4. I do not negotiate over the phone. I suggest to buyers that they eyeball the item before they try to assess its value, and if they can't do that then I'm not willing to drop the price. This practice gets rid of half of your problem buyers before they even show up.
Craigslist people can be the worst. I was selling my motorcycle for $3400, I had more than one person email or text me (not even a phone call) with one sentence. It was usually something along the lines of "Will you take $2400 for it?" Huh? Yes there are pictures on my ad, but you haven't even looked at it in person or made sure it runs, and you've already settled on the offer? Not to mention you are completely low balling me in the process?
I wonder if that ever works. Maybe I should start texting people on craigslist and making crazy low ball offers without having even looked at anything.
I think that's one of the biggest challenges of learning the CL ropes. You have to be your own spam filter. Eventually you are able to get the feeling for whether or not someone is a real buyer. I have sold everything from cars, furniture, to phones, to motorcycles and everything in between. My wife jokes that I am a CL nut, but people can't believe I am actually able to sell stuff to legitimate buyers. The biggest tips I can give are these (some have been mentioned):
1) Take lots of good, high quality photos - Highlight the good points, and if there are bad things make sure to take pictures of those too
2) Honesty - All of my ads give descriptions of the product, what the retailed for originally, why I am selling the item etc. It gives a buyer perspective, and gives your ad "personality." Don't go overboard with it, don't include any sob stories.
3) Detailed description - like I said above, give details like specs, dimensions etc. so the buyer can do their own research.
4) Don't get emotionally attached to your items - self explanatory
5) Screen out the scammers - one line texts/emails and offers are always something you have to deal with. Again, once you are able to establish some communication with the buyer, you can screen accordingly
6) If you are doing a transaction at your home, pick a place that both parties feel comfortable. If you have furniture items, and can move them to a covered location, like a garage, do so. I do most of my transactions that require someone to come to the house in the garage or driveway. It also prevents anything in your house from getting damaged on the way out. If you are a female, I would recommend having a male counterpart with you. I have helped out several wives in the area who's husbands are deployed by simply going over and doing the transaction piece for them.
7) Know that if a person comes to your home, and you haven't negotiated the price over the phone or email (depends on the item, I will negotiate over text/email/phone if the item is pretty straight forward, obscure items, not so much), that they are 99% willing to pay your asking price. Keep that in mind if you price your item fair when it comes to negotiation. But at the end of the day, if they aren't a weirdo, are willing and able to take the item that day, make the sale.
8) Patience - sometimes people will flake. It happens. Stay up to date with your ad, "refresh" your add daily so that it bumps to the top when people are searching. Not everything sells in a week, and I have items that I have had for sale for 2+months sometimes. People look for different items at different times.