Power Sellers Unite

amplexuslotus · Joined: 25 Feb 2008 Posts: 22

Hi,

Does anyoe have any experience in selling high end merchandise on Craigslist? I live in an affluent area that hasn't been touched very hard by the economic turn down (or so the local media claims) and yet have found it impossible to sell high end crystal and porcelain pieces. Even though our prices are well below other online sellers and definitely much lower than retailers.

I have had success using Craigslist for items under $100 but have never sold anything over $100 except for a cruiser bike in near-mint condition. We've also had great success advertising our yard sales. We held about 5 over last summer and into autumn. The most we made was a little over $600 in 5 hours. Other times we made $0-$400.

Thanks for such a wonderful site PSU and thanks to those sharing your experiences! :lol:

mogansportscards · Joined: 29 Jan 2008 Posts: 31 Location: Lancaster, Ohio

We sold a couple dressers for $200.00 on craigslist yesterday. That has been our big sale there.

FlowerPower · Joined: 29 Feb 2008 Posts: 6

I have sold LCD TVs, beds (major department brand), etc, getting more than $500 for each item on Craigslist. One thing I notice often, when selling on Craigslist, is that people just feel free to lowball, and I mean, ridiculously low. I have had offers of $20 for 32inch name brand LCD TV, didn't even bother to respond.. There are a few looking for high-end items, but I think majority is just looking for under $50- 100, if not $20, every day items.

Also, selling on Craigslist involves buyers and those who are interested in your items coming to see, test, or look at the stuff at your own home. I felt extremely uncomfortable having random people around in the house when selling items that are worth a couple of hundreds. So it's safer to have them put in a garage, or if it's a small enough item, maybe in a driveway or a nearby coffee shop (I occasinally use starbucks for Craigslist trades.), just to be safe.

amplexuslotus · Joined: 25 Feb 2008 Posts: 22

[b]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to give CL another try. My husband reminded me that we did sell a beatuiful Rochard porcelain collectible just before Christmas and that was for a bit over $200.

Good luck to everyone! :lol:

sycore · Joined: 11 Mar 2008 Posts: 28

The reason you are not selling your high priced items is first people are probably worried about scams, and second we are not in a "economic downturn" we are in a recession, soon to be a depression when gas hits $4 a gallon. Sure there will always be people with moeny, but those kind of people do not use craiglist or even know what it is.

amplexuslotus · Joined: 25 Feb 2008 Posts: 22

Sycore,

The term "depression" is not even used anymore. I'm not saying that you are not correct in your assessment of what is going on but plenty of people in my area are making enough money that property values have not decreased but increased something like 1.5% and a similar increase is being projected for '08.

Plus in DC-Baltimore-Phildadelphia-NYC everyone from taxi drivers, to impassioned collectors to designers-boutique owners-private sellers-consignment/antique shops-auction companies know and use Craigslist regularly. However, these same people (when I've asked collectors and boutique owners) even if they've heard of auction site alternatives to Ebay have never used them. I've yet to meet anyone who has purchased anything from Ebay's competitors (not including CL).

If you peruse Washington, DC or NYC craigslist you will find posts by shop owners and private sellers in upscale neighborhoods. Craigslist is just not for college students and low-income people in many (if not most) east coast-DC cities. I believe there are huge regional differences with how it's used and exactly who uses Craigslist. I've noticed the same trend in Los Angeles and San Fran.

Thanks

amplexuslotus · Joined: 25 Feb 2008 Posts: 22

I do agree that scams are a concern. However, over the past few days I've been looking through Ebay auctions and found 6 sellers claiming to be selling authentic McCoy pottery which are fakes. Well known fakes too. Anyone with a just a little bit of McCoy knowledge would know it. I also found a seller who sold a very pretty authentic McCoy item but it was missing the lid. They however, never mentioned this in their description and the piece was sold without to a buyer who maybe did not even know it originally was not a pitcher (as the seller described it) but was a coffe/tea pot.

Ebay has plenty of unscrupulous sellers yet they seem to do alright.

BTW, I emailed each one of the sellers who were offering McCoy fakes and not one emailed me back. Out of the 6 only one pulled their fake McCoy from their auction. The others as of today (3 days later) are still auctioning the items as authentic McCoy.

troutcannibal · Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 5:38 pm Post subject: Re: Craigslist for High End Items

I used Craigs List once.
I sold the first and only item I posted there.

It was a $25.00 Rainbow Trout resin model.

I have not gone back to Craigs List since then... why?
It was a HASSLE.

It took several emails and phone calls, postponements and all manner of frustrtation to finally get that item in the buyers hands.
(They ended up leaving the money in the ashtray of my unlocked truck parked in a public place)

I figure I spent about 8 hours selling that $25.00 fish and risked being ripped off because I left the fish in the unlocked truck.

I am a Distribution Company owner... very small and hands on.
I spend all day out in a truck making deliveries.
I do have a warehouse, but not a store front.
I do not have the money to pay someone to sit in the warehouse in case someone shows up. My warehouse is not advertised as a place of retail business anyway.

I sell online to increase my business and earnings.
I do the listing and web site building at night when I am at home.
Coming home and finding pre paid online orders in my email is a fantastic experience that does not interrupt my regular business day.

I also live in a remote area in the Mountains. I commute to town for work. It is inconvenient for both potential buyers and myself to arrange any type of visiting my home for purchases. I work 7 days a week...out in a delivery truck, spanning a 300 mile radius, on 5 of those days.

I may visit Craigs List again... but I will only sell there if they develop, or allow shipping... instead of yard type sales.

Lolipop · Joined: 08 Feb 2008 Posts: 43

I'm working my way off of ebay, my ecrater site isn't finished and I have 2 beautiful, new Cartier Watches (Yes, the real things) to sell that were consigned to me. I REALLY don't want to put them on Ebay right now, so I was thinking about Craigslist. My concern....has anyone else sold anything like this on CL and what was your experience? How did you meet the person interested? I don't want them coming to my home and I don't want to meet a stranger somewhere with this kind of merchandise (I'm a single, mature lady).
Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.
Loli