How are you successful at selling on craigslist? It isn't working for me :(

[NYEmomma]

for that tv, you might get 20-25.00.... you can find them all over the place, very low value.
for OP I shop 2nd hand for bargains. I won't pay even close to retail on CL. No offense, but if something comes too close to a price I can get it brand new,I'll pay more for new,with a store guarantee. That;s just me though. I never sell,only buy so I am a consumer of CL items, not a seller.
I skim right over listings that are asking too much,it's too much trouble to try and negotiate. If I want a kids car,and can buy it at Walmart for 210.00 or so, I won't pay over 35% of that price on CL.
Same with tag sales, If I want to pay more,I'll buy new. I'm looking for 2nd hand bargains only.
And I'll buy 2nd hand clothes, but not on CL,too much trouble with sizing,etc. I have to see clothes,etc.
Just to help you understand where many buyers are coming from. If you want to sell, lower the price. If you want to hold onto your items, then keep it higher. The items are only worth what someone will pay for them.

I haven't attempted to sell a TV on CL but have sold 2 or 3 in the past year on our FB swap group & I've seen lots of other people on the swap group sell TVs as well. No one seems to get more than $10-$15 out of a used tube TV, no matter the size (unless you're talking about one of those huge projection TVs).

I sold a 13" tube TV for $5 and a 19" for $10. I had originally wanted more (and priced more) but the $10 seems to be the magic selling point for some reason.

 

[richmond282]

For those posters who have mentioned the FB swap, how do I go about finding a local FB swap?

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

We've sold 2 TVs on CL - I don't remember their exact size I want to say around 20" maybe a bit bigger. Sold one for $25 and one for $30 - they were both the big older (heavy) TVs with remote

 

[tasha99]

I see tube tv ads on craigslist all the time, but there are always "free if you haul" tv's, too. We recently got one for DS14's room for free. I wouldn't pay for one if there were free ones available.

 

[NYEmomma]

For those posters who have mentioned the FB swap, how do I go about finding a local FB swap?

I've never searched myself -- the ones I'm a part of, I've been invited by FB friends. But I just tried a quick search of my city name (or the nearest larger city if you live in a small place) + "swap" and got a decent sized list of groups that I could join.

Some are public, some you have to request membership in (or be a friend of a current group member).

 

[LuLuO]

I look at craigslist as a big online yard sale and in that case (or any case actually) an item is only worth what someone is willing to pay.

If people never ask for a lower price, they certainly won't get it. If they do ask, they may get it. There was a seller who had a bounce house on cl for $60. I offered him $40 and he agreed. I wasn't trying to be a jerk about it. If he didn't want to discount it, he didn't have to. I've had people email me with all kinds of crazy offers. If their offer isn't to my liking I just tell them no.

 

[LuLuO]

I'm going to hijack this post for some help pricing a 13" Sony TV/VCR combo. It's in excellent condition, with the remote and the manual, but of course I recognize no one is interested in VCRs anymore. I usually like to price something about $5-$10 over what I really want to get for it, so I have some room to negotiate it. So, what would you list it for? $30, and take offers of $20-$25?

I find that if I price things too low, I get too many people saying they'll take it and not show up.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Re the TV. In our area, any TV that isn't a flatscreen is priced at $5. We donated a 32" tube TV (perfect working condition) and I saw it in the store a few days later priced at $5.

 

[VAfamily1998]

I don't really think it's realistic to expect "what you paid for it" for items. I mostly go to Craigslist when I am looking for a deeply discounted item, and am willing to deal with it being gently used/minor flaws. About 1.5 years ago I bought a Garmin forerunner 305, which retails new at about $245. It was used, and did not include a heart monitor (which was ok with me, I mostly just wanted it for time/distance, not calories burned)for about $60! Those are the type of deals I am looking for when I go to Craigslist, otherwise I just buy new from an authorized dealer or direct from the manufacturer.

 

[DVC-Don]

A few years ago I sold of lot to stuff on Craigs List, but the last few times I get nothing but crackpots responding.

 

[Ephany]

For those posters who have mentioned the FB swap, how do I go about finding a local FB swap?

I found one group by word of mouth, (my neighbor mentioned it) and then I also searched my area/city +swap or +resale. Once I was approved to join the 1st group, other people mentioned sites for more specific items like garage sales or books. I also belong to my local Freecycle, but there's not as much traffic there as was before the Facebook groups became more popular.

 

[Friendly Frog]

I live in a big city, but I could not find any facebook swaps. I even tired several city names, so I must be doing something wrong?

 

[brymolmom]

I agree with pp's in that you should only be asking for a fraction of the cost (especially since it's still B1G1 free online - so really you're asking MORE than what someone can buy a new one). For a brand new, in box item - you might end up with a bit closer to it's actual 'value' (but at least 20% lower than any price that the person can get new or even used at a store that allows returns), but you might have to wait awhile as it will only be someone looking for this exact item.

I often wonder how people on this board do at their garage/tag sales when they come on here and ask about pricing and stating how much they paid for it and saying that 50% of that is a good price. Oftentimes at garage sales - 10 - 20% of original price for very good condition is what will actually sell. At least around here...

I've been scouring CL for a 3ds...I know they're new-ish and likely wouldn't find many being sold. But I've responded to about 3 of them. And haven't gotten one response. I've been telling them that I want to deal with them - they have been asking WAY too much - simply because it is 'like' new and they only bought it 6 months ago. But when I can buy a brand new one from Walmart for $169 - there's no way I'm paying you $150 for yours that I have so much risk to buy. I've been very surprised at the prices being asked and have seen the items re-listed, so I don't think they're selling at these prices.