Craigslist.org Tips From a Pro, Part 1: Top 10 Tips for Selling on Craigslist

You know how some people are "PowerSellers" on eBay? That's me, but on Craigslist.org.

I sell, buy, score free deals and give away my own free stuff ... daily. And I have for years now. I can pick up a free item, put some work into it and make hundreds off it. I can buy a piece of furniture for my house, use it for years, and then resell it for more than I originally paid. I am a Craigslist pro.

While I have to keep my best Craigslist secrets to myself, I thought I would share some general tips for selling success.

Posting Ads

1. Pictures: Show the item from all angles. Take pictures during the day, under good lighting, so the pictures reflect the actual color. If the item photographs different from its true color, explain in the ad. Take a close-up of the design/fabric and a close-up of a tag showing the brand. For electronics, take a close-up of the controls.

2. Measurements: Include the height, width and depth of furniture. Include the screen size (measured diagonally) of a TV; if it's an older TV, including the weight also helps. And don't forget the sizes of shoes and clothes, too.

3. Condition: Explain the condition of the item (like new, great, good, fair, needs a lot of work, etc.) and ensure your price reflects it.

4. Details: List pertinent details. What is the brand? Year manufactured? Does the item have a model number? These are all questions you will be asked over and over if the answers are not in your ad.

5. Keywords: Include all the applicable keywords. For example, if you're selling a small couch, also call it a sofa, loveseat (one word) and love seat (two words).

6. Supply and Demand:  Search Craigslist for similar items before you post. Compare the condition, price, style and features of these items to your own. Price accordingly. If you're trying to get rid of something quickly, pricing it lower than what's available helps speed up the process. If you're pricing your item much higher than what's available because you know your item is worth it, you may just have a longer wait until the right buyer comes along. 

7. Contact Info: Post your phone number for the quickest sale. In general, those most serious about buying your item will call. Those curious, but not running out the door to see the item, will text. And people looking for more information and probably contacting multiple sellers at once, email.

Dealing with Potential Buyers

8. Spam: Learn to identify and ignore spam replies. Common spam techniques include: Restating what you're selling with question mark at the end. (Blue couch in good condition?) Asking if the item is still available without including any other information. Asking you to reply back to an email address different from the one used to email you. Claiming they've been trying to reach you without success. If you're unsure, Google the email address. Often, repeat offenders have been reported on a message board.

9. Replying: Reply promptly to those inquiries you find legit. If you don't, you risk losing the sale. Answer any questions, but don't give out your address until the buyer is on his or her way. If the buyer wants to know where you're located sooner, give the major cross streets.

10. Meeting: Be safe. Meet during the daytime, especially if you are alone. Better yet, have someone with you. If you're female, have a guy around, and casually let the buyer know. (My husband and I are available to meet at such and such time.) For small, valuable items (electronics, designer clothing), meet at a public place.

A Note: Craigslist horror stories get exaggerated by people who don't use the site much and once had a bad experience. Of course there are weirdos out there, but by in large, you're dealing with normal people who just want a good deal.

My husband and I will meet with buyers later in the evening at our home, but our Craigslist senses are finely tuned to differentiate between a tweaker and someone whose work schedule doesn't allow for a daytime meet. You just have to go with what feel rights to you. 

"Part 2: Tips for Buying on Craigslist" to follow.

Thrifted Wedding Guest Attire

The Mission: Dress up for two family weddings on a warm April day. The first, a reception for my husband's stepsister at an LDS church, starting at 2. The second, an outdoor carnival-themed wedding for my stepsister at a vineyard, starting at 4:30 and going until about 10:30.

The Challenge: Choosing a dress that was comfortable, flattering and modest enough for the first reception without being too hot to wear in the blazing sun at 4:30. And that went with comfortable -- preferably open-toed -- shoes to give my injured toes some relief. (My right foot got into a fight with the vacuum. The vacuum won.)

The Choice: This $10 dress I picked up from Goodwill on Arden Way at Halloween time.

The Dress Problem: The dress is low-cut -- makes my chest look great, but I didn't feel comfortable showing that much skin for the occasion.

The Solution: Wear a black lacy camisole underneath and a little sweater (from Thrift Town's 99 Cent Sweater Sale) over for the first reception. Remove sweater for second wedding and keep on hand in case the evening cooled off too much.

