Members cincy_cosmo Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 I've been trying to sell items in my basement to generate money to get a chorus pedal or maybe a Boss SL-20 Slicer pedal. I've listed various things on Craigslist....and have been stiffed 6 times in two weeks. "I'll meet with you tomorrow and pick it up. Take the listing off please" and then they fall off of the face of the earth. One time we set up a time to meet at a McDonald's (safe public place) and they no-show. I'm going back to eBay unless I'm selling furniture that is impractical to ship. eBay has some accountability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members charveldan Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 There're drawbacks, but it serves a purpose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Longhair Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 Way better than having a bunch of people saying: "your asking price is way too high because I can find it at ____ for only ____ (average $150) more. I will give you ____ (half of asking price) because I don't have any more money to spend." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members skibob Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 My rules for Craigslist deals... 1. The listing stays up until I have cash in my hand.2. I will not hold the item and/or hold off other interested parties while someone "thinks about it" or goes to get money.3. I will not inconvenience myself to show an item, if they are really interested they will inconvenience themselves to look at it.4. First person who shows up with cash gets it... No exceptions.5. I will not look at your ad if it doesn't have a picture of the actual item you are selling... Not a picture from the manufacturers website... Not email me for pictures... These are all rules I have implemented because of experience... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members monto Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 apart from the 'awful' ebay fees, one can't deny that the ebay system does work quite well. (once again, apart from the awful fees). anyway, here is a picture to cheer us all up: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 23miles Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 There is no doubt that Craigslist attracts all sorts of bugs. There are simple things to do to avoid complications. These have been rehashed again and again in this forum. The problem with Craigslist is that it has the reputation of being, for lack of a better term, an online garage sale. Craigslist shoppers don't want to pay a fair price for your item, they want an outrageous bargain. They will try to lowball you. The second problem is that you have limited exposure - especially if you limit your sale to your local community as you should. It is important to establish the identity of your prospective buyer before you agree to meet - get a phone number, a name and find out where he lives. If you can't, don't meet. Of course don't remove your listing until you have the cash-in hand. For small inexpensive items, I prefer to sell on CL, and not have to deal with shipping and fees. But, let's face it, nobody wants to pay music store prices to buy something from the trunk of a seller's car. You will have to price your item below the local retail stores.For larger and more expensive items, like good quality guitars, I have gotten much better results from Ebay. I will try them first on CL but usually you attract a bunch of tire kickers and lowballers. Ebay has a global audience and there is generally enough competition to keep prices at, close to, or just below "market" value. Of course there are fees and the general p-i-t-a of packaging and shipping. You have to factor these into your starting bid or reserve price amount.Neither of these are perfect but the main thing is that with a little work you will get a much better price for your gear than you would if you traded it in at your local store. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sxyryan Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 Ebay is good if your a buyer, or a big time seller, but if I have one thing I want to sell, it's a pain in the butt. I hate how sellers can't leave bad feedback for buyers anymore unless they don't pay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members adastra87 Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 Some of the biggest steals in my guitar-buying have come directly from craigslist. A USA Jackson Dinky Shattered Glass for $400 ($1500 dollar guitar), numerous amps for literally 1/3 the price they sell for on Ebay, list goes on and on. You just have to know how to use it to weed out problematic buyers. Everything skibob said above is true. Just ignore the people who don't conform to your craigslist rules and you'll never be faced with BS. I've had over 100 transactions on craigslist and was never anything but satisfied with each and every one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Will Chen Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 I use eBay for both buying and selling because it is the best thing currently out there and honestly unless Amazon offers an off-shoot of their site for a similar business model there will never be anything which can come close to competing. For that reason they will continue to test the waters by raising prices until they hit a wall at which there business is impacted. For all the F eBayers, note that eBay is a minority (actually a majority but they rewrote their bylaws to avoid it) owner of Craigslist and Craigslist does charge for many listings in their biggest urban areas (which puts money into eBay's pockets as well)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grantus Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 I've had a largely good experience with eBay, both as a buyer and small-time seller. I just got a brand-new $500 guitar on eBay for $371. