
and it's all about whether or not an ad
is paid or free
all right thank you folks for your
attention i really appreciate it today i
was talking to you about how to sell on
craigslist
profitably and i spoke about account and
ad setup
research and pricing catchy headlines
the ad itself powerful photos safety and
security
ad management and the chef life of a
craigslist ad
thank you so much i will see you next
time but until then remember stay
[Applause]
marvelous
you