1) Get an idea of what people are buying your same item for (preferably in your Craigslist city but also on other city Craigslist boards if you need to), so you’re not expecting too much.

2) Find out what the item costs new. Find and include in your listing a URL for a reputable seller (like Amazon) with a price more than what you’re asking, if possible (if not, you’re probably charging too much).

3) Clean your item! Very very well! If it’s something big like a sofa, clean the area around it as well… people judge the likely cleanliness of the item by the clues they pick up in the background.

4) Take a good photo, with good lighting. Nothing perfect or fancy, but take a bit of pride. Even use a sheet or pretty cloth as a background if that will make it look nicer.

5) Use stock photos from the Internet (you’ll need the item number if applicable).

6) Provide detail about the item, including being honest about any faults (and discount the price accordingly). Nothing pisses people off like coming all the way out to buy an item and finding it’s dirty or doesn’t work or is damaged.

7) Be safe about where you meet people, but also know that most Craigslist people will not actually show up. Be clear in your listing that it is first come, first serve.

8) Watch for scams. Never mail anything, ever. Don’t accept anything – anything, including PayPal – other than cash. For heavy items, they have to bring help to get it down.

In general, what can you make money from on Craigslist? Fairly recently released electronics and sofas/couches. I’ve made $200 easily on a sofa I bought a deployed boyfriend but he didn’t like, and I then relisted. Put in enough detail, with a bit of enthusiasm, in the listing and people will buy. So long as it’s not plaid or ugly.

I HATE when people do that!! It’s dishonest and against eBay policy. I bust people like that as often as I can. All someone who knows eBay rules has to do is report the item, and it is almost always removed from the site.

I also sold tons of n64 games which I didn’t even know people still buy, but I was wrong, I got a lot of offers for my n64 and PS1 games. I sold almost $80 worth and I still have a quite a few more.

I think this is probably practical for items that sell well overall rather than for categories that have a ton of listings and not enough buyers.

They were 5 day listings, with a brief description of the item along with a detailed picture.

Now I would like to convince them that they would like a refund…

Also – consider buying from yard sales and then getting rid of the stuff on e-bay :)

With this technique, I sold a dictionary for around $200. I sold textbooks and other books for good money, too, but never started at over a dollar.

There’s always a risk, but as long as you see that your item is being sold successfully by others, or that it’s indeed worth something, you can be sure you won’t get burnt.