The Shoe Problem: Can't wear any type of heels with my injured toe. Shouldn't wear enclosed flats because they also irritate the injury, although nowhere near as badly as heels.

The Solution: Stop by Goodwill on Manzanita Avenue the day before the wedding and score these dressy sandals for $5.

The Execution:

The dress moved with me and was perfect for dancing and playing games.

And for kissing-booth kisses.

The camisole blended seamlessly with the dress! Also, all weddings should have cotton candy.

The shoes had just enough cushion to keep me from noticing any foot pain until the wedding ended.

Success!

Gumballs stain the tongue. My tongue is normal, I swear.

Total: $16! ($10 thrifted dress I already had + $0.99 thrifted sweater I already had + $5 thrifted shoes. The camisole was a gift I've had for years, and the slip I wore underneath came with my leopard-print dress from Delia's.)

I failed to get a picture on my camera at the first reception because we were only there for about an hour, and I was preoccupied watching the clock so we wouldn't be late to the next wedding. We did have the photographer take a pic of us with the lovely newlyweds, so photographic proof exists that we did attend back-to-back stepsister weddings.

It's Easy Being Green

Happy Earth Day!

We're celebrating Earth Day by planting a free shade tree from SMUD. I only wish we would have done this five years ago when we moved in, since apparently it takes about five years for the little tree to grow big enough to provide any shade. Oh well.

My lifestyle is all about, "Recycle, reduce, reuse ... and close the loop." (You're welcome for putting that song in your head.)

A few of the super simple "green" things my husband and I do and recommend include:

• Using reusable shopping bags. Compared to plastic, reusable bags hold more and are easier to carry. Plus, most stores give a small discount for each bag used.

• Using reusable water bottles. I simply do not understand buying water in individual bottles -- does not compute in my head.

• Washing dishes and doing laundry during "off" hours in the late evening to save electricity and save on our bill. We've also had our house weatherized as part of SMUD's and PG&E's low-income programs.

• Recycling everything. Our recycle bin is twice as large as our kitchen trash, and we fill it up twice as fast. It only takes a few extra seconds to break down cardboard and rinse out cans. We put plastic, glass and aluminum into a separate bin and turn in that collection for money.

• Reusing whatever we can. Glass jars get rinsed out and reused for homemade bath products, crafty gifts, candles, or just something to hold all the nuts and dried fruits we buy in bulk. I save every gift bag, ribbon and reusable bow received with presents. I keep a folder for scraps of paper. A cracked Tupperware becomes the dog's dry food dish. You get the picture.

• Furnishing our house with high-quality, used furniture. A few things are family hand-me-downs, but most are Craigslist finds. Likewise, we sell and give away regularly on Craigslist.

• Shopping used for everything we can. Finding that awesome deal gives me a thrill and gives my wallet a break. It's not unusual for my entire outfit to be thrifted. 

Speaking of which, check out Thrift Town's Earth Week Sale:

Homemade Laundry Soap

I finally hopped on the homemade laundry soap bandwagon, and I can't believe I waited so long. (And by I, I mean I did the research, but my wonderful husband did all the actual work while I watched "The West Wing" on Netflix.)

This soap cleans really well, is crazy cheap, and the prepared laundry detergent does not trigger my uber sensitivity to certain scents, especially those often found in laundry soap.*

This is how much a doubled recipe makes. That All container alone holds 172 ounces.

I used a recipe that's found on countless blogs and articles, so I definitely don't deserve credit for it, and I don't know who does. The various blogs I've seen this recipe on estimate that you're paying about a penny per load, and I believe it.

The recipe calls for:
1/3 bar of an old fashioned soap, such as Fels Naptha, Zote or Ivory
1/2 cup washing soda
1/3 cup Borax

For about $5 at Walmart (all found in the laundry aisle) I got:
1 bar of Zote soap
1 55-ounce box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 
1 76-ounce box of Borax

Here's what you do:

Grate the soap. 

 Heat the soap and 6 cups of water in a pot until the soap melts. 

Mix in the washing soda and Borax. 

 Stir until the powders are dissolved, and then remove from heat.

Add 4 cups of hot water into large bucket.**

Pour in the pot of soap mixture and stir. 

