Alexis Senge JohnsonSelling things on Craiglist can be scary. In December I listed a few items that we had left to sell on Craigslist in hopes of making a few last dollars to get me through this job transition. It all sounded like a great idea until complete strangers actually started emailing me back wanting to see the items and then I had that sudden realization that I could turn into one of those stories on the news. You know what I’m talking about. We’ve all heard those crazy stories about people who go missing, get attacked or robbed blind from people who come to buy things posted on Craigslist.
I thought I was making smart decisions where my internet selling was concerned. First I posted the items we wanted to sell on Facebook so our friends could have first chance at them. Then I waited until we had moved everything we were taking with us to the new house. I figured that way no one could try to rob us. However, what I hadn’t put much thought into was how I was going to be able to have people pick stuff up at the townhouse with Matt being on crutches and me working so much through the holidays. Honestly, I should have thought this out a bit more thoroughly.
We did head over to the townhouse for our first sale only to be stood up because the person overslept. Since I had left work a bit early in order to make the transaction work for the person who was coming, I was less than enthusiastic after I waited a half hour and they didn’t show. Now I’ve realized that selling stuff on Craigslist isn’t as great of an idea as I thought. Whatever was left over was already destined to be donated, but I stared to wonder if it should all be donated just so I didn’t end up on the nightly news.
I’m proud to say that I have lived through the process, but with the exception of listing a garage sale on the site, I don’t think I’ll be utilizing Cragislist again in the future to sell things. That’s hard for me to say as I am usually a big advocate for the decency of using the site. As a matter of fact, the last 3 places I lived I found on the website. I found 2 condos and the townhouse on Craigslist and the rental prices for all 3 were all much more reasonable than paying rent in the areas they were in. The first condo was brand new and never had been lived in. The second condo was full of all the upgrades you could ever want. The townhouse didn’t have the same upgrades but it did come with 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and a garage for about $500 less then I would have paid to rent a much smaller apartment without covered parking.
Have you ever tried to buy or sell something on Craigslist? What was your experience? I know that many people use the site every day without any problems, so there has to be more than a handful of sales that go smoothly. Were you one of them or do you know someone who’s experience on Craigslist landed them as a bullet point in the paper?
We have had numerous Craigslist dealings both as buyer and seller. With only one exception we have had only good experiences and we continue to use the site. We use common sense and have never felt unsafe. Just like a jet plane landing safely does not make news, the millions of safe Craigslist transaction are equally non-sensational. You ran the same risk, pre-Internet, with a printed ad in the want-ads, so just because it is Internet based selling doesn’t make it more risky. We’ve gotten some amazing deals and met many very nice people!
I totally agree Rick. Like I said, I got some amazing deals on rental units in the past on Craigslist, but I think I learned that selling stuff on the site just isn’t for me. However, I’m sure there are others out there that have had great experiences like you.