Craigslist vs. eBay

So today I was asked how I sell things on craigslist and on eBay and that got me thinking. I really do think about where I can get the most money and try to be strategic about how to go about that.

CRAIGSLIST
It's free! Oh and did I say free?

There isn't a better place that delivers better and faster results than craigslist for certain items. I have sold baby stuff, clothes, electronics and more on there and have always, eventually sold it. Sometimes you have to be open to taking less and you should absolutely figure that in when deciding how much to list things for. Be reasonable but you also don't want to give it away for nothing unless actually you do and then you can list it under the stuff that is free on the site. If you are looking to make money for things in your house that you no longer use then you need to think ahead. What would you pay for it? Is it in good condition?

Take pictures, describe the item and upload up to 4 photos of the item for free. Bam! You are done. Don't forget that people search craigslist by keyword so make sure you have every key word that you can think of that would get people to your post. At the bottom I usually put, for example only, "keywords: kids, baby, infant, pottery barn, crate & barrel, mom, family, kid, gear, feeding, breast, etc." You get the idea...now wait for folks to email you wanting to buy your things!!

eBay
Ok, so this one has fees and depending on what your selling will depend on your fees. I'm no expert on ebay. I still have a TON to learn. I'm no powerseller or anything but I can definitely make extra money for us. There are things I put on ebay that just don't sell as well on craigslist and even if they did I know I could get more money. You get much more exposure on ebay to your things. For example, I listed a pair of Ugg baby boots (which I got at a garage sale for $1.00) and they sold for almost $20! NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! That's just one example. If you use paypal for your buyers to use to pay you then you get charged a nominal fee too. Keeping all of this in mind I usually add $2-3 as my handling fee to the price of the shipping/handling to cover my ebay and paypal fees. That way I don't lose money and someone is still getting a GREAT deal.

Now I know I mentioned about getting something at a garage sale and then selling it on ebay and that will be a different post. How to turn your passion for garage sales into a profit! Stay tuned...