Add 1 gallon and 6 cups of water. Stir. 

Pour the mixture into smaller containers. Let it sit overnight to gel.

 The final product is a chunky liquid. Use 1/2 cup per load of laundry.

A few notes: 

*The shaved bar of Zote had a strong (pleasant) odor that tickled my throat. My throat also became irritated while my hubby made the laundry soap; however, I did not react at all to the soap when doing my laundry. Normally, if someone does laundry with a fragrant detergent, I cannot be within 20 feet of the area. My freshly washed clothes smell clean, but of no particular allergy-triggering odor.

**My husband assured me that the dirty-looking bucket he choose to use was not actually dirty. He said it was just stained with paint. He had cleaned it many times. Apparently he had never tried a cleaner as powerful as this laundry soap. The laundry soap took the paint right off. Then hubby had the fun job of sifting paint out of  laundry detergent. 

My Favorite Freebies

I am the person stores lose money on. I cash in my freebie offers and rarely spend a penny more. I'm not in for BOGOs; I want truly free stuff!

I use a secondary email address to join mailing lists from all my favorite stores.

Here are some of my favorite lists to join:

Victoria's Secret: At least twice a year, VS sends by-mail vouchers for free panties. VS also sends cards for $10 off any purchase of $10 or more. And VS rewards its paying customers, offering "secret" cards. During one of these promotions, if you spend $10, you receive a secret gift card with a value of at least $10. Some cards have values into the hundreds.

Bath & Body Works: Beyond the endless by-mail coupons they offer (spend $10, get a free item up to $12 value is one of my favorites), every once in awhile, you'll receive a freebie offer. The most recent was for a free pocket hand sanitizer. Love those things.

JCPenny: At least once a year, I get an emailed freebie offer for JCPenny. Sometimes it's $10 off any purchase of $10 or more. Sometimes it's just $5 off any purchase of $5 or more. Either way, I'm happy to cash in.

CVS: Spending money at CVS with the Extra Savings Card gets you coupon after coupon. Signing up for the ExtraCare Beauty Club gets you a free $3 to spend on your birthday, plus a ton of savings on beauty products.

Baskin Robbins: Free ice cream on your birthday. Need I say more?

Shop Your Way Rewards: As the name implies, you sign up and use your free membership to earn points on purchases from stores and brands affiliated with the program. You accumulate points to spend and also receive special discounts. But the true freebie part comes in when the company gifts you with points. Recently, I got a free, no-strings attached gift of $5.01 to spend at Sears. I added my own $5 of birthday gift money to that and bought this cute top (normally $36) on clearance. It shipped to the store for free. Sweet.

Be You Thrift Town Sale

What better way to begin March than with a Thrift Town sale? Check it out, 30 percent off all clothing this Friday.

T-shirt Sugery: Off-the-shoulder with The Dollyrots

T-shirt surgery is one of my favorite things. Turning a standard tee into an off-the-shoulder tee is one of the simplest such surgeries because fabric scissors are the only required supplies.

For this project, I altered my new Dollyrots T-shirt, which was part of my Valentine's Day present. At their Sacramento Bows & Arrows show, the band offered a T-shirt, vinyl album and digital copy of the album for just $15. Sweet.

 
Step 1: Lay the shirt on a flat surface.  On the front of the shirt, cut a half circle or "scoop" between the sleeve seams. I like to cut a couple inches in from the sleeve seams so I have room to correct any jagged lines. I cut, check the fit, and then cut more.

Step 2: Cut a straight line along the back of the shirt, just below the collar seam. The start and end points of this cut should match the same points of the scoop cut. The straight cut keeps the shirt from slipping too far down your shoulders.

It helps to have a dog supervise your work.

Step 3: Cut a straight line along the bottom of the shirt, just above the seam, cutting the front and back of the shirt together. The fabric will roll at the bottom, so it's always best to cut the least amount of fabric and then check the fit before cutting higher above the seam.

Step 4: Grab the bottom of the shirt at both sides and pull the fabric to stretch the shirt for a looser fit at the bottom. You can also do this at the neck if you want a looser fit without cutting more fabric.

And, because they're awesome:

The Dollyrots at Bows & Arrows, Feb. 15, 2013