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Will Chen Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 I've had a largely good experience with eBay, both as a buyer and small-time seller. I just got a brand-new $500 guitar on eBay for $371. Thats a good example of the strength of eBay. As a dealer in a traditional store front you are limited to the MAP of a product. eBay typically falls outside those rules and allows purchasing new items at a discount without having to haggle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarcapo Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 My rules for Craigslist deals... 1. The listing stays up until I have cash in my hand. 2. I will not hold the item and/or hold off other interested parties while someone "thinks about it" or goes to get money. 3. I will not inconvenience myself to show an item, if they are really interested they will inconvenience themselves to look at it. 4. First person who shows up with cash gets it... No exceptions. 5. I will not look at your ad if it doesn't have a picture of the actual item you are selling... Not a picture from the manufacturers website... Not email me for pictures... These are all rules I have implemented because of experience... This man speaks wisely. Implement his rules and your problems will be no more. I have no further points to add other than Risa Kasumi is smoking hot: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Large Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 This man speaks wisely. Implement his rules and your problems will be no more. I have no further points to add other than Risa Kasumi is smoking hot: /snip Maria Ozawa imo: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bsman Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 Guys - when you post these photos, please add a "NSFW"!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members noisebloom Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 The amount of win here more than counterbalances the hate for CL. I approve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitar Heel Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 If you want to sell something fast and have that item seen by the most people possible, then eBay is simply the only choice. There's a reason why the fees are so high. Cause they're the only show in town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr.Grumpy Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 My rules for Craigslist deals... 1. The listing stays up until I have cash in my hand. 2. I will not hold the item and/or hold off other interested parties while someone "thinks about it" or goes to get money. 3. I will not inconvenience myself to show an item, if they are really interested they will inconvenience themselves to look at it. 4. First person who shows up with cash gets it... No exceptions. 5. I will not look at your ad if it doesn't have a picture of the actual item you are selling... Not a picture from the manufacturers website... Not email me for pictures... These are all rules I have implemented because of experience... These are excellent. I especially hate the "email me for pics" craps since Craigslist will HOST YOUR FRICKIN' PICS on their site for free! No excuse for not having a pic of the actual item. I've only done a few Craigslist deals, they all turned out OK. I've had a couple of no-shows, but that's it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Doctor Morbius Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 Craig's List = Thanks for the prompt reply, right now i am not around and i will be pleased to know the basic price of the item. asap so i will instruct my account officer to issue you an over night mailed certified check.below is what i need to issue your check ..... 1. your full name 2.your home address 3.your cell phone number As soon as this information is sent to me i will order my account officer to mail down the check to you today.please not that i am definately buying the item so make sure you delete the posting on craiglist as soon as you mail down the necessary information. thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TheFigurehead Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 I've never had a problem buying or selling on CL. It's easy to avoid the morons and tire kickers... I simply avoid people who can't use something resembling complete sentences, type in all caps, ask stupid questions, or don't seem generally ready to buy. The biggest problem I see is generally with sellers. There seems to be alot of people who are in some denial about the worth of their gear. Expecting retail for your used gear is a bit silly... I don't even bother replying to ads with unrealistic prices... it never goes well. Listing your Squire Affinity Tele for $179 tells me all I need to know about you. I typically list items for $5 - $25 more than I want to get for them (depending on price), expecting some haggling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DarkHorizon Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 Ebay in the UK is a bit hit and miss. For guitars there are alot of people who think they can sell second hand guitars some of which are poor condition for close to or above retail price. Why would you buy a second hand one if a new one of similar age is the same price or lower ? Having said that there are some real good deals if you look hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Umbra Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 I've been trying to sell items in my basement to generate money I generally don't find many buyers for the items I'm trying to sell in my basement. The only "buyers" I find in my basement are two cats that are short on cash. Ebay is a better place to sell than in my basement. I would say though that those rules apply to ebay as well in addition to never buy something from someone with less than 10 feedback unless you can pick it up locally. Also never buy from someone unless they have 100% positive feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members revans513 Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 I much prefer E-bay. I just got a Jay Turser LP for $170. The Cincy CL sucks basically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bzja Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 CL here is good for trades. I have 2 successful trades, both of which I believe were good for both parties. BUT the CL Police suck big time and it detracts from the listings. EBAY just isn't what it once was. I have done better buying from online sellers. And the fees are just outrageous ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bisticles Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 Is someone in your area trying to sell something similar? I've never had any potential buyers tell me to take down my listing. As far as eBay/Craigslist go, it basically comes down to what do you value more; time or money. If I've got a guitar that I believe is worth easily $400, I can list it on Craigslist and fully expect to get 10 replies in a few days. That sounds good until you realize that these 10 replies break down to 1) A guy who wants to trade me a BRAND NEW FISHTANK for the guitar2) "still got it? 8765552875 pete"3) Guy asking questions that are answered in the text for the listing4) Person who says they're very interested, then mentions that he's three hours away and doesn't have a car, but will pay $20 for gas to deliver it.5) Nice-sounding guy who agrees on a time/place to meet up and never shows.6) That first guy reminding me just how much he spent on that fishtank7) "Hi that's a really nice guitar. I once had one like it except it was black. Can we be friends?"8) Some raving lunatic who you're very glad doesn't have your email address9) Dude who shows up and then asks for $50 off because of a mark in the finish that was explicitly pointed out and photographed in the listing10) Guy who belongs on Hoarders, whose house is just filled with garbage and looks like he's spending the family electricity bill on toys for himself. There will be a crying child that he's watching while his wife is working, and you *may* get your full asking price, but you will leave with a dirty feeling that will never wash off. You can sometimes get better people by lowering your price a little bit, but in my experience, the sale isn't over until the money is in your hands. No matter what you agree to on the phone or in email, when you show up to sell something, know ahead of time what you're going to say when they ask "So what's the best price you can do on this?" At least with eBay, I can take pictures, make my listing, and then just box it up until I know what address to write on the label. I know ahead of time exactly how much money I can expect to lose in fees, and figure out whether or not I want to sell. The only person I have to deal with is the nice lady at the UPS Store, and if anything goes wrong, the worst that can happen is that they mail it back and I issue them a refund. Sure, I might end up only making $350 instead of $400, but I don't have to spend the week answering idiotic emails, driving to the middle of nowhere for a person that may or may not show up, and wasting time on people who don't have a vested interest in following through on a transaction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members volvo1800 Posted January 29, 2010 Members Share Posted January 29, 2010 Is someone in your area trying to sell something similar? I've never had any potential buyers tell me to take down my listing.As far as eBay/Craigslist go, it basically comes down to what do you value more; time or money. If I've got a guitar that I believe is worth easily $400, I can list it on Craigslist and fully expect to get 10 replies in a few days. That sounds good until you realize that these 10 replies break down to 1) A guy who wants to trade me a BRAND NEW FISHTANK for the guitar2) "still got it? 8765552875 pete"3) Guy asking questions that are answered in the text for the listing4) Person who says they're very interested, then mentions that he's three hours away and doesn't have a car, but will pay $20 for gas to deliver it.5) Nice-sounding guy who agrees on a time/place to meet up and never shows.6) That first guy reminding me just how much he spent on that fishtank7) "Hi that's a really nice guitar. I once had one like it except it was black. Can we be friends?"8) Some raving lunatic who you're very glad doesn't have your email address9) Dude who shows up and then asks for $50 off because of a mark in the finish that was explicitly pointed out and photographed in the listing10) Guy who belongs on Hoarders, whose house is just filled with garbage and looks like he's spending the family electricity bill on toys for himself. There will be a crying child that he's watching while his wife is working, and you *may* get your full asking price, but you will leave with a dirty feeling that will never wash off.You can sometimes get better people by lowering your price a little bit, but in my experience, the sale isn't over until the money is in your hands. No matter what you agree to on the phone or in email, when you show up to sell something, know ahead of time what you're going to say when they ask "So what's the best price you can do on this?"At least with eBay, I can take pictures, make my listing, and then just box it up until I know what address to write on the label. I know ahead of time exactly how much money I can expect to lose in fees, and figure out whether or not I want to sell. The only person I have to deal with is the nice lady at the UPS Store, and if anything goes wrong, the worst that can happen is that they mail it back and I issue them a refund. Sure, I might end up only making $350 instead of $400, but I don't have to spend the week answering idiotic emails, driving to the middle of nowhere for a person that may or may not show up, and wasting time on people who don't have a vested interest in following through on a transaction. Ha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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