Helpful
Tips To Get You Started
If you have used Craigslist for any length of time, you've probably
discovered that there is lots of "stuff" to be found. Just
about anything you could ever want can be found on Craigslist, from a
1929 Singer Sewing Machine to the most obscure car part. Below are some
helpful tips to get you started using the site and may even help you to
earn a profit!
Open a Craigslist Account
An account is not required to post items on Craigslist but, it can be
beneficial to you if you have one. For example, if you have a
Craigslist account and want to post an item, once you have gone through
the "posting" steps, you will receive an email stating that your item
will post "within xx
minutes". If however you do not have a
Craigslist account, you will receive an email which states that you
must "confirm" that you want to "submit" a posting before your post
will ever be "in line" to be posted for the general public to view.
In other words, having a Craigslist account gets your post
online sooner!
A Craigslist account also allows you to view, edit, and track any
listing you have posted for a maximum range of 180 days. If
you intend to post regularly to Craigslist, tracking your ads can save
you a great deal of time especially if you wish to "repost" any ad that
has expired.
Post a Picture of the
Item
If you expect someone to buy your item, then you need to post a picture
of it for the "prospective" buyer to see. Would you buy
something "unseen"? Then why do you expect to sell something "unseen"?
Also, posting a picture can drastically cut down on the
number of people asking you to "email" them a picture.
Imagine the amount of YOUR time that you can save by simply
posting a few pictures with your ad versus emailing pictures to every
Tom, Dick, and Harry that ask you for them. Granted even
though you post pictures with your ad, you will still receive requests
from people for additional pictures but, these will be the people that
are truely interested in your item.
Adding pictures to your post is easy to do. When creating
your listing, just below the Posting
Description box is an "Add/Edit
Images" button. Just click this button to add
your images to your post. The images you want to add to your
post can either be located on your computer or your digital camera.
When you click the Add/Edit
Images button, it "exposes" four places for you to add
images by "Browsing" to where you have them located and selecting the
ones you want to post. When you "Add" the images to your
post, they are Uploaded to Craigslists server and will be held on their
server while the posting remains active.
Post Dimensions/Size of the
Item
I don't know how many times I've seen posts (especially in the
furniture and bikes sections) that don't include the dimensions/size of
what is being sold. When you are interested in buying
furniture, don't you want to know the dimensions of it first to know
whether it will "fit" where you want to put it in your house?
Why would you not include this IMPORTANT information in your
post?
As for selling bikes, would you buy a bike that is the "incorrect" size
for you? Most likely not. How is a prospective
buyer going to know if your bike is the correct size for them if you
don't post size information? If you don't know what size your
bike is, then look on the seat tube for a sticker that tells you what
size it is (found on most "newer" bikes i.e. not "vintage/classic"
bikes). If the sticker is just a letter S, M, L, or XL then
do a little internet research and find out what "actual size" the
letter equates to.
If your bike doesn't have a "size sticker" on it, then measure your
bike to determine it's size. If you don't know how/where to
measure, then watch this video that shows you: How To
Measure a Bike Frame. Once you've determined what
size your bike is, then post the size in the Correct "Unit".
By this I mean that Road Bikes are measured in
"centimeters" and Mountain Bikes and Hybrid Bikes are measured
in "inches". Thus, if the bike you are posting is a Road Bike
then the size should be in centimeters (i.e. 54cm) and if it is a
Mountain Bike then the size should be in inches (i.e. 17").
When selling bikes, you should also include other important
information like tire/rim size (i.e. 26", 700c, 27", etc.), what
material is is made of, etc. The more detailed information,
the better.
You would be suprised on how much including the dimensions of your item
in your post will cut down on the number of emails you have to respond
to of people asking you for this very information. Also, the more
details you can include in your description, the better chance you have
of actually selling your item.
Look at other Craigslist
Postings
If you look on the left hand side of Craigslist homepage, you will see
a "best-of-craigslist" link in the menu below the Event Calendar.
These postings are ones that have been nominated
by Craigslist "users" as being interesting, amusing, weird, or
just down-right crazy. Please note that none of these
postings are endorsed by Craigslist staff and some may be offensive.
However, looking at these "best-of" postings may provide you
with ideas on how to be more creative in advertising your service or
product. This little added creativity may be all thats needed
to set your ad above the rest and help you to earn additional profit.
Keeping these tips in mind when posting your ad to Craigslist
should help you advertise your service or product(s) much more
effectively